Recognisable from running BYOR (Bring Your Own Rod) line-testing events for Scientific Anglers all over the world, Jeff Pierce, aka Dr Fish, gets to fish in more places than most. But he’s at his happiest on his boat the Double Haul, sight-fishing for smallmouth bass back home in Michigan. As featured in The Mission Issue 44 (Mar/Apr 2024).

The first fish I remember catching was a small pumpkinseed sunfish in a pond at a campground. I think I was five then. When I was eight years old, I spent part of my summer in Bermuda and that is when the fishing bug really got me.

I was born in Rochester, NY and lived in the area until I was nine or 10.  We then moved to Florida for a year and I became obsessed with fishing. While I loved the fishing there, it was way too hot in the summer and way too crowded in the winter. Then it was back to western NY, surrounded by so many lakes, rivers, and streams and so many fish to chase. Ten years ago, when I joined the team at Scientific Anglers, my family and I moved to central Michigan. We love it here. The fishing opportunities are mind boggling. 

“Twenty-one per cent of the world’s freshwater is located within a four-hour drive from my home.”

When I got seriously into chasing fish, I wanted to be on the water all the time. So, I tried to figure out a way I could fish and get paid for it. I ended up getting my first job as a deckhand on a sport fishing charter boat. It involved long hours and hard work, but it was a blast. I worked with a number of captains over the years, guiding for trout and salmon. In the offseason one year, I washed dishes at a diner to pay for more fishing gear. I also got a part-time job for a little while at a fish market. Here and there I tied flies commercially to help pay for college and more fishing gear. In college, I worked in the fishing tackle department of a huge sporting goods store.

Then I was hired by a fishing tackle distributor that sold product to the retailer. A few years later I went to work for one of the manufacturer’s sales rep agencies that called on the distributor. We represented several major fishing tackle brands like Rapala and Mustad hooks. Three years later Mustad offered me the sales manager position, covering half of North America. Over the next 15 years, I wore many hats at Mustad, including Prostaff management, global portfolio management, and product development. I then moved on to Scientific Anglers (SA) and have been with them for just over 10 years now. I’m responsible for all product sold outside the United States, as well as all original equipment/private label production worldwide. 

My day starts early and ends fairly late. Being responsible for all our international customers, there is always someone open, somewhere in the world, needing assistance. The first emails and messages start getting answered around 5:45am and the last ones might get sent out as late as 11:30pm. I’m responsible for the new B2B platform at SA as well, so there always seems to be something that needs updating or someone who needs assistance with access. Then there are discussions with private label customers and R&D, as we work to develop new fly line products for them. Add to that some time spent in production, discussing upcoming custom line production and any challenges that come up with special orders.

There are, of course, some office BS sessions, getting the run down on who fished where the past weekend and what the plans are for the upcoming weekend. I travel a fair bit so, while on the road, out of country, a typical day could be hosting a BYOR (Bring Your Own Rod) line demo event, meeting with a local fishing club, talking with fly shop staff, and perhaps a speaking engagement at a retailer. 

“Of the fish on the bucket list, tigerfish are at the top.”

I’m blessed to live in an incredible region.  Twenty-one per cent of the world’s freshwater is located within a four-hour drive from my home. The Great Lakes offer an incomprehensible number of opportunities with the long rod. Michigan has a mind-boggling 4,530 miles of Great Lakes coastline to explore. Not to mention all the inland lakes and countless rivers and streams and cold, crystal clear waters with numerous species that are willing to eat a fly.

I spend much of my time running around in my boat, the Double Haul. We have so many great fisheries, depending on the time of year. My absolute favourite is sight-fishing big smallmouth bass, in less than a metre of gin-clear water, on large flats on Lake Huron or Lake Michigan.  These fish are aggressive and incredibly hard fighters. June and July are so much fun, when I spot and stalk smallies with big Hex and Drake mayfly dry fly patterns. Sixty foot-plus casts are the norm chasing these old, educated fish. If the bugs aren’t hatching, sculpin and crawfish patterns are effective as well. There is just something about hunting an expansive flat, looking for a big fish, then making that cast and watching that fish react to your fly. Ninety-nine per cent of the time we are casting to a specific fish, so good eyes are a must.

Six- and 7-weights are the go-to with either the SA Amplitude Smooth Infinity Warm (dry flies) or the SA Sonar Stillwater Clear Camo Intermediate (crays and sculpin). Fluorocarbon leaders in the 3 to 4m range are typical. A trophy smallmouth bass is 20 inches (51cm) or better. Many smallmouth anglers will never catch one that size. On a good day we catch multiple fish over that mark. We have caught fish up to 23 inches on the flats. Truly a fish of a lifetime for any serious smallie angler.

My other close second is fishing the Niagara Bar on the west end of Lake Ontario…

Read the rest of Jeff’s answer, and more, in The Mission Issue 44 below. No charge.