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From Combat to Coast: How a Retired Marine Found Peace on the Water | Brad Smith
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Below the Surface with Jared Shepherd — Brad Smith | Gunny B Outdoors
Brad Smith isn't your average fishing guide. He's a retired Marine who did 20 years, deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, went through MARSOC, and came home a changed man. But this episode goes way deeper than fishing.
Brad opens up about what it really cost him to serve, how his marriage hit rock bottom and how faith pulled it back together, the years-long fertility struggle that led to a gender reveal at his retirement party, and how he turned a captain's license into a growing charter business — Gunny B Outdoors.
This is one of those conversations that sticks with you.
Topics covered:
Growing up in South Carolina and joining the Marines the day after returning a Blockbuster movie
Combat in Afghanistan and Iraq — and what it actually does to a person
MARSOC, Africa, the Philippines, and 20 years of deployments
How his marriage nearly ended and what turned it around
Years of fertility treatments, IVF, and finally having his daughter Haley
Building Gunny B Outdoors from 50 trips to 158 a year
Why fishing is more than fishing — and how it saves people
His work with veteran outdoor organizations
Find Brad:
Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube — search Gunny B Outdoors
Good morning everybody. Welcome to Peloaders Service Podcast. Got a really cool show today. By now everybody knows kind of how we do things. We don't talk about the highlight reels. We kind of go into the real stuff. You know, what life's about, what success about us, you know, the guests that we bring on, you know, they're it's people that I've met or know about that have kind of, you know, if you want to say anybody figures out life, I guess, uh I don't know, but in my opinion, they figure some things out and they figured out some success in the arena that they're in. Um and today, um got a retired Marine, um, fishing guide, husband, father. Um, so he's, you know, successful business owner. Um, so we just go right into it. Um got Brad Smith in here from Gonna Be Outdoors. How are you?
unknownI'm good, man. Glad to be here.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, man. Glad to be on. So be fun. Yeah, it's exciting, man. And I appreciate you hopping on. I mean, you're somebody that I've followed since I got into fishing here um a few years ago. Um, so uh it's really cool to to get you on here. We've had some conversations on the phone, on the docks, stuff like that, pick your brain a little bit. So um it's really cool to have you on, so I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and it should be fun, man. Uh always an unscripted thing and yeah, you know, talk a lot about life and situations and for sure, see where this whole thing goes. Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02Um, how I like to get into it with everybody, man, is I like to just find out who you really are. Um, let everybody know who you really are. Um, if they don't know. Um, so just get right into it. Um who were you before going into the Marines? Who was Brad? What did Brad like to do?
SPEAKER_00Oh, so uh basically any boy growing up in kind of Lexington-ish style, South Carolina, um, played a lot of baseball, football, uh, did a year of wrestling, uh, had fun with that, um, decided to try college and went down, uh, left home, left the state, went down to Georgia to a little town in Tifton. Okay, and went to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College with the intentions to become a game warden. There you go. Um, that was one of my ambitions and what I wanted to do originally. Um, needless to say, uh college and away from home, man. Hey, he learned to party a little bit. Um, so partied a little too much, didn't care about my grades. Um about that time, that's when 9-11 happened as well. Uh so we were still in college when 9-11 happened. We me and uh uh the buddies I had went all to the recruiter station like that morning or that next morning, really. And the recruiter was like, hold on, guys, like, you know, once you get through this semester first, and then you know, since it's already halfway through the semester, it was all right. Well, um, so just kind of put that on the back burner. Uh moved back home to uh, I guess technically it's like West Columbia. And you're a game cock, yep. Diehard Gamecock fan. Dad retired from the university and worked there for 30 some odd years, too. Um, so we moved back home, started going to Midlands Tech. Uh it's kind of where I met my current wife now. Um, but then my life really wasn't going nowhere. I was working two jobs, one at the University of South Carolina um on the baseball field, and then the other one was working a part-time job at Walmart. Moved in with some friends and just partying still, man. Um, life wasn't going nowhere. Uh for people who can remember a Blockbuster video. Absolutely. I was returning, I don't remember the movie I was returning, but I was returning a movie to Blockbuster. Uh the recruiter station was right next door to Blockbuster. Uh so I returned a movie, walked straight in to the recruiter's office, signed up right then and there. Wow. Um, so it was like a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was just like, man, life ain't really doing nothing right now, so go do this. Um so that was back in 2002. Um I decided to be able to do that. Right in the middle of it all. Yep. So went through that. Um kind of uh I guess backtrack a little bit with that before I joined, um met my wife, but then we kind of split ways and parted ways. Um so I joined, went through boot camp, graduated boot camp on my birthday. So that's pretty cool. It was my I think my 20th birthday, uh, graduated boot camp. So um, you know, went in two years later in life than what uh most people do. Right. Um, but it was kind of one of the best decisions, and uh, you know, me and my wife ended up going through getting married in 2004. Um and then as soon as we got married, I turned and burned, and within the next month I was sitting in Afghanistan. So um he's like, hey, we got married, and boom, let's go. So um, so the original plan of that whole side of my life was supposed to be for and done, right? Four and done, get out, move back to Columbia, um, figure out what I'm gonna do in my life. Uh wife at the time was uh current uh Lexington County police officer down that way. So we owned a house in South Carolina, so it was literally supposed to be um hey, get out, come back. Uh so went through um Afghanistan in 2004, turned around, uh in Iraq in 2005. Uh 2006 comes along. Hey, units getting ready to deploy again, starting to get out, going through the process to get out, and then I just decided like I'm not getting out. I'm staying in. 2006 time frame. Uh, so I called called my wife. I was like, hey, um, I just re-enlisted. She goes, You did what? I was like, yeah. Um, so this marriage thing, uh, we need to figure it out. Um, either you move up here, or I I guess we split. I don't know. Um we were both kind of selfish, or I was clearly the selfish one, right? Uh, you know, making that move. Um, but figured it out. Um, and at the same time during that, that's when MarSOC started standing up and started hearing about that. And I was like, oh man, that sounds kind of cool. Um, you know, couple different deployment styles and you know, special operations. So um turn and burn uh went through that little process and the whole pipeline was um was their first class of the original pipeline, which is now uh ITC. So went through that, made it through, got put on a team, and started going to Africa. Oh wow. So spent some time in Chad, Mali, Martania, Senegal, um, kind of bounced around a couple different deployments all throughout Africa, um working and training with different African armies. Uh ended up getting stationed in an embassy in Martania for about six months. So that was kind of neat. Yeah. Um, I used to be pretty fluent in French. Really? Believe it or not. Um, not so much anymore, but you throw a uh little redneck twang on some French all the top got people. Um you know, a little southern accent. Couldn't never roll my Rs really good anyway. So um that's why I can't do Spanish. I can't roll, I can't roll anything. No, absolutely not. So um, so I went through that whole process for a while, um back and forth all over Africa, um, and I think that lasted to about 2010-ish, and then made a move to a got on another team, and then started going to the Philippines.