I started fishing barely knee high to a grasshopper packing the trusted Zebco push button rod.  In my over 30 years of fishing experience I owe this great gift to my Grandfather.  Abe Snyder, my grandfather was an avid saltwater and fresh water fisherman and got me involved at an early age.  Growing up on the beaches of New Jersey gave me access to good waves for surfing and an unlimited supply of big bruiser blues, hog stripers, and doormat flounder in the spring.  When the waves were flat I’d be wetting a line for sure around the various jetties and Barnegat bay sod banks.  As I got older offshore fishing really appealed to me and my insane friends and I braved the Atlantic waters venturing out 30+ miles to fish rezor wreck targeting Blue Fin Tuna, Yellow fin, and Summer Mahi.  Caveat be told, we did this in an 18Ft. center console-crazy. 
My grandparents lived in Pennsylvania so I was introduced to some epic trout waters such as Penn’s creek, Yellow Breeches, the Juniata, and Clark’s creek to name a few.  My introduction to slob carp was also a benefit of Pennsylvania.  The sulfur creek just down the road from my grandparent’s house held one of the best carp populations I have seen to this day.  In the summer the creek would run gin clear atop shimmery black sands and carp would tail in 12 inches of water-What a blast! 
In my early twenties I did a 4 year stint on the gulf coast of South Florida where I focused mainly on inshore fish such as Snook, Trout, Reds, Grouper, Mackerel, Shark, Black Drum and many other species, still to this day I have been unable to identify.  My repeated trips to Key West were by far the most memorable and exciting fishing I have ever done.
Spending time living in Washington DC, I resorted to urban fishing around the Potomac and various tributaries throughout Virginia and Maryland.  Most of the time I would venture out to West Virginia with Aaron Seymour (Dr. Seymour) and we would fish some of the most pristine waters I have ever seen.  The 4 hour drive from DC was far worth it to land big wild trout on rivers like the N. Potomac, Savage, Jackson, Back creek and let’s not forget the great fishing at Gunpowder falls Maryland.
Moving to Denver Colorado in 2005 I truly felt like I landed in heaven.  I imagine you could spend your whole life fishing in Colorado and still not have enough time to investigate all the great treasures this state has to offer.  Living just 2 blocks away from the urban end of the Platte River has been my classroom for really refining my Carp skills.  I have a deep love and affinity for catching carp and this is clearly overlap from my redfish experiences in south Florida.  Carp are some of the most finicky fish with an extraordinary sensory acuity and a large part of the Primalfly mission is to share our evolution and “crack the code” on these underrated gems.

james@primalfly.com