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Guide Team
Our Guide Team staff consists of some of the best professional Musky fishermen. They have the technique and the knowledge. They have the touch. Get to know our Guide Team anglers up close; their backgrounds, their interests and even their favorite lakes.
Matt Snyder
Standing on the banks of a small farm pond, my grandfather helped me cast my first line. I caught my first fish that day, at four years old. That small perch is long since gone, but my passion for fishing remains. My love of the outdoors is more than a hobby, for me it is a way of life. After completing a degree in Commercial Wildlife Management, I spent a yearlong internship on the world famous King Ranch in south Texas. It was a fantastic opportunity; I learned everything from habitat management, dog training, and supplemental wildlife feeding programs. I completed census studies for whitetails and instituted a waterfowl hunting operation. During the hunting season, I guided daily for Bobwhite quail and Rio Grande turkeys. Although my time in south Texas revolved around hunting and game management, I always found time to fish! During my free time, I could be found in the surrounding flats, fishing for redfish or on the lakes chasing largemouth.
My grandfather began my passion for fishing, but it was my (then) roommate, Chad Cain, who began my obsession for muskies. I feel very lucky to learn from one of the best, Chad. My joy in catching muskies plays a close first with the conservation of muskies. As many other fishermen, I feel a responsibility to ensure musky fishing for future generations. Working with Chad's guide service is a true team operation. Our team approach provides more fish in the boat and better experiences for our clients. This unique approach ensures our clients have a great chance at boating fish, but also learning about the area they are fishing. I feel that when someone hires a guide, it is not just catching the fish that day that is important. I take the time to educate my clients on the area, forage base and other important tactics like boat control.
The 2007 Fishing season was the best ever for me. I finished the 2007 season with 23 muskies 50 inches or bigger. I wound up boating a 54.5 inch muskie, two 54 inch muskies and two 53 inch muskies. Needless to say 07' was good to me! I even broke my personal best 3 times in 2007!
I currently live in Northern Minnesota with my fiancée, Tara. Who by the way, caught her first muskie of 53 inches this past summer! My winter months are filled with Snow Geese in Northeast Arkansas, ducks in Southern Illinois, and working with Musky Armor. Spring now entails me leaving the great Northwood's and heading to beautiful Kinkaid Lake to chase muskies. I hope to see you in my boat.
Scott Donovan
 My name is Scott Donovan and I have been pursuing Mrs. Esox for over 15 years. I have a bachelor degree in outdoor education from Southern Illinois University and I'm a certified outdoor leader through the Wilderness Education Association. My passion for fishing comes from my father who put me on my first muskie at age 6. We were fishing Long Lake on the Lac Due Flambeau chain when the magical moment happened. My favorite muskie lake is Little Vermilion outside Soux lookout in Canada. I had the great opportunity to fish a small lake of off Little V called Maskinonge the day it opened after it had been closed for over 40 years. We boated an untold # of big fish that day. What do you expect on opening day when they had not seen a lure for so long? That is when the true “muskie addiction” started. Another lake I sneak off to in summer is Lake Alexander in Brainerd, MN.
My home water is the secluded Lake Kinkaid in Southern Illinois which has over 1,700 fishable acres. I have been fishing the lake for over 7 years and have come to love the challenge this lake presents. I have recently joined the Musky Armor Team and I'm guiding for Chad Cain's Guide Service. I hope to not only provide informative fishing information about Kinkaid Muskies, but teach people about the importance of Leave no Trace and Catch and Release practices. My #1 goal is to catch big fish and provide excellent customer satisfaction.
I guide on Kinkaid Fall through Spring until the water temps reach 80 degrees around the 1st week in June. In the summer months I head to Nisswa, Minnesota where I am in charge of the outdoor wilderness program at Camp Lincoln Lake Hubert. The campers range from 8-16 years old. I implement week long trips into the remote Boundary Waters Canoe Area where we fish for smallmouth, northern, and walleye. It is always a treat to prepare their first shore lunch of tasty walleye for them. I also lead backpacking trips to Isle Royal National Park which is a small island many miles off the shore of Lake Superior. What a treat to see wolves and moose in their natural habitat.
I fish out of 17 foot STARCRAFT tourney fish series with a 50 Hp 4 stroke Johnson. I run a 9.9 Yamaha kicker, motor guide trolling motor, and lowrance electronics. This is a very stable aluminum deep V rig that calls in big fish.
Joshua Ebersole
 I was born in the little town of Oswego along the Fox River southwest of Chicago. I grew up on a small acreage lake where I was able to be involved with the fish on a daily basis. My interests moved from the pond onto to river chasing smallmouth and walleyes. I was fortunate to have a family who’s family vacations consisted of houseboats and guided fishing trips and after a few of these my love for fishing grew. My interests turned to catching the big beast (the lurker as my dad and I called it). What ever the species was I wanted to catch the one that lurks, the one that makes her stay undetected until record quality. In 1995 I took my first trip to Kinkaid Lake in southern Illinois rented a boat and fished for all species I knew of in the lake. I ended up going to school at SIU as a transfer student from Columbia My majors involved computer animation, art, and education. While at SIU I ran into Chad Cain off the lake and we became friends. He introduced me into the musky world because we shared the same passion for fish and the science of them. I am currently 28 years old and look forward to many years of releasing trophy quality fish for everyone to enjoy! I will be spending my spring and fall time on Kinkaid Lake, a few others in the Midwest and Minnesota every summer. If not in my boat I hope to see you on the water, good luck!
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