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So going from a French side to now what's it what was called uh Tagalog, right? So tried to learn some Tagalog that that didn't play very well for me. Um, thank God, like the Filipino people speak really good English for the most part, especially the educated ones. Yeah. Uh but that was always deep to see. Um, Philippines was pretty cool place to go to um and hang out there. Um then from that, I think it was yeah, so uh that would have been 2011, 12-ish. Rolled in after that, uh, got stuck up at the regiment job for my time, away from a team for a couple years. Um and that's where really our marriage kind of got rocky a little bit. Um we kind of we went through some things, and at that point, that's where we made a decision. It's like, hey, you know, if if this marriage is gonna work, um, we need to get into a church and get right. And so I want to say it was I can't remember if it was 12 or 13. Um, off the top of my head, we got the picture that sits on the refrigerator. Um, but that's where we got baptized together and so kind of re-announced our marriage after that. Uh went and did on our 10-year anniversary, went up to Gatlinburg, which is where we did our original honeymoon. And so we went up there and renewed our vows on that too. Um, so it it was it was a good thing. Yeah. Um, so kind of spent some time at the regiment um doing that. During that time too, uh we also decided we wanted to try to have a kid. Um, so we started going through um a bunch of fertility clinics and things like that, um, and came to the conclusion like nobody couldn't figure out why we really couldn't get pregnant. Right. Um come to find out now we fall fall in a 10% category of people that have an er undetermined uh fertility. Like there's just no rhyme or reason. Can't figure it out. Couldn't figure it out, couldn't figure it out. Um so we tried a bunch of different things. We, you know, from out-of-home pregnancies to IUIs, um, in doctors, so many injections, different pills, and all this stuff. Um so after a while, you know, it just kind of takes this burn. Um, get tired of trying after so long. Um, so we kind of gave up that route, especially once I left the regiment. Um, once I left the regiment, got back on a team, um, then it was kind of a rotation back again. Uh so whatever it was, I think it was like 16. I think it would have been 2016, 16 or 15, um, back into Iraq. Okay. Um, did a deployment to Iraq on that one, came back from that, switched over to another team, uh, did a workup, went through dive school and all that stuff too. Um, and then turned and burned uh back into Mosul, Iraq, um, for six, seven months. Got back from that, kind of my in the tour thing, uh, got stuck at the training, what's called now the training center. Um, so that's where I spent my last three years. And I was like, all right, like as soon as I got here, it's like, when can I drop my appendix J so I can retire? Like, I'm done. I don't I don't want to play this game no more. Um and during this time too, it was trying to figure out what I was gonna do when I retired. While I was still active uh during that time, I was able to get my college degree. So I went in, um, got a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Norwich University. And so I was like, well, like that was kind of one of my plans. Is like I was thought about becoming a game board and still.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So I was like, well, I could do that. Um, and then we started talking, talking, talking to you. And I was like, man, like I would have like maybe I can do this guide thing. I was like, you know, I was pretty good at fishing, pretty good people person for the most part. Um, so I was like, I I think I could make this work. Uh so in 20, I think it was 19, I ended up getting my captain's license. And then the beginning, end of 2019, into 2020, that's where we decided to form Gunning B Outdoors. Uh so formed at, put the LLC on it. I was still active, had a lot of free time um because of the position I was in at the training center. Uh, so was able to start like running trips and get my name out there and getting established. Um turned from that to um what was it when I retired? 20 September of 2022 is when I fully retired. So going into that, our ours are already kind of established was running trips, doing things, running my duck huts. And then so as soon as I retired, it was like boom, full-blown like guide business now. Yeah, like full-time, like this is all I'm gonna do. Um, and business has just gotten better and better and better every year as it goes. Typically, like with anything else, you know, the more you stay around, the the better it's gonna be. For sure. Um so you know, once we got out, or so we'll backtrack from that. So uh from when I got it to regiment, or not regiment, the training center, that's where we decided to um try in vitro. Um, so we we it's like, hey, we've done everything but this process. Right. Um, so we went through the whole process. Um unfortunately, we found out that my wife's eggs weren't viable anymore. Um, so we had to look for a donor egg. So looking for donor eggs, uh, we had to find out we looked for somebody as close as they could be to my wife's description. Um, you know, same color hair, eyes, height. She wants she wanted uh uh somebody a little bit taller than what she was. She's like, I I don't want our our our kid to be like give her a couple inches. So um so we we dialed in and uh got somebody very similar to her, um, went through the process, round one, um go up to the doctor to check everything, comes back, round one didn't think absolutely destroyed, right? All this all this time, all this effort, all this money, like this this isn't work, man. Like, why is this not working? God, like why, like, why, why, why? Right, yeah. Um and then so we kind of kind of backed off again, you know. And then I want to say it was right before, kind of before I was gonna retire. Um, we started, I think within the last year, it was like, hey, let's we got four more eggs. Let's try one more go. Let's try again. Um, so we gave it another go. Um and went back up. We we went to uh Raleigh to the UNC fertility clinic up there. And so that's where the whole thing took place. So we went up there and I was like, well, we'll see. Um so we were on our way back, you know, you know, phone call you'll never forget. The doctor calls like on our way back from Raleigh and hey, um just wanna ask, um do you feel any different? And she's like, not really. She goes, Well, you will because you're pregnant. Awesome. So um that's where we found out where we now have Haley. Yep. Um so it's kind of neat. Uh my um my retirement party when I um retired, we had uh we didn't know what what we were having. So they snuck it in. Uh my nephew showed up with a baseball and it was like, well, we're gonna throw a baseball, and that's our do our gender reveal at the party too, right? So everybody gets to see who we're really close with um in this process. And so threw it up, boom, hit it, pink ball. So then we knew, hey, Haley Joanne. Yep. So um, who was born March 31st of 2023? So now got a three-year-old. So pretty neat.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's a process.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So um that's been a fun part of life becoming a father, watching her grow, do things. Sure. Um, and it it's also now you look back at it and it's like, man, like that's really a true blessing that I get to be a part of her life no matter what now. Like I don't have to worry about deployments, I don't have to worry about workups, I don't have to worry about, hey, I'm not home so much. Like, you know, so being able to spend really every day with her um it is fun. Yeah, you know, you work you work a balanced life of, you know, my wife's a police officer and charter captain, so back and forth of figuring those things out with her. Um, but you know, still spending plenty of time on the water and God loves it because she she knows she loves on on the water too. She loves being on the boat. Um took her to the beach. Uh probably the first warm day we had, maybe in March, and we pulled up to the beach and she looked behind the truck. She's like, Daddy, where's your boat? That's why my boat was getting some uh a paint paint lift or a face face facelift, so to say. Um no, baby, we're at the beach. Like, you know, you're so spoiled you think she goes to the beach by the boat all the time, not like pull up on the car. So um, that's all it it's fun and entertaining. It is.
SPEAKER_02So um I don't think there's nothing better than fatherhood, man. It's not. And a and a girl dad, too. Yep. I got two. Two girls. So, and two girl dogs.
SPEAKER_00I yeah. The only other male I got around me is a rooster. So that's that's the only thing. Uh uh we got two girl dogs. I think because the kid, well, she's got guinea pigs, and I think the guinea pigs might be males. I don't know. Well, at least she got some around there.
