JIMMY HILL

Jimmy was born into a family of avid outdoorsmen and fishermen and caught his first fish at age 5—a massive gou, aka freshwater buffalo. He was completely hooked from that first fish. His grandparents were avid crappie anglers who had a small cabin on the Angelina River in East Texas, where they taught him the joys of waking up before the chickens, drinking good coffee, and being on the water before first light. By about age 8 or 9, his grandfather had taught him how to cast lures into a 3 lb Folger’s coffee can from 30 yards out using a 1960s-era open-faced Abu Garcia reel.

By the time he was a junior in high school, he had his own small bass boat and was fishing approximately 200 days a year. Spring breaks were mostly spent sight fishing for trophy bass on legendary Lake Fork, often fishing from 6 am to 10 pm with the energy and stamina that only a teenager can possess. Summer vacations were spent fishing along Bolivar Peninsula on the Texas Gulf Coast, targeting reds, trout, and flounder.

After 30 years of work in the IT world, which all started with a 4-year enlistment in the USAF, Jimmy left Texas and moved to the Florida Panhandle in April 2025 specifically to live next to the amazing beaches here and chase the bounty of fish that swim in these waters.

Jimmy believes that, at its core, fishing is not about fish, but instead is about the experience of being immersed in nature, away from the noise and distractions of modern life. It is about learning and honing skills and techniques that our ancestors used for sustenance and survival. But mostly, it is about the pure joy of feeling a tap, tap, tap on the end of your line.