Headline Speakers

Brad Brodnicki is a local bass tournament angler who was born and raised right here in Western New York. He has been fishing and competing in the waters in New York for more than 25 years. He has vast knowledge about almost every body of water in New York from Lake Erie to Lake Champlain. If he's not fishing for bass he can be found in the streams fishing for trout, ice fishing or in the woods hunting deer.
When Brad is not chasing his passion of bass fishing he is teaching and coaching high school students in the City of Buffalo, where he's been working for the last 25 years. He enjoys teaching and educating fisherman on techniques and strategies that will help them grow as an angler. Some of Brad's fishing accomplishments are multiple victories and top ten finishes in B.A.S.S. and FLW Events. Just Last year he placed 2nd in the FLW National Championship at Table Rock Lake in Tennessee. His is currently on pro staff with Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas, Nitro Boats, Mercury Marine, Berkley, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Lowrance.

If you're in Northeast Ohio and want to kayak fish the big waters of Lake Erie, there is only one guy - Chuck Earls. Chuck has been fishing Ohio waters for over three decades and is known for three things: Safety, extreme weather fishing, and catching monster walleye! Chuck is a licensed Lake Erie Kayak Fishing guide, YouTuber, Podcaster, storyteller, Cold Water Kayak safety expert, and kayak outfitter. When you fish with Chuck, you get a lot of information to help you build your angling skills. He takes the time to explain the "why" not just the "how." He targets walleye, steelhead, and smallmouth bass although when you love to fish as much as Chuck does the species is secondary. Chuck is a member of the USA Kayak Fishing Team, Team Native Watercraft, Team Torqeedo, and Team YakAttack and is also a FishUSA ProStaffer. Chuck took his love for kayak fishing up another level in 2022 by adding a new kayak division to the 2022 Fall Brawl and the Lake Erie Walleye Trail. Interested in tournament fishing? Let Chuck get you ready to rumble.

Born and raised in Western New York along the Niagara Escarpment, Joe Fonzi has spent most of his life in the outdoors: fishing, hunting, and trapping. Joe began his outdoor adventures as soon as he was old enough to keep up with his dad and grandfathers, who did it all from fly fishing to trapping. He still owes much of his success to the lessons and ethics that were set forth by these early mentors.

Joe is a graduate of both, New York State school of Environmental Science and Forestry (BSF); and SUNY Brockport, where all of his emphasis was placed on environmental studies. His graduate work was in fisheries management with importance placed on freshwater ecosystems; he participated in a 2 year fisheries inventory study of the New York canal system from Lake Erie to the Hudson River. For the past 22 years Joe has held a US Coast Guard license he's used turned his passion for fishing into a successful fishing charter business. Captain Joe, charters fishing trips on lakes Erie and Ontario, spending almost two hundred days a year in his Ranger boat, targeting smallmouth bass, perch, and walleyes.

When Joe isn't guiding, he tries to fit in as many fishing tournaments as possible. With finishes in the top 5 of both the National Bass and Walleye circuits Joe has accomplished something that most anglers don't even attempt. Other tournament accomplishments include: 6 top ten finishes in the FLW and qualifying for the FLW Costa championship both years he completed the circuit. Joe has also had success north of the border with several wins and top 10 finishes in both the Canadian Sport Fishing League (CSFL) and the Renegade Bass Circuits.

Joe holds pro-staff positions with several outdoor equipment companies including Mack's Lures, Steelshad Lures, Warrior Lures, and most notably Ranger Boats (for the past 14 years) and member of the Mercury Marine pro-team. Joe is entering his fifth year as a Cabela's pro staffer, he often participates in the Cabela's day's events at the Cheektowaga location. Joe also does several seminars each year for local sportsmen's clubs and outdoors shows in both the US and Canada, talking on a wide range of subjects from fishing ethics to tournament-winning strategies.

Roger Hinchcliff began fishing the banks of the Huron River in Southeast Michigan at age 8, and he continues fishing its banks today-over 45 years later! His passion for chasing steelhead all around the Great Lakes region, he says, started at first bite. Roger now spends many days each year-chasing and catching
steelhead in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Alaska, the Olympic Peninsula in Washington, and Michigan-which remains his preference.

As a way of sharing his knowledge, Roger is a featured speaker, a popular blogger, rod designer & Vice President for Lamiglas Rod's and is a successful author of many published magazine articles around the country. Roger also has several instructional videos on his YouTube Channel, Steelhead Manifesto. Roger's Social Media pages, of the same name, are very popular. His entertainment & content pages draw around 500K-1 Million visitors each month and has over 190,000 followers on his social media platforms.

Considered an authority on salmon & steelhead fishing, Roger loves to share his expertise with other anglers. He speaks more than 30 times per year, to crowds of 60-400 people, at fishing clubs, consumer shows and retail events. He is also a pro staffer and industry consultant for many fishing companies.
Roger likes to give back to sport by volunteering his time to various river cleanups and conservation projects. He is a Michigan Salmon Ambassador for the Michigan Sea Grant Initiative, developed in coordination with the DNRs of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Roger also serves on the Michigan Coldwater Resources Steering Committee, which provides input, advice, and recommendations to the Fisheries Division on issues related to the state's Coldwater resources-as well as strategies and goals for managing those resources.

Roger is also a member of Metro-West Steelheaders, Trout Unlimited, Grand Rapids Steelheaders, Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders, Michigan Fly Fishing Club, Huron River Fishing Association, and the Steelhead Society of British Columbia.

Capt. Ross Robertson has made his complete living as a full time professional angler for more than 20 years. Through the years he has worn many hats including time as a fishing guide, boat salesman, TV host, outdoor writer, product designer, tournament fisherman, speaker, radio host and podcaster to name a few. You may have seen him in publications such as In-Fisherman, Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, MeatEater or his self published book Walleye Trolling. While his fishing career has taken him anywhere from Alaska to Europe, he spends most of his time fishing year around on Lake Erie's Western and Central Basins.

Mark is a Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructor and a licensed guide from Erie PA. He is involved with the Gem City Outdoorsmen Fly Tiers and is a Director for the FFI charter club Keystone Fly Fishers based in Franklin, PA.

Mark competed in several regional American Casting Association events, is a helper/instructor for PA Fish & Boat Commission fly fishing seminars, teaches Fly Fishing 101 class at state parks in western Pennsylvania, and is a volunteer with Project Healing Waters & The Mayfly Project.

Mark is involved at the state level as a member of the Lake Erie Advisory Council. Their purpose is to present new projects, easements and land acquisitions that are funded through the monies generated from the Lake Erie Stamp fishing permit.

Last year Mark was a featured demonstrator at both the Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival & The Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster, PA.

His first article has been published on midcurrent.com entitled "So you received a fly tying kit for Christmas - now what?" When not teaching, Mark is an avid steelhead, trout and bass fisherman.