Our Pros
Captain Jed Wilson
Jed’s dad brought him fishing at the age of four and he never looked back. He spent every free moment fishing in local lakes and ponds in central New Jersey. When he was 18 he moved to Florida and purchased his first bass boat. He was a guide on Lake Tarpon for many years and fished north central Florida Lakes while attending the University of Florida. Jed moved to CT in 2003 and started fishing Candlewood Lake. Jed started his Bassman Fishing Tours guide service in 2012 and has a great reputation for teaching young anglers how to catch huge bass. Jed has a fishing pontoon boat, which is a favorite with families looking for a safe way to fish with the whole family. Jed has been an educator for 13 years and is currently a teacher at the Eagle Hill School in Greenwich CT. He has three beautiful children who love to fish with their dad.
Kris Lechman
Kris has experience on many lakes in the northeast. In addition to his own tournament fishing, he has volunteered as a youth captain for NJBF, NYTBF, High School, and Collegiate events since 2004. Since 2006, Kris has been running Bergen’s Fishing Outing for the Disabled program which has become a yearly event.
In addition to fishing, Kris also loves working with children of all ages. He graduated from Montclair State University with a degree in Human Ecology with a concentration in Early and Middle Childhood Education. In 2004, Kris began teaching in Emerson, NJ. He currently teaches Kindergarten but has also been a Middle School Math and Science teacher. Kris also works in Emerson High School with a variety of sports.
In addition to teaching, for the past 15 years, Kris has been the director of the Emerson Recreation Summer Camp.
This will be his second summer as Director of Candlewood Fishing Camp.
Chad Myrazek
Three years on the Major League Fishing Tour as a full-time professional, and each day on the water strengthens my passion for the sport. Over the years, I’ve honed my skills and knowledge, not just for personal growth but to help others discover the joy of fishing. One of the most rewarding aspects of my journey is teaching the younger generation, sharing everything from the basics of casting to the finer techniques that make a successful day on the water. Whether it’s guiding a novice or mentoring aspiring anglers, I find immense satisfaction in passing on the love for fishing and ensuring that the next generation respects and enjoys this incredible sport.
Camron Yates
I am from the Lakes region in New Hampshire. Current a sophomore at lander university studying business. I fish local tournaments in the summer in NH and fish the college series for Lander University. My freshman year I qualified for the Bassmaster College National Championship and have already qualified for the MLF College National Championship this year. In 2023 I also fished the Bassmaster Team Championship. I started tournament fishing when I was 12 and have been doing it ever since. My favorite fishing styles are throwing big glide baits and frog fishing pads.
Trenton Carey
Became obsessed with the bass tournament scene at a young age. He began competing in tournaments and found great success in high school fishing winning five state championships and even a national championship. He is now fishing for Lander University in South Carolina. Trent has guided with us the last two years and has really enjoyed both watching the campers catching fish and becoming better anglers. Some of his favorite techniques are top water and flipping grass.
Cole Moulton
I started fishing at a very young age with my dad. I soon started fishing tournaments at the age of 7 where I then joined the New Hampshire jr bassmasters at the age of 10. In my time with the New Hampshire jr bassmasters I became the president of the club for 3 years as well as qualifying for 6 Bassmasters national championships and become a Bassmaster high school All American. Now I attend Lander University in Greenwood South Carolina where I receive a fishing scholarship. I captain youth and high school fishing teams in the state of New Hampshire to hopefully give more younger kids the opportunity’s I have had through fishing. I am very excited to be able to work this year with Candlewood Fishing Camp to help influence the younger generations in this great sport.
Jared Hubbard
21-year-old bass angler from Bernardston, Massachusetts. Currently, I’m attending Lander University in Greenwood, South Carolina, where I proudly compete on the bass fishing team as a scholarship athlete. Our team is ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of competing at a high level, earning a spot as a high school national championship qualifier, 5x college national championship qualifier, alongside numerous local wins. My signature techniques and strengths include scoping open water with a jig, frogging, and shallow water scoping. My favorite destination to fish is Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, New York.
Harrison McCall
Fishes on the lander university and from Salisbury North Carolina. I am currently a sophomore studying business. I have competed in a middle school, high school, and now college national championships. My favorite techniques are shallow docks and sight fishing. My favorite lake to fish is High Rock lake in NC because of its muddy water and docks.
