Ryan grew up in southeastern Michigan, chasing small game and warm water fish in the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair. As he got older and learned to fly fish, he found that new passion drove him to explore further north and west every chance he got. Living in the Upper Peninsula for five years, chasing brook trout and roughed grouse in the deep north woods until he was offered a summer position in 2015 at a remote salmon hatchery on Baranof Island in southeast Alaska, which he turned into an 11-year career in hatchery management. Ryan graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences and brings a strong, fisheries-focused background to two chapters of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers that have abundant river, lake, and ocean fishing and access opportunities, as well as challenges.

Once Ryan moved to Alaska and experienced the seemingly endless public lands, clean waters, and the amazing hunting and fishing opportunities that this land offers, he never looked back. There are two regions of Alaska that are particularly special to Ryan: the coastal bays and tidal flats of Southeast Alaska, where he enjoys spring black bear hunting, and the North Slope Arctic tundra and foothills of the Brooks Range, where he tries to venture as often as possible to chase caribou, moose, and Arctic grayling. Ryan is a lifelong hunter, angler, and trapper, passionate and driven to protect the lands and resources that have given him so much.

Contact Ryan