SPEAKER_02I'm all estrogen, man. All this and every single bit of it. Yeah. Um, so you did 20 years in the Marine Corps, right? Yep. So, and you and you talked about going in there, you're kind of I don't know, you know, a lot like me, probably like most most men, most boys at that age, kind of just trying to figure it out, having probably a little bit too much fun. But going through the Marine Corps, getting out, what would you say, how did you change the most coming out of the Marine Corps after 20 years?
SPEAKER_00Man, honestly, like I was really happy for that section of my life to be over. Um, you know, you hear horror stories of people having trouble transitioning, coming out of the military kind of thing. Um and we know, like my wife or between my wife, my whole family, off after my first deployment, um, coming back from Afghanistan and doing like a lot of combat situations, a lot of gunfights. Um they came when when I came back and they're like, you're different straight from that. Oh sure. Um so you know, went through too, like in the time being, the whole getting out phase. Uh I s I I wanted to spend like the last year taking care of myself, um, prepping myself to get out. And luckily having a command that allowed me to do that, um, to go start seeing some doctors uh working through um a lot of mental stuff uh to help me prepare to get out in that aspect, be able to transition full blown and just almost just literally just cut that side of my white life away. Right. And that's kind of funny too, with like gunny be outdoors, um, because I retired as a gunnery sergeant, but I wanted nothing to do with the military. Um, I didn't like my wife came up with the business name. She's like, hey, why don't you do uh gunny be outdoors instead of like a gonna be outdoors or something like that and tie it back to the military? And I was like, Well, I don't want to tie nothing to the military. She's like, Look, you had a good career. Um, you know, own it. It's got a catchy name to it, you know, and it sticks. I was like, all right, well, we'll try it out and see if it works. So that's literally that that's where Gunny B came from and the hat. How that got established. But then coming out of the military, I was just like, boom, all right, yep. I don't I'm done. You know, long hair now, beard, people's like, man, you're gonna hate it. Like, there's no way you're gonna have be able to stand it. Nah, like I'm good with it.
SPEAKER_02So, um you're kinda like total opposite than most.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh like I I have it's been nice to be able to just like cut it away, man. Um, and going through like a lot of therapy and stuff helped helped me, I want to say mentally too to be able to just just break away from it. Yeah. I would like it was good, it was fun why it lasted, and then I was just like, nah, like I'm ready for this. Like um, I remember one of the um outcalls I had with the uh with my colonel when I was getting out. He's like, man, he's like, you know, because it was all during like the COVID process too, right? When there all of that was coming around. He's like, Is is this the reason you're getting out? I was like, no. I was like, I'm just I'm just done. Like, I don't I don't want to play no more. Um I I'm ready to move on with my life and do something else. And I'm ready to just be home too. Right. Um and that was a blessing to be able to like, hey, like, boom, 20 years and done, out. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, I think that's perfect. I mean, a perfect career in the military, yeah, in my opinion. It was a good one. Yeah. I I grew up and have a lot of friends that were in the military, a few that retired in the military. Um and we we talk a lot about things and how it went over there and and stuff like that. Would you say is there any part of you that you lost over there or during that whole process?
SPEAKER_00I don't want to say if I lost. Um really want to dive deep into it, you know. Um probably been the first human being I killed. You know, that kind of affected me big time. Uh I want to say that that's definitely a part of me that shifted and changed a little bit of going through that process of doing it. Um you know, talked to a guy the other night about it, and he's like, man, he's like, the way you feel about it, he goes, that's just being a human. Correct. Like, yeah, I can see that. It's like well, 100% it's being a human, but um, you know, it was a flight or flight, fight or flight scenario too. Like, hey, we were getting shot at and boom, okay, took out the threat. Right. Um, so you know, that's definitely a part that changed me a little bit. So um I would probably say that one definitely is one that affected the most. I think that's a common thing.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. You know, between you know, people that I grew up with, that it that's you know, uh, you know, they they pretty much say the same thing that you just said. That that's what you know what kind of changed it all on their mental state and their thinking process and stuff like that. So um it's interesting that you you agree.
SPEAKER_00Um but it also uh you you can look at it too, it changes the way for for me of how I view where we live at here, you know, not just North Carolina, but like the United States in general. Oh you know, seeing so much poverty in the other worlds and how those worlds react in those other countries. I remember coming back from Afghanistan and telling my sister and cousins and stuff, it's like if I ever hear you kind of complain about like something bad that uh how bad you have it here, like, no, you don't. Yeah, you don't realize like you got a kid that's like got a soccer ball that's flat and that's got so much duct tape on it to make it round again, kind of thing. Um kids just walk around like kicking blocks and throwing rocks, you know. Well, we did it as kids too, like picking up and throwing rocks, but like there was no TVs and anything like that to really occupy kids, and you know, so you look at that part of the world and it's like man, like we have it good. You go to other countries, it's like man, like the big cities are heavy, heavily populated and and like kind of first world style, you know, but once you get outside of a big city, it's just like straight povert poverty in majority of those places. It's crazy, you know. What one of the places I think it was when we were training one of the Chad militaries, and uh the building that we were there from the host country. Literally, you walked into where we're supposed to be living at, and it's just covered in human feces. Like they use that for their bathroom, was our building. So we had to go through and just scrub and clean it, it was so disgusting. Like, like, how do you like just go outside, man? Like, why you gotta come in here and crap on concrete, right? It's like, geez, my netty.
SPEAKER_02When you said I guess that'd probably be something that really changed in a positive way where you probably appreciate things a lot more than you than you used to, right? Way more appreciative, yeah. Like you said, I mean, what do you got to complain about? Yep.
SPEAKER_01Just go back and think in the past a little bit. If it gets tough, at least I'm not shitting in concrete.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, and be being in a it in a lot of those countries too, man, like with the lack of electricity and stuff in some places, there there's no AC. You know, I remember we put a thermometer out in Chad. Once it hit 130 degrees on the thermometer, it was a digital thermometer and it just read triple H after that. So I don't know. It was hot. Like literally, like when you go to do things there in the desert, it's you do things early in the morning, and then like midday, it's just like nobody does anything because it's so dangham hot in the summertime. And then you do it kind of right before the evening. So that was kind of how we had to work around doing training blocks. Did that affect combat too?
SPEAKER_02Like during combat, is that kind of how like things happen was early morning? Some of it, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, um it was funny, like majority of the places we would go, especially like Afghanistan and stuff, dead of the winter, it never seemed like was a lot of fighting going on, but it was like once the springtime hit, snow started melting. You know, that's where things started picking up. Um, you know, for for us on especially on that first deployment. Yeah. Um, when we kind of because we were some of the first first ones in Afghanistan too. Um it's kind of funny because I was with uh 1.6 during that time frame and got the nickname Death Walkers because of that, because of that deployment. Um fighting uh fighting uh um Taliban and stuff up there. Interviewing one of them got interviewed and it's like, man, these guys ain't like the ones we're normally trained or normally fight against because we would just be driving through a big convoy and just start taking gunfire. And it's like, all right guys, well dismount, run up the mountain, go chase these dudes. And it's like, man, like after so long, it's like ah, here we go again. Like next day, it's like here we go again, you know, go up a mountain, you know, get ambushed, go up a mountain. Um, it was kind of repetitive for about a week or so straight of just the whole process over and over again. But that's where like 1.6 got their Death Walker thing from um was our deployment in 2004 to Afghanistan. That was kind of neat to have some of that history now. Oh, for sure. When you look back at it and say, Oh, it's kind of cool, but you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's what, like your wife said, just tie it back. I mean, you know, you might want to forget about it, but it's a big part of you. Yep. And who you are today, you know, if you want it or not want it, it's a big part of who you are. So um, and you did a good thing.