Parker Lambert
A seasoned tournament bass angler for the Lander University Bearcats and is currently completing his Master’s degree. He brings expert knowledge and firsthand experiences to every fishing trip. Specializing in offshore smallmouth fishing he is committed to helping campers sharpen their skills, and grow as anglers on and off the water. A well traveled tournament angler with knowledge and success across the country, Parker leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit to catch fish and make memories that will last a lifetime.
Max Schweikert
I was introduced to fishing at a young age by my Grandpa. I started off fishing for bluegill and perch until I caught my first bass on a topwater lure. Ever since then I have been obsessed with bass fishing. I started fishing tournaments in college for Grand Valley State University. I graduated a couple of years ago with a degree in Geography and sustainable planning. This year I started my guiding business called Topwater Safari. I travel around the country towing my bass boat with an RV. I also offer nature and photography tours, as I love wildlife photography. I spend most of my fishing time up shallow, I like to fish grass, docks, and wood. I like to use frogs, buzzbaits, spooks, spinnerbaits, and flipping baits. I had a blast guiding at Candlewood fish camp last summer and I can’t wait to see new and returning faces this summer! Fish on!
Ben Ploch
My dad and grandpa introduced me to bass fishing at the pond in our backyard before I could even walk and I have been addicted ever since! I started fishing more seriously when I got a boat in high school and have been fishing competitively since I was about 15. Growing up on lake Conroe which is a traditionally tough lake to figure out has turned me into a well rounded angler and given me skills that I use every day from guiding all the way to fishing all the major collegiate series representing our school all over the country every week. I’m super excited for the opportunity to share my knowledge with all the campers and have a blast this summer!
Will Hughes
Will is a talented young angler from Grand Rapids MI. He is a member of his high school bass fishing team. They will be competing in all the high school B.A.S.S. tournaments. He fishes the regional tournaments and will also be fishing the BFL’s as a boater. Will was a guide at camp during the summer of 2021.
“It was awesome to be able to teach something that I care so much about to younger kids, and see that same passion for the sport of bass fishing that I had growing up in them”
Joey Friend
Joey started bass fishing at four years old and has been hooked ever since. His addiction to being out on the water truly took off when he turned six and started fishing tournaments with Orange County Bassmasters, a junior club out of Orange County New York, where he won numerous tournaments. At 16 he joined the adult club of Orange County Bassmasters and fished as a Co angler for many years, with great success; winning tournaments from the back of the boat and qualifying for the New York state team championship multiple times. At 22 he purchased his own bass boat and that’s when his fishing career really took a turn and made his dream of becoming a full-time professional angler feel real. Since buying my Ranger bass boat Joey spent countless amounts of time on the water in every weather condition imageable to get comfortable and push himself to be the best angler he can be. He won Angler of the year in Orange County in 2019 and has won tournaments all over New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Currently he is sponsored by Vicious Fishing line, Keitech Custom Baits, Woo Tungsten, and Eternal Lithium batteries. Candlewood lake fishing camp is a great place to come and learn no matter what level a kid’s skill level is. Joey is looking forward to guiding our campers for his second summer with the camp.
Oliver Ngy
Oliver Ngy is a self-taught angler from Southern California. He learned the values of commitment and dedication at an early age and has since become a familiar face in the bass scene. He’s renowned for catching monster fish of many species with a specialty in double-digit largemouth and 5-plus-pound smallmouth bass. Oliver is currently competing nationally in the Bassmaster Open Tour & FLW Toyota Series while exploring multi species fishing opportunities along the way.
Riley Kolich
Riley grew up moving around a ton as a child into her teen years. Through all that one thing remained consistent: a love for fishing! She started out fishing for trout, shore stomping along the back country trails of the California Sierra Nevada’s. While living in Texas she discovered a new love, the Largemouth Bass. Riley then began passionately pursuing all things bass fishing and has since even hoisted dozens of trophy class Smallmouth Bass weighing in at 5lbs or better. She continues to explore the world through fishing, targeting a multitude of species throughout North America.
Riley now travels and fishes full time, all the while documenting her journey to be seen on several social media platforms. Follow along with her on YouTube and Instagram in 2022 as she adds competing on the Bassmaster Opens and MLF Toyota Series as a Co-Angler to her documented travel resume.
