Meet the staff

Jon – Co Director

Jon grew up in the Saginaw River watershed and was fortunate to be surrounded by excellent warmwater fishing opportunities. He was always passionate about fishing and learned to cast and tie flies when he was young with the help of several different mentors. He attended college at Northern Michigan University where he was able to explore the endless wilderness fishing opportunities and hone his trout fishing techniques for native brook trout across the U.P.

After graduation, Jon traveled for work and was fortunate to fish many different places along the way. In 2017, Jon returned to Michigan and now calls Kalamazoo home. He is active with his local TU chapter (KVCTU) and serves on the board as the education chair. Besides fishing, Jon also enjoys spending time with his family and hunting, especially with his bird dogs. Jon also supports Casting for Recovery, The Ruffed Grouse Society, Quail Forever, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

Andy – Co Director

Andy has lived many places being an Army kid but now proudly calls Michigan home. Michigan is lucky to have many opportunities for anglers and Andy does his best to take advantage targeting everything from trout, bass, walleye, musky, and pike. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and experience fly fishing with others since he struggled getting started. He is an active and proud member of Clinton Valley Trout Unlimited and has helped put on a youth fly fishing school in Detroit through the chapter. He also serves as a mentor with the Detroit Mayfly Project.

Laurie

Laurie lives in Bay City with her best fishing buddy and husband, Jack.  They love to travel, and have been able to fish in some of the best spots in the country, although nothing is more fun for them than helping their grandchildren pull in a pan fish.

Laurie is the president of the Mershon-Neumann Heritage Chapter of Trout Unlimited.  Projects she is most proud of, in addition to the MITU Youth Camp, are the Women ‘n Waders program as well as the work the chapter has done with Saginaw  4H to teach youth fishing and conservation practices.  Laurie also volunteers as a river helper with Casting for Recovery.

Tim

Tim Jacobs, a native of Michigan, is an angler, fly tyer, photographer, writer and
German Shorthair Pointer aficionado from New Castle, Colorado. He has guided in
the Steamboat Springs area and the Roaring Fork Valley. Additionally, he was a
Federation of Fly Fishers certified casting instructor who taught the Sage Casting
Clinics during the 1990’s. He works as an instructor at the Michigan Youth Trout
Camp each summer and is a casting instructor for numerous events, both in
Colorado and Michigan. Tim has published numerous articles and authored the
books Tying and Fishing Deer Hair Flies (2018, Stackpole Books) and Tactics for
Bass and Other Warm Water Species (2023, Stackpole Books). He appears at
numerous flyfishing shows and fly shops as a demonstration fly tyer for the Regal
Vise Pro Staff and Nature’s Spirit Pro Staff.

Tyler

A military brat who’s lived across the eastern US, Tyler has lived in Michigan and the Detroit area for the last 17 years. Tyler grew up fishing in the south with conventional gear and then on his way to become an Eagle Scout, discovered fly fishing at a summer camp in Michigan when he was 16 years old. He has been a member of Trout Unlimited for about six years and a board member for about two years, working as the co-chair for the education committee; working on bringing fly fishing to the youth of Detroit and surrounding areas. Tyler is also the lead mentor for the Detroit Mayfly Project.

Don

Member of Mershon-Neumann chapter of T.U. Happy place is a river teaching someone to enjoy nature. Works at fly tying. Retired and lives with wife in Florida, but spending summers in the great state of Michigan.

Greg

Greg Potter is the Education and Diversity chairperson for Michigan Trout Unlimited. He lives in Marshall Michigan on the same block as the Kalamazoo River. Greg was one of the Co-founders of our camp and has spent most of his adult life encouraging kids and adults to enjoy and protect our lakes and streams.

Sam

I’m from Holland Mi, and I am blessed with a ton of really great areas to go fishing! A big part of my life and especially in the summer is trying to catch fish. I like catching anything, but my favorite are warm water species like bass and pike. This is my First year as counselor, but I have had the opportunity to be both a camper, as well as a junior counselor in previous years. I enjoy trying my best to teach people how to fly fish, and to tie flies.

Jim

Jim has been a life member of TU since the mid-1980s and served as a chapter president for 10 years. He has been a counselor/mentor at every youth camp that has been held. He appreciates that Michigan TU allows exposing youth to lure fishing for trout in camp and is not a flies only organization as he loves showing the kids how to build spinners and how to use them.

Caswell

Caswell grew up in Harlem, New York City. As a youth, he deep-sea fished with his father for blue fish. As a YMCA camper he fished for bass and perch. He became a counselor at the Y camp, a waterfront lifeguard and eventually canoe master. His career path has included residency in North Carolina, Seattle, Los Angeles, Maryland, Chicago, and Michigan. He fished in all those areas and many others, including Alaska, Ireland, and Scotland. He has fished for steelhead, salmon, various species of trout, bonefish, permit and tarpon. Now an Emeritus Professor he enjoys sharing his fishing knowledge and experience with youth including his two granddaughters. He is a member of the Kalamazoo Valley chapter of Michigan Trout Unlimited.

John

John has lived most of his life in Southwest Michigan.  While spending summers on a lake, he was an avid fly angler for blue gills from beach front docks.  Blue gills remain one of his most vapored fish to catch on a fly rod.  After not fly fish for many years, he returned to the sport as he entered retirement.  Being a member of the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited it was an easy step to join the Youth Trout Camp team.  First as a low key Counselor/Camper, then helping to develop an age appropriate academic program for Camp.  Camp has been instrumental in the development of his fly casting skills and knowledge of the environment and nature of trout streams and their inhabitants.  

Paige

Paige is a board member of Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited where she organizes and leads women’s outings and volunteers with STREAM Girls, amongst other roles. Paige is a licensed clinical social worker who moved from the Grand Rapids area to Baldwin to be immersed in all things trout, as fishing and fly tying are some of her favorite self care activities. Much of her joy stems from being outdoors. She loves sharing this passion through TU, Anglers of the AuSable, and Casting for Recovery.