SPEAKER_00So while which is funny too, is it like, you know, I I was talking to a buddy the other day, and he's like, Man, he's like, I think you're the only charter business where somebody refers to you still as a charter business. He's like, you know, you got Captain Matt or Josh or some some somebody has a name, and it's like, nah, like Gunny B. So uh, so yep, so Gunny B did really become It's a cool name. And when people step on the boat too, they're like, man, what do you what do you what do you want us to call you? Captain, Brad, uh Gunny, like what I said, man, just call me whatever you want to call me. Like, so uh, but Gunny B is definitely like way more popular than what what I ever envisioned something to happen with it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I'm gonna get into the business stuff here in a few minutes. Um, kind of want to backtrack, you know, um when we were messaging back and forth before this, and then you you touched on it a little while ago about um your marriage and where that kind of hit rock bottom a little bit. Yep. Um how'd you I like to talk about those things because you know, as a man or anything, you know, we can be selfish, like you said. We can be pretty selfish, especially at a younger age and what we want to do. Um, how did y'all get through that process? You know, what what was the decision to stick it out and fight for it? And was that more you? Was that more her? How did that go about?
SPEAKER_00It well, so that was let's see, that would have been 2006. So she moved up here in 2007, um shortly after that. And that's where we found a home and we lived out in Richlands for a while. Um, but that was kind of the end of or kind of the beginning of it, or not really the beginning of it, but it was like, hey, you know, if we're gonna make this work, um you need to move up here. Uh so uh you know, you look how selfish we I was during this the time frame, and yeah, absolutely, like because she had a a good career going on uh with Lexington County, um, but you know, making her move up here, then she um had to go through like some uh a little bit of the basic law enforcement, just the the the law side of North Carolina, so to say, and still take the state exam. Um so then she still became a police officer up here. Um so once she's got that that established and things, um I want to say it was 2012, maybe, um, is where we really hit rock bottom, you know, and had had to come to Jesus moment and it's like as both of us together, um with the issues we were having, if we're gonna make this work, like we would need a relationship with Christ. Um you know, we we both came from faith-filled families, right? Um but you know, both of us just kind of got selfish and we're living our own we were living together but kind of separate lives, so to say, too, in a scenario, um, is I guess one way you can look at it. Right. Um, you know, so once we started doing that and was able to come together as one um and do things and started putting the right people in our lives. Um and honestly, our marriage has been just way better ever since. Yeah. Um, to be able to recover from that and uh do things and you know, now have a kid together.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_02And that's kind of what I touch on because you know, to such a marriage or any kind of relationship, you have to face something with yourself because, you know, obviously you're 50% of the problem in most cases. So what would you say you had to face with yourself most in that scenario? Was it getting closer to Jesus? Was that the biggest thing, or was there something else that you really had to look yourself in the mirror and say, hey, I need to get better at this to fix this?
SPEAKER_00I think it was just learning how to be a better husband. You know? It's tough. You know, it it it's literally like you know, it's not you know, you you brought up it's a 50-50. No, it's a hundred percent. Yeah. You know, you you both you have to both give a hundred percent something. Um you know, it and it's the little things too, a lot. Um, you know, a as men, a lot of our like love language is touch and affection and things like that. You know, women have a completely different love language kind of thing, you know. Uh absolutely you know, it it's funny, like a simple task of like, hey, just me doing the dishes, you know, is a is a huge thing, or cleaning, cleaning the house, helping out, doing things, you know, it it's what makes a house a true home. It's when you have, you know, we're we're not back in the 50s anymore where you know it's a single-income family. Majority of times you have dual income families now. You know, both people are working, you know, so you have to make a home a home, and both people um should be able to come together, do things, and help out each other around the house. Yeah. Um, and doing that and being able to communicate and talk and have conversations uh with your spouse is huge. You know, it's not like you walk in the door, you just shut shut down mentally, and hey, we ain't even gonna have a talk. Like that. Like we talk about things, we do things, we're able to connect. She's able to vent. I'm able to vent, you know, um, and and have that communication with each other is always a big thing.
SPEAKER_02Right. It is. I mean, I mean, we talk about that a lot in business too. I mean, communication is everything. I mean, without that, nothing's gonna work or get fixed or or anything. But like you said, I mean, Alice joked with my wife the other day. I think she has every love language, I think. Depends on the day. So, like you said, like, you know, like men are, you know, women don't understand. Men are very simple. We're we're aggravating and we're we probably stress them out and stuff, but when it comes to that type of stuff, we're pretty pretty simple, like you said. I mean, you you show us a little bit of attention, you know, and stuff like that. We're we're we're good together.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, we're just like a puppy dog.
SPEAKER_02Pat us on the back, say good job. We're we're like that's all we need. Like, send a text, say, hey, I love you, have a good day, like I'm great. Like, let's go forward. Um, but women are completely different. But you know, my wife's the same way, man. It's it's doing the small things, and like our whole relationship is so much different because like it's we work together too. So we've had to like figure it out.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and that's a whole different task on its own.
SPEAKER_02You know, because we're with each other a lot. I mean, she sits right there most of the day. Um, so like the communication's on a different level because like we don't go where we don't see each other all day or not talk to each other all day. We're here, but most of the time it's work and we have to like separate it out. I'm pretty good at it. She she works on it um because here we're we're business partners. Um, you know, we're not husband and wife. Yep. To her, we're husband and wife like 100% of the time, all the time. I'm like, no, no, we're not. You know, it you know, in Jesus' eyes, and you know, every all that we are, but you know, when it comes to here, it's a little bit different. So the communication, like I think any kind of marriage of communication is just on a different level um on how you should communicate. Um, but like you said, I mean, you have to understand each other and what they what they want, what they need. Yep. Um, and I think that's where most people mess up in a marriage. It's like they're not willing to listen and or change and do certain things. And plus another thing people don't realize, people change too. Oh, absolutely. Especially women. After they have a baby, I had a guy tell me one time when a woman has a child, you drive home from the hospital, you're coming home with two different you're two strangers.
SPEAKER_00It it is it it's a well it it it's really a uh three because you know, once you become a father too, yeah, you're different. You know, you're you're everybody's trying to figure out a new lifestyle together. Correct. Um, you know, and you see it happen through our parents' eyes of like, all right, so once the kid gets out, all right, well now you gotta readjust again, you know, because now you're not like living for a kid anymore or they're supporting your child, like now you're back to husband and wife, and like now you gotta figure that part out again. So it it's a never-ending cycle, but that's where the communication and doing things with each other comes into play big time.
SPEAKER_02Well, that's why you keep your marriage number one. Yeah. Because kids around for 18, you're together for 50.