Trevor Topken
Trevor is a young tournament angler and recent college graduate from Northern New Jersey. By the time he was 13, he was infatuated with bass fishing like we see many of our campers are. Trevor won the NJ BASS Jr. State Championship at age 14. He continued to fish youth and local tournaments until he was 17. He fished the MLF (then FLW) Bass Fishing League for two years before college and notched one top ten and 5 top 25 finishes in that time.
Trevor attended the University of South Carolina from 2017 to 2021 and competed on their fishing team during that time. He was Vice President of the team from 2019-2020. During his college career, he notched two second place finishes in Major League Fishing Abu Garcia College Fishing events, as well as one win and four top fives in regional ACA (Association of Collegiate Angling) tournaments. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations with a 3.1 GPA. He will fish his final college tournament at the National Championship in March of 2022 at Fort Gibson Lake in Oklahoma.
Besides tournament fishing, Trevor’s favorite thing to do is pass on knowledge of the sport of fishing to others. He has presented at fishing trade shows as well as written multiple educational pieces, some of which featured on Bassmaster’s website. Trevor especially loves teaching the campers at Candlewood Fishing Camp, and speaks highly of the camp’s ability to turn campers into great fishermen and even better human beings. “This is the only youth camp I have ever seen where kids will actually learn all the ins and outs of bass fishing, while also learning valuable social and life skills,” Trevor remarked. Trevor has a packed tournament schedule in 2022, but looks most forward to his time guiding at Candlewood Fishing Camp.
Eric Kohler
Eric has been fishing since he was old enough to hold a fishing pole. His greatest memories involve fishing and spending with his dad on the water. He has been competing in tournament fishing since the age of 13. Eric and his dad were a team, fishing in NEBA and went to the regional competition on the Hudson River. From there, he began fishing as a co angler in the CT Bass Federation at the age of 16 and later the CT Bass Nation events. Eric has decades of experience fishing CT lakes which include Candlewood, Zoar, and Lillinoah. Eric is from the Naugatuck Valley area and currently reside in Beacon Falls with his wife and his twin boys. “This is such an amazing experience for young anglers that I wish I had when I was younger”. I look forward to taking on the role of a boat captain for you amazing kids and showing you what a fun, crazy, and exciting world bass fishing can be. Can’t wait to see you on the lake and always remember TIGHT LINES!
Chris Dionisio
Chris has been fishing on Candlewood Lake his entire life. He caught his first bass at the age of four and has been addicted to bass fishing ever since. He joined a CT state junior bass program for kids and proved he was one of the top young anglers, consistently finishing in the top five in the tournaments he fished. By 23 he bought his first bass boat and has been fishing recreationally ever since. One of his goals was to make time to take kids fishing to help shape their lives the way some fishermen did for him when he was a kid. Candlewood Fishing Camp has allowed Chris to share his love of bass fishing with the next generation of anglers.
“A big thanks to Jed Wilson for creating such a fulfilling experience, not just for the campers, but also for the guides and counselors who have the pleasure of passing on the art of bass fishing
Ron Parker
I am a transplant from the Bronx, Ny and recently a new resident of Bridgeport, CT married to my lovely wife, Zoila Parker and my daughter, Allyson who’s a very bright high school student. I love all CT fisheries, and looking forward to many more fishing adventures to come.
I’ve been fishing Candlewood Lake for well over 28 years, as well as Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah. winning several club tournaments as well as the 1st CT BIG BOAT NEBASSIN REGIONALS in 2014, and other podiums from previous years regional championships. Fishing in general is my favorite thing to do! I love helping young anglers learn the joys of being outdoors on the water and increasing their confidence and skills on how to catch more fish. I look forward to working with all of the campers this year.
Larry Nannarello
Larry Nannariello is a native New Fairfield resident. He has been fishing since he was four years old. His love for fishing and the outdoors defines him. He knows the five towns that border Candlewood Lake like the back of his hand. Larry loves to fish and teach the art of patience and fishing. His passion is for targeting large and smallmouth bass. He has two decades of fishing experience. Some of his favorite fishing techniques involve top water, crank baits, and jigs covering all three layers of water columns. This will be Larry’s second summer guiding campers.
Ben Weldon
Ben Weldon has been fishing since the age of four. He enjoys both freshwater and saltwater fishing for a variety of species, including trout, crappie, and pike…but his main focus is on landing bass. Native to Western Massachusetts, Ben recently started fishing competitively. His consistent catches land him on the leaderboard, which he loves. Ben is a student at East Longmeadow High School. He is a multi-sport athlete who one day aspires to attend college, focusing on the marine studies field.
