Starting at a very young age, I believe right around three; my father and grandfather started taking me on their fishing trips up to Red Gut Bay and Black Sturgeon on the Canadian side of Rainy Lake. I vividly remember this as if were yesterday. My grandfather was never further than spitting distance away from his Folgers coffee spittoon, and my father was always diligently trying to read his now ancient Hummingbird depth finder. That is my first memory of fishing and the first time I knew what I truly wanted to do for the rest of my life. These were the days before Game Boys, Atari, and light years before our Sony Play Stations that we know today.
My first job was at Rainy Lake Houseboats under Mr. Bill Dougherty at the age of 14. They had an opening for a dock boy and I jumped at the opportunity to be on the lake every day. Mr. Dougherty just happened to give my Dad his first job also. How ironic is that? I worked every summer on Rainy Lake till I was 17 and graduated from Fall High School in 1992. In the summer of 1992 my parents sold the NAPA store and moved the family to Warroad, MN and I was introduced to “The Walleye Capital of the World”, Lake of the Woods.
I’ve been guiding on Lake of the Woods U.S/Canada for the last 10 years after my return back to my roots. I love to target Walleyes, but this lake has so many other species (Musky, Northern, Small Mouth Bass, Perch, Crappie, Lake Trout, Sturgeon, Whitefish, etc…I believe there are 17 different species in Lake of the Woods), I feel like a kid in a candy store. All I can say is, I’m truly blessed to be able to do what I love for a living…Happy Fishing and God Bless!
To make a reservation please call Jean-Paul Tessier at 218-280-9731 or email him at [email protected]