SPEAKER_00Yep. So you're trying to be together for 50.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you're trying, you know, but like, you know, um people get tied up in their kids and stuff. And like we're well, we're guilty of it too. Between business and kids, you know, like we um have to remind ourselves like how marriage is number one. Like, we need to focus on us. And it's hard. I knew, especially, especially with me, man. Like, I want to be anything I do, I'm the hard, hardest critic. You know, I talk about all the time. No matter what I do, I feel like I'm not doing the right thing because I should be doing over here. You know, so like especially with fatherhood, you know. My my dad wouldn't, you know, my dad worked a lot, um, didn't spend a whole lot of time with us. So I've been I've always tried to do the total opposite. Um, so you beat yourself up, especially when you're trying to like, you know, you understand you're trying to build a business that takes a lot of your time, you know, and trying to be everywhere and for everybody at all times. You know, we talked about that on a podcast before. It's like, all right, I'm trying to be a father, trying to be a husband, I'm trying to run a business, I'm trying to be a leader to these other people too. You're trying to give attention to the people that are on your boat, and then you come home exhausted. What do you do? Yep. You know, and that determines how the rest of your night goes, or you know, or the next morning, because women don't forget. Like I said, I can wake up the next morning and be like it's a new day. We're happy, and why just like you don't remember last night? I was hoping you didn't.
SPEAKER_00It's like you just get get a mental re-reset every night.
SPEAKER_02For sure, yeah. Just forget about it. Let's move forward. Um, but uh it's kind of interesting how you got into fishing. I didn't know that about you. That it was a you know, you started kind of while you were still in the military and you had like that two years. Yep. Because you had free time on your hands. So that was pretty cool because you were able to not solely rely on it, right? It wasn't your your main gig, you know, you still had your main gig that you you had paying your bills, stuff like that. So how were you at that time, how were you separating your time between the military, the fishing, and then being a husband? How did that go about?
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean, like fishing and hunting side of it, like I grew up doing hunting and fishing anyway. Um, you know, we can re refer back to like how how marriages change and adapt, right? So, you know, we we've gone through a motorcycle phase, like early in our marriage, where we had motorcycles and we were both riding to like switching over to boating, fishing, and all of that. So um it was a complete lifestyle change back in what was that, probably 2007, eight-ish, nah, whenever we got our first boat, I can't remember. Um, you know, but we we we did some pond fishing uh together um and things, but being able to cycle at the end of the career, um, you know, didn't have didn't have Haley at the time, so um you know I would get time off, I'd go fish. Um and for me too, during that during that time, and still to this day, like fishing is a great way for me just to disconnect away from the world. Um you know, it it's nice and peaceful being out on the water no matter what. Um, you know, we're all chasing, try trying to get a bite on a fish. Um, but a lot of times if if that's all you think about, like you're you're losing the meaning behind it. Um it's being able to just to disconnect from the world, even for e even if it's on a half-day charter, you know, four hours, it is a way to disconnect right um from things. Um and you can tie that back to uh one of the organizations I help out uh called Spirit. Um that's one of their main goals is just to get people who are struggling to get them to disconnect. Um Uh feed them with the Holy Spirit. Get get them outdoors. Get a thing. Take them fishing. So organization completely helps help helps out veterans. And trying to work with him too a little bit to help some police officers out as well now. So that probably gonna have that coming down in the future with that. But organizations like that that really try to help benefit veterans, pays dividends and those things.
SPEAKER_02Because you have the the Wounded Warrior one too, right? No, not the wounded wonder. What's it called? Um When it does the blue drum.
SPEAKER_00That's uh I think that's disabled veterans. Disabled veterans.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. Um and I think they do more than just veterans too, I think now. I think it's you know, if you're active, they'll take you out, I think. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00There's a lot of great organizations out there that is um uh just trying to give give back and um get away to disconnect.
SPEAKER_02Well, it saved me. So it saved me. I mean, because I was you know, we were I think six years in the business, and you know, um that's all I did, you know. All I did before that was work too, and but when I got when we opened up the business, it was that's my mentality. I'm 100, whatever I do. Like it's it's a bad, it's a good habit when it comes to business because it can make you successful, but when it comes to your relationships, it's not a good habit because I just zone I zero in. Yep. Um so my wife came to me and said, she's like, You you know, and I I you know I moved to Newburn. I've been in Newburn 13 years. At the time, I think I was here six or so. Um grew up in outside of Raleigh, stuff like that. So I pond fish and stuff like that, but I never really got into it big. Um, but she was like, You need to find something to do. And I was like, There's nothing to do around here. Like, what do you want me to do? You know, um, so she kept pushing, pushing, and uh she's like, Well, you know, I have this big largemouth bass mounted and I caught out of a pond. Um and she looked at that one day and she's like, You used to like to fish, right? I'm like, Yeah, I fished a lot as a kid, ponds, stuff like that. She's like, Well, get into fishing. And anything I do, I go 100. I didn't just go buy a fishing pole and start fishing banks.
SPEAKER_03I went and bought a boat.
SPEAKER_02Um, so but but it saved me, man. I, you know, like just like you said, and I think because me going out, I didn't know a thing about anything. You know, only thing I knew about was how to catch a largemouth in a lake or a pond. That's all I knew. Um, so like I had to learn it all like the hard way. Like, you know, most people like just figuring it out, talking to people. But I got just being out on the water, I craved that. Like you said, it's a disconnect of the chaos. Because it's the only place I can go to literally not worry about anything. I don't know what it is, what it what what makes that happen, but I can go on vacation to the beach or something, and I still have a hard time disconnecting. But for some reason, when I go out there, I turn the phone off, I put it in the console of the boat, and I don't worry about a thing. It's it's weird. I don't know. And so I I preach that to people all the time, and just you need to get out there. You know, like I posted that picture last night, just so the sunrise, the sunset and stuff. Like people just don't get like what that does to you, man. Just you know, especially what's going on in the world, man, what you hear all the time and all the negative crap that you hear. You go out there, it's still God's world, man. It's it's it's his world and it's peace. It's peace. And that's how it's meant to be. And I think we just, you know, most people don't live our life enough.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I I get the question all the time too, because you know, both running, fishing, and duck hunting trips, um, people ask, like, which one do you you enjoy more of them both? I was like, well, honestly, like, they each have different seasons. So, you know, I really enjoy the duck hunting side of things, I really enjoy the fishing side of things. But on the duck hunting, to to me, duck hunting can definitely get a little more personable with especially with clients and things that way, you know. Um, because you get to watch the sunrise with with guys, um, you get to talk, you get a disconnect that way. Um, come on boat too, you get a hot breakfast with me. Yeah, I was gonna get into that. What you're famous for. Yeah. So, you know, it that's a great way, you know. Seeing that sun, like seeing that for some reason for me, the sunrises in the wintertime, especially if you get a little bit of cloud, man. Like you can't beat those sunrises.
SPEAKER_02No. And it's just like, man. And how many people miss that, especially in the winter?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. They're not going out there. No, it gets cold and people are like, no, I ain't going outside. Heck no.
SPEAKER_02No, I love it. I mean, something, I mean, I'm not a big fan of the cold, but uh once I get over that first hour of your hands, you know, and it'd be, you know, it's just it's beautiful, man. It's peaceful. I don't know what I don't know, it's just pure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it, you know, and it same thing, like if if you're out fishing and you get the sunset while you're out fishing, you know, um, that's one of the best things I love, especially in like downtown Swansboro. Um, when we're fishing on the beach side over on that, man. That that sunset in downtown Swansboro sometimes is just beautiful.