Ben learns and practices many different fishing techniques and styles. He also works to increase his skills as a kayak angler. His overall favorite technique is finesse fishing. Using the Ned Rig, drop shot, and shaky head, Ben is at or on the water every chance he has. He looks forward to a week of guiding future anglers toward their biggest catches!
Mark Fillipini
Mark is a retired NJ teacher who relocated to New Hampshire last year. He has always been an avid fisherman and enjoyed taking his students on striper and freshwater fishing trips. Mark became interested in tournament bass fishing in the 90’s when he joined my first my first bass club, Hog Wild Bassmasters. As his interest grew, he became involved in the American Bass Anglers districts and Big Bass Association and other buddy circuits in New Jersey. He started fishing some BFL’s and eventually joined the Bergen Bassmasters.
Mark loves exploring new water and finding new fishing locations. You will see his Skeeter boat on the big lakes of the northeast, and in his 17’ fiberglass electric boat on the smaller bodies of water. He has had the privilege of being involved with some of the finest fishing companies in the industry. Pure Fishing, PowerTeam Lures, Ardent, Woo Tungsten, Enigma, Luck E Strike, Profound Outdoors, Live Target, Riot Baits, RealBassin Baits, TecBaits, and Stoneman and Sons Lures. I thoroughly enjoy working with big and small fishing companies and helping them get the word out on their great products. It’s a thrill taking young anglers fishing and watching them learn and improve every time they hit the water. This summer will be Marks second year guiding for Candlewood Fishing Camp.
Matthew Silliman
Matthew Silliman has been fishing since he was eight years old. He started out as a multi-species angler and has since developed into a competitive bass fisherman. He loves fishing in all bodies of water, but spends most of his time on Candlewood Lake. Matthew’s first boat was a 16 foot Bass Tracker where he explored Candlewood Lake and focused on catching Smallmouth and Largemouth bass. He now has a Nitro Z19 where he keeps at his house on Candlewood Lake and fishes almost every day throughout the summer. Matthew fishes in the TBF of CT tournament circuit where he continues to pursue his dream of fishing for a living. Matthew’s favorite bass fishing technique is the finesse swimbait for smallmouth bass and currently is sponsored by Keitech, Woo! Tungsten, Rapala, Sufix, Terminator, and VMC. Matthew is currently the starting varsity goalie for the Ridgefield High School Men’s ice hockey team and also is hoping to pursue engineering in college.
James Curry
James Curry is an avid angler who likes to fish NY and CT fisheries. He primarily fish’s freshwater lakes for largemouth and smallmouth bass. James guided this past summer, quickly becoming one of the camper’s favorites. He loves working with kids and specializes in teaching moving baits and finesse fishing is his favorite technique using the damiki rig.
Jamie Verab
Jamie is an avid competitive tournament angler who has been fishing since the age of 8. He has fished for many species in both fresh and salt water. He has been very active in the fishing community locally, regionally and nationally the last 14 seasons as a bass fisherman, a director and regional director. He has won many local and club tournaments, has been part of state teams and has qualified for numerous Regional and National championships both fishing from his bass boat and from his kayak. Jamie has various sponsors across the country, from big name brands to local small sponsors which he dedicates much of his success to. He is the owner and founder of New England Bassin, which leads the region is bass fishing tournaments. He was inspired by many others to create a new bass fishing tournament series over the years that was unique and different which continues to grow.
Jack Gustavson
Jack Gustavson has lived on candlewood lake all his life. He specializes in fishing dropshots and flukes but also enjoys a nice Topwater bite. Fishing has been a major part of his life ever since he was a little kid and is very excited to help share his love of fishing with the campers and make many new memories this summer.
Will Hughes
Will is a talented young angler from Grand Rapids MI. He is a member of his high school bass fishing team. They will be competing in all the high school B.A.S.S. tournaments. He fishes the regional tournaments and will also be fishing the BFL’s as a boater. Will was a guide at camp during the summer of 2021.
“It was awesome to be able to teach something that I care so much about to younger kids, and see that same passion for the sport of bass fishing that I had growing up in them”
Corbin Ollson
Corbin is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He started with fishing local ponds as a kid to being a serious tournament angler. He has travelled all over the state and country to compete, learn new techniques, and meet cool people. West Michigan Bass and Bassmaster High School are the two series he competes in most. He loves taking people fishing and showing them what fishing is all about, especially the kids that are the future of the sport. Corbin’s favorite way to catch fish is offshore and utilizing electronics to find deeper fish. He plans on attending Florida Gulf Coast University next year. He is always looking forward to camp and hopefully putting campers on big bass!
