Young Guns

Savvy anglers. Expert boat handlers. Meet five of the best and brightest sportfishing captains in the U.S. today.

By Dave Lear

Capt. Mike Pittiglio, St. Clair Shores, Mich. Destiny played a big role in 30-year-old Mike Pittiglio's decision to become a full-time muskellunge guide four years ago. Even though he was an avid fisherman and owned his first boat at age 19, a career in engineering kept Pittiglio off the water more than he wanted. When he decided to buy Muskie Mania, a 31 Sea Ray Amberjack, and start chartering, he was laid off from his engineering job the same day he was scheduled to close on his boat loan. He bought the boat anyway and is now one of the premier muskie guides in the Great Lakes region. Pittiglio fishes Lake St. Clair exclusively, 95 percent of the time in Canadian waters. His specialty is power trolling using boat rods and planer boards. He runs 120 trips annually from the first of June until December 15.

Capt. Mike Pittiglio "The harder you work, the more muskies you'll catch. I change baits often and adjust depths until I locate where the fish are holding. In Lake St. Clair there isn't any structure, so I look for tinted, off-color water. Then I power troll at 4 mph around those color breaks."

During the 2004 season, Pittiglio's anglers landed 754 muskies, including 12 over 30 pounds. On one trip (six hours of actual fishing), they landed 27 out of 35 bites. The majority of the fish are released. One angler, 81-year-old Walter Skszek of Belleville, Mich., celebrated his birthday by boating a 38-pound, 56-inch muskie, the biggest of his life and Pittiglio's career. That evening, Pittiglio's wife gave birth to their child.

"What I enjoy most about guiding is meeting a wide variety of people," Pittiglio says. "You run into all types of occupations and personalities. I want to fish until I retire or die, I love it so much."