SPEAKER_02Well, Swansboro's a beautiful place.
SPEAKER_00So we I got a picture of me and my wife a couple years ago on kayaks in one of the back of the creeks, man, and the sun's just setting down, and it's just like a fireball of just glowing skies, and it's just so pure pure. Yeah. So pure beauty.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_02Um, I want to backtrack a little bit. Um, because we talked about the struggles of your marriage and stuff like that, and then the struggles of getting pregnant. Um, how did all that go? Because and I know you said your struggles for the marriage led you to the Lord, right? Yep. And it's kind of crazy how the Lord works, preparing you for what's coming, right? You know, with your, you know, having issues, getting pregnant and stuff like that, the letdowns and stuff. So, how important was that being in the church and being close to Jesus at that moment? How did that help you get through that? And then coming from struggles of a marriage and then dealing with that, especially the emotions that it causes on a woman, how did that go through your marriage? Did you backtrack a little bit, or did you guys kind of come together and move forward through it?
SPEAKER_00We came together and just kind of kept moving forward with it. Um, yes, it was a lot of heartbreak, a lot, a lot of um talk of like why, why, why can't we do this? Right. Why, why, why? Um, yeah, it it's all in his time. Um, you know, we we don't know if we don't understand the timing. Um, you know, and it it's honestly really not for us, I guess, to to understand and gather it. You know, it's you just have to put the trust um and have the faith. That's where faith comes in play. Um, you know, it's like people all the time it's like, oh man, how can you believe in something you don't see and do things? Well, like relate it to weather, man. Like you don't you don't see the wind either, do you? But you feel it. Like you can feel the faith, you can feel presence of of the Holy Spirit. Yep. Um and it it was a lot of us just coming together, talking, talking with it, and just being over there um to be able to support each other uh throughout the whole process.
SPEAKER_02And now it's totally worth it because you got a beautiful little girl.
SPEAKER_00Absolutely.
SPEAKER_02You forgot all that.
SPEAKER_00And she's a straight right now, she's still straight mama's girl. Yeah. Like if mama's around, can't nobody else do anything with her. Both are mine are the same. So, but if like she's she's on night shift right now, so with with her being on night shift and I get to get Haley during the daylight or daylight nighttime, like she she attaches to me a little bit, makes me feel good. Daddy do this.
SPEAKER_02It's crazy how different they are, right? Yep. It's crazy. Like, like my wife don't understand. I'll explain it to them. I'm like, you know, even how they behave a little bit, like it's just totally different. Like, because I don't know, man. I think like I think women beat themselves up a lot with that. Um but if you read books about it, like a kid acts out, it's because they feel safe. It's them releasing that energy, you know, you know, especially if they're in school and stuff, you know, they have to hold that stuff in all day. Their energy, their emotions, their feelings, they're all of it. And you know, I think that's why moms get the heat of it, it's because that's their safest spot. You know, they feel like they can just unload on mom and dads, you know, they'll do it a little bit. Um, but I mean, one on time with my daughters is I don't get to do it as much as I want to, but it is I really enjoy them, you know, on a different level because like they I don't know, they just open up a little bit. Like my oldest always says, I'm a daddy's girl. She tells my wife, I'm a daddy's girl. And I'm like, Are you? Like, are you really? Um, but she loves to say it. Uh, you know, deep down I think she really is. But but like you said, I mean, I think it's a girl thing at the ages, because I mean yours is three, right? Yeah. I mean, mine are six and eight. So it's not, you know, like they're still in that very young age. Um, but I think girls will change a lot as they grow, especially the more time you spend with them. Um, because I think I have one that's going to be very girly like my wife. I can kind of see it and kind of go shopping with her or go do her nails with her. And then I got well, like both of them like to do that now. But I got one that I can kind of see that's you know, because she's already saying when you're going fishing, you know, can I go fishing with you? You know, so so I'm I got I'm hoping I got one of them that wants to to to tie because like um you watch some of these, you know, um um what's it called? They got a you know, Michael that fishes with his son. Um you watch that YouTube series yet? I I'll just share it to you. Um it's awesome. Like he just spends all his time, like he goes on all these charter trips with his son. I actually got him coming on the podcast in a couple months. Nice. Um, but it he um it's way way point it's on waypoint TV now. Um and he just takes his son everywhere. Like, you know, to the Key West to go catch stuff or go on a duck hunt or he just hires local guys or goes anywhere and does all kinds of crazy stuff with his kids and they videotape it and put it on TV. Like it's the coolest thing in the world to to see, you know, one thing able to have that kind of quality time with your child and to get him to love what you love. It's kind of it's just cool to watch. But kids change your life in a way that I don't think anybody understands.
SPEAKER_00I think she's dealt like because the other day we uh we went out for a sunset cruise in downtown Swansboro for a little bit, and uh so we're we were there, and also I I have Haley a custom rod that was built. Um you know, it didn't come from Ben at Core Sound, sorry buddy. Uh this one was a Bull Bay. Um it's kind of before I before I really got got uh met Ben too. Um but I had my rep at at Bull Bay build me a uh custom bull pup rod um and make it like pink and purple and put Haley's name on it so she has her little rod. Um so the other day we were on the water and I started teaching her how to use it. Um, you know, so it was funny, you know, watching her try to learn and process, and she really enjoyed it. And we were sitting there trying to jig up some great trout, and all of a sudden she grabs my rod from me and said, Here, daddy, let me show you how to do it. You know, so she grabs a rod and she's just jerking, like jerking and reeling at the same time. So um I think she's definitely gonna be one that takes it over. Um, as she she loves the water so much already. Um and I have intentions uh especially this summer of having her on the boat with me, maybe on a few trips. You should. Um because she absolutely loves being on the being on the boat, being on the water doing things. And I love that aspect of her life because she doesn't want to just sit in front of a TV and do things. Like she wants to get outside, she wants to play on the playgrounds, she wants to go to the beach, she wants to be on a boat. So I absolutely love and adore that, and I want to respect that and have her out in those um situations as much as possible.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think they watch you, man. They watch you so much, like it's insane how much they watch you, you know, stuff that you don't even think they'll bring up and you know, like my the same way my girls. They they love the water. I mean, absolutely love it. Um anytime there's water, they're trying to get in it. They were, I mean, we went with her parents to Minnesota, I don't know, three weeks ago. Water was like 62, I think. They don't care. Nope, not one bit. Jump right in it, swimming. I mean, hey, they couldn't wait. They thought it was summertime. I mean, they're all they're gun hole, they're ready.
SPEAKER_00I mean, a couple weeks ago when we took her out, you know, it was the air tent was probably in its seven upper 60s, low 70s thing, but the ocean tent was still very well in the upper 50s. Yeah. Not one care. Nope. She was out there like jumping in the water, doing things, ended up having to take her shirt off because she was soaking wet, and then she was ready to run around butt naked on the beach. She wanted to keep taking her diet, like keep going. I was like, no, we gotta leave some something on her. They were playing, I had to finally get out of the boat to use the bathroom, and my doing this right now. Like, I would I'd walk up to my calf in the water, and I was like, this is cold. Like, my feet are going numb and she's just running amok.