Nick Dellaporta
Nicholas is an angler with a passion and dedication for fishing. His goals are to continue competing competitively these next two seasons until he begins his next step of college fishing. His final goal after college is to continue working hard toward becoming an Elite Angler.
His passion for fishing began when he caught his first bass at the age of two, and that passion never faded. Since the age of 12 I have been competitively fishing tournaments in NJ as well as traveling to NY, VT, CT, MD, MO, TN and as far as Idaho to compete. His hard work and motivation has also been recognized in the fishing industry, allowing him to represent companies such as Shimano, G.Loomis, Shimano Varsity, Beast Coast Fishing, Keitech and various others.
A few of his accomplishments to date include back-to-back NJ Jr. B.A.S.S. Nation State Champion, back-to-back Big Bass Zone Jr. State Champion and Bassmasters All American Honorable Mention. Additionally, he has been working as a Guide/Counselor for the Candlewood Fishing Camp. Which has been a great experience overall in allowing me to teach young anglers about fishing fundamentals and boating safety.
Ben Ploch
My dad and grandpa introduced me to bass fishing at the pond in our backyard before I could even walk and I have been addicted ever since! I started fishing more seriously when I got a boat in high school and have been fishing competitively since I was about 15. Growing up on lake Conroe which is a traditionally tough lake to figure out has turned me into a well rounded angler and given me skills that I use every day from guiding all the way to fishing all the major collegiate series representing our school all over the country every week. I’m super excited for the opportunity to share my knowledge with all the campers and have a blast this summer!
Brendan Vinton
Brendan been fishing since he was 5. He started out pond fishing and then got his first boat and fished as a co angler on the MLF Toyota series for the first couple years and started fishing as a boater. He now attends CCVC on a full fishing scholarship. Brendan is a 2x state champion BFL all American top 10.
Tanner Ward
Tanner is from a small town in Ohio, and he started fishing at a young age. He has fished through the tournament ranks of Bassmaster from High School to College and now the Opens.
Tanner guided at camp for the summer of 2022 and looks forward to fishing with our campers again.
Andrew Goodrich
Andrew grew up fishing Lake Champlain with his Dad, Grandfather, and other local anglers. He participated in his first tournament freshman year of high school. Since then his accomplishments include TBF high school state champion, TBF state champion, Inland Sea bass anglers first and second place, twice top 3 in Champlain bass series non-boater AOY, TBF high school nationals Lake Hartwell, and TBF nationals Red River. Andrew is now attending Clemson University and a member of their bass team.
Chase Martin
Kaleb Brown
Kaleb has been fishing his entire life. He started competitively bass fishing in the fifth grade and had his first bass boat in sixth grade. He has fished tournaments all over the Northeast. He finished in the Massachusetts TBF high school trail winning events each season and taking home AOY in 2019. Kaleb made the decision to go to college to fish his freshman year of high school and really tried to gear his fishing and academics the best he could to prepare for this. He started attending Lander University in the fall of 2019 and was the teams Freshman Representative and then the Vice President until we were brought under athletics in the fall of 2021.
Kaleb has qualified for 5 National Championships while fishing in college. Two Major League Fishing Abu Garcia College Fishing National Championships and Three Bassmaster College Series National Championships. Some other highlights of his young career are that he was the 2020 South Carolina BASS Nation College State Champion. He has qualified for an MLF Wiley X College Faceoff and a Bassmaster College Classic.
When he’s not in class, on the water, or in the woods, giving back to youth anglers and sharing the sport of bass fishing is a true passion of his. Kaleb has been a boat captain for high school tournaments in MA, NH, SC, and FL. Any chance he gets to work with young anglers he jumps at it. He is very excited about the opportunity to work for Candlewood Fishing Camp and helping grow the next generation of bass anglers.
Sheron Brown
Meet Sheron K Brown Sr! His nickname is “THE LUNKERMAN “ because of his knack to catch big fish with a multitude of techniques. Sheron competes on the BassMaster Open trail whenever his day job as a Systems Engineer allows it. He loves teaching young anglers how to locate and catch fish and shares the record for most camper votes in a week!