SPEAKER_02Yep, the love for it, man. So let her go. Yeah, for sure. Um talk about business wise. Because when I look at you, you know, compared to all the other captains around, um, which we know we know a lot of them, we talk to a lot of them, and always bring you up because when it comes to on a business side of things, I think and you're probably disagreeing because you're probably like me when you're gonna be like, I haven't figured nothing out, but I think looking from the outside, you've you've kind of figured out really the business side of being a charter captain. Um, because if you look around everybody else, it's like just the level that you're on, the amount of trips that you're putting on, um, the advertisement that you're doing, stuff like that, like I think you've really figured it out. How did that come about? Was that like a slow process of you trying to figure it out? Did you really want it to grow into what it is today? Um, and because I see what you're trying to do. Like you're you're doing all this stuff, and I see I can kind of see what your big picture is. Was that always the goal, or is it something that you kind of just slowly grew into?
SPEAKER_00Man, uh something we definitely grew into. Um when we first talk talked about doing it, it was hey, as long as you don't lose money doing this, we're good with it. Um, you know, so that's kind of the way it started, right? As long as you don't lose, stay stay it, stay in the what, black, right? That's what you want to do. Um, so you know, any business when you first start out, uh you're you're gonna have a lot of losses, right? Um so being able to watch it grow, and I got a Excel spreadsheet that I've built at the house that tracks all my trips and how much money and everything comes in, comes out uh of it. So that's kind of where I started. So watching it grow on that um from the beginning of hey, maybe struggling first couple years. Hey, I'm only 50-ish trips right now. It's like not liking this, not liking this. To now, um, I think last year I was right around one, like 158. Um, so there's still plenty of room for growth, but you know, seeing it grow from that to what it is now. Absolutely. Um, and to be able to have um some really good business connections in in some some of some parts of the industry. Um, you know, I uh before this we were talking about the whole chili water thing. Yeah. Um, so that that's a great loc uh great um connection I have. Uh company here in Newburn on James City side, which is now Decoy Apparel Company, um, having a connection with them for stuff. Uh avid on fishing, Florida Fishing Products, Bull Bay Rock, like, you know, having all these great connections and being able to help support other people um has really helped help the business grow on doing that as well. Um figuring it out, yeah, man. I don't know. Um it it it was a struggle trying to trying to do it. Um yeah, I've done it on my own, and nobody's really helped me lead the way to figure out how to run a business or do anything. I've just kind of done it and um had to look up a lot of laws and do things and try to do things the right way. Um not saying I I don't maybe I screwed something up somewhere, I don't know. Um, but uh I am a stickler on trying to run a legit business uh behind it. Uh all the way down to paperwork to keeping up with fishing regulations and what changes um because there's stuff that's constantly changing, you know, and if you're not keeping up with it, you can be in the wrong. Right. Um and I'm not trying to lose my business out of it, you know. Yeah. Um I I was talking to um because I run my own website too, so I I I'm constantly trying to update and do that to make it more a little more flashy or how to stand out and do things that way. And I was talking to I use GoDaddy um as my source with it, and I was talking to the dude yesterday about my website. He's like, have you he's like, has anybody helped you with your website? I was like, no, man, like I just kind of figured it out and done it. He's like, well, if you've done this all on your own, you've built a pretty daggone good product. Yeah. So he's like, because of you the way the search engines work and all that stuff on all on the way it pings um is really good. Yeah. I was like, well, uh, I I guess I did something right along the ways with it.
SPEAKER_02Well, it's kind of like we we talked about it yesterday in the podcast yesterday. It was just just try and do. I mean, I think that's where a lot of people mess up. Yeah. That they feel like they don't know how to do something, so they're scared to do it. Well, I mean, and you do like a lot of stuff. I mean, you do your videos and you know, tips and tricks, and you know, and I've seen that you're starting to slowly get her involved in into some of your videos, which is pretty cool. Yep. Um, so I mean, it's just it's been what it's been cool to watch you you you grow in it because like I said, a lot of other most charter captains, I mean, I wouldn't I don't want to say they don't treat it like a business, but there is a different level of hey, I like to be a charter captain and I'm gonna book some trips compared to hey, I'm trying to build like a legitimate business that can stay around for a long time.
SPEAKER_00I look at it too as b basically, um it's almost like an entertainment business. Mm-hmm. Is is really what it is because you do have to entertain, you do have to communicate, you do have to do things, especially like somebody steps foot on the boat. Uh I'm with this person for a minimum of four hours when they step on a boat. So we need to be able to have like conversations, do things, and it and it's like not have dead silence and figure out ways to entertain them and teach things uh uh on how to work a lure, how to do this. Um and that's one of the things too. Like, you know, I'm not a big live dead bait kind of person. Like I would rather teach you the style, how how to finesse and and get things right versus just go sit on a bank, stare at each other for four hours and wait for a rod to bend over. Yeah. Um, I would much rather engage in conversations and do that. And and I think that has helped too um in scenarios of being able to teach people to do things. Um so that you know, I could say that came from the military side of it because I've done so much teaching, instructing, and doing stuff like that. So that's been able to translate and really help out um in that scenario. Yep. On The business side.
SPEAKER_02Well, there's two things that you said that I it's you did it's a direct relation to like another any or successful charter guy is first thing was when you're out you miss the big picture of why you're out there. You know, it's not you don't focus on just getting a bite, it's just being out on the water, enjoying out being on it. So that's the first thing. And that and then it's teaching your clients that too. You know, and then on a second thing, it's like you said, you just don't sit out there and hope you catch a fish, catch anything, as long as you put a fish on a boat. It's more of like, okay, what do you want to target? I'm gonna teach you how to catch these fish. I'm gonna show you some spots, I'm gonna show you some bait, I'm gonna show you how to work the bait. So that way you're entertaining them at the same time, but also you're educating them. Yep. So now you got two. You know, not only did you entertain them, but now you've taught them a little bit about how to fish and they can go on from that and take it. Because I've been on charters, like if you go out like out of town or Key West or something, I've done those. And it's literally no matter, like I've told them, hey, I'm not a bait guy. I don't want to go out and just catch a fish on live bait. I don't want to do it. Go out and teach me how to use how y'all fish are artificial out here. Teach me things that I can bring to Florida and do certain things, but they still most of the time just go out there and make sure you catch a fish. Even though you tell them, dude, I get it. I get fish, and I get if we go out here and get skunked, I get it. I'm I'm not that type of client. Like I totally understand. I'm not gonna be mad or nothing, like if we get skunked. You know, it's just more of me, you know, and that's how I met Josh. It's just more of hey, I want to learn and and get any much information from you as possible that I can get. And you know, I can't tell you how many times I've been out and not caught anything. But it that's not that wasn't the purpose. So I think that's another reason why you've been successful, is that that makes me want to keep coming back. Yeah. Because like one thing is addicting. Once you get that first good bite, it's it's over. It's it's it's done. So now you want to get better. So I gotta book with you again. All right, well, you taught me that. I gotta book with you again. So do you get a lot of repeats? I do, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, I I definitely get a lot of repeats. I get I get a few um new ones here and there too. Um, so but uh it's definitely a more established clientele. Yeah um and then and then you get your your vacationers, uh especially with folks that revisit every year. Um, you know, once once you you you start to build a relationship with people, get to go, um, get to watch some of their kids grow up, man. Like um, I got a family, they didn't come with me last year because they just that they went somewhere else on vacation. Um and and they were still sending me pictures of them fishing on their vacation, yeah, of where they went. Um I wanna I want to say they went up to like New York or Pennsylvania or something like that. So I was getting fishing pictures. It's like, hey, Captain Brad, we'll be back with you next year, but you know, this year we went to a to a different area. And it's like, hey, nope, nope, it's your vacation, man. But you know, what when they come down here, you know, I remember the kids light up. It's like, well, what what do y'all want to do while while we're here? It's like go fishing with Captain Brad. It's like, I love that. Like, I love having the relationships with people. Um that's and that really adds to it, you know, because it's not just about catching the fish. Um because you get days where you struggle on the water. You get it's rare, and we we we always hate taking a skunk. Um but but you get days where it's there's the fish just ain't gonna eat. It don't matter what you do. Um I've even seen scenarios here like we've thrown everything at them. All right, hey, let's reverse, let's just see if we can get on the bite on a s on a piece of bait real quick now. And it still won't even eat. It's like, well, right, it's just gonna be it's that kind of day now. Yep. Um we it is but I feel as long as you provide the effort showing that you care, showing that you try. Um you can sit there and look at fish. You can see them on side scan, um, down scan, whatever. You can sit there and sight fish to redfish and sorry man, like it it it he's right there. I I I can't tell you. He's just it they're just not eating. Yeah. Um but they're not like us. They're not gonna just eat for the fun of it. No.
SPEAKER_01They're not gonna like, oh no, unless it's a blue fish.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, unless it's a blue fish. Oh, it's just about to hit town. That's about to be here.
SPEAKER_00So they're they're they're they're starting to uh trickle in right now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so put all your soft baits away. Yep.
SPEAKER_00All the all your expensive baits, you might as well just hang them up, be done. Um, is there anything that we missed that you want to talk about?
SPEAKER_02Is there anything advice that you want to give people that are listening about, I don't know, man, life. You've been through some some crazy stuff you've seen, you've seen a lot of stuff, and is there anything that you want to say? Just live life, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, enjoy it. Um take the little things uh in life and look at it and just try to build upon them. Um, you know, you get one life on this earth, try to be good at it.
SPEAKER_02Yep. All the captains that I've had on here so far have asked the same question. You know, because you know, we all love speckled trout. I mean we all love that. Um what makes a good speckle trout fisherman? What separates them?
SPEAKER_00Patience. Patience on a trout. So you know. I love catching a trout just with with the next person. It's fun. Um especially when you get those big girls to eat, you know, it's violent headshakes and trying to keep that fish on the lure um on the trout game. Uh me personally, um I just chase fish at you know, I d I what whatever's around, we're gonna go chasing Target. So um I love them all. You started tarping yet?
SPEAKER_02What's that? If you started tarpon uh trips yet?
SPEAKER_00No, I haven't started tarpon trips yet. Uh so people asked last year. Come on, man, because I want to catch one. Well, I've uh after last year, man, when we hooked that one on topwater and fought it for an hour and a half, um, that was the craziest thing, man. It was first cast of the morning. I was instructing the dude how to work a topwater plug, and we were just looking for some stripers real quick. And that tarpon just came up and slurped that topwater bait, man, and it was on for an hour and a half on a 3,000 reel. Staying on the big motor, staying on the on the fish.
SPEAKER_02I've been trying to get one. I've booked trips in Florida trying to get them, and no luck. Like I said, I mean, just because you're going to charter doesn't mean you're gonna catch a fish. Um, so like, yeah, um I I I've told people that I'm gonna try to focus on that a little bit this year just just to see. I mean, I want to get one. I just I've seen them, I mean, been around them, you know, thrown everything at them when I did see them, you know, nothing. They get finicky.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, they're tough fish. Um it's insane.
SPEAKER_02They're insane.
SPEAKER_00I mean, are you on top? We did a charter uh last year when we were at iCast, and we had tarp it all around the boat. We watch them coming up and bull and bait sitting all right in front of their face.
SPEAKER_02Oh, they'll hit your boat.
SPEAKER_00They wouldn't eat.
SPEAKER_02They didn't eat at all. Yeah. So we had that happen uh last year. I mean, I literally threw everything I had on the boat at them, just trying my hardest. You know, nothing. Pay no attention to it at all. Like we did not think it was hitting them in the head.
SPEAKER_00You know, they're just like whatever. So just start uh getting the big trouble hooks. Yeah, you know, put you some heavy weights when you start seeing them, cast it out there and just snag one.
SPEAKER_02Probably the only way I'm ever going to get one for sure. Well, it's been great having you, man. I got a lot of respect for you. Um, I appreciate everything that you're doing. How can people find you and book you?
SPEAKER_00Uh, man, I'm on anything really. Uh everything's on there, gunny be outdoors, uh, from the website to Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. Um, I don't do as much on YouTube. I I post some videos here and there um just when I get an idea in my head uh of trying to share something a little more. Um I'm actually about to work on one if somebody won wants a tidbit of information with it, of actually how to properly freeze a fish. Um people need to know how to do that. So it it's really um it if you do it right, people want to say, especially when we're getting a Lancet Gonito coming in right now, um people's like, oh, they don't freeze good, they don't freeze good. Well, if you properly do it, they will freeze just fine and be just as good. Um so I'm gonna do a video on that uh of how to freeze them and show I think I have some some left over in the freezer from last year, so be able to show the difference of one one way versus another two, um, so you can see the quality uh of how you can actually preserve the fish to make it taste just as good later on down the road. Cool.
SPEAKER_02Well, I know a lot of people in Newburn are listening to this, so I mean if you guys want to want to get on a fish, learn how to fish, please book with Brad. Um he's one of the good ones. Um, he can show you a lot of things, been around the area a long time. And like you said, he he chases fish. Yep. You know, um, if you want to catch some fish, you can catch some fish with Brad. Um, I know the bull drums are coming in, which I know that's one of your one of your big ones. You love some bull drums.
SPEAKER_00I love that fall time, man. Yeah, it falls fun.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so a lot of a lot of cool things coming up with him. So please get with him, book with him. Um, but I appreciate having you, man.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, appreciate you having me on.
SPEAKER_02You know, and uh we need to get out on the water soon for sure. I know it's busy. It's getting warm, man. I know it's quickly, quickly too. So you yeah, we don't have spring here. No at all. You got fake springs.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. You get a week of it, then we go back to winter and then uh right into summer, full bore.
SPEAKER_02For sure. All right, guys. Well, I appreciate everybody joining in today. Um, please subscribe to our YouTube um Depth Over Image. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Um, and then also if you have any questions um for me or or Brad or anything like that, please comment below and um we'll we'll message back and answer them. But uh again, we appreciate y'all and everybody have a good Wednesday. Sweet. Sweet.