About austin wiggerman
The Start
Being around the water was always a huge part of my life. Growing up we spent weekends traveling in the family RV and my teenage years at our lake house in Wisconsin. A transition from panfish to bass and bass to Pike, the inevitable ending of chasing muskies was all surrounded by their difficulty to catch and shear size they grow. Obsession is an easy way to explain how I have transformed my life towards muskies as everything I could read, watch or learn about catching them I was consuming myself with. Once I was of the age to drive and I had acquired a 14 foot smoker craft from my uncle for $50, there was no stopping where things were headed.
The Transition Years
My decision to make the fishing industry a future of mine came after going to college and receiving a bachelors degree in Recreation, Parks and Tourism from Western Illinois University. From a great friend group in Highschool and buddies I met through college, we all shared the drive of chasing muskies and it continued to create my path towards making it my career. After moving to Wisconsin for four years to give myself the opportunity to fish muskies more often and what ended up being the time where I grew the knowledge and skills needed to excel in the sport, I made the leap from employee to self employer and full time guide.
My Guiding Career and Recent Fishing History
Moving Back to Illinois in fall of 2020, obtaining a Captains License and meeting the requirements to legally guide, I began my journey. Fishing muskies on the Fox Chain is where I spent the majority of my time truly cutting my teeth and looking back, although the fish may not get as big as Wisconsin and Minnesota, the entirety of how pressured the system is and the need to understand the fish truly made me the fisherman I am today. I have met, exceeded and will continue to pursue so many more goals within the industry, and the journey that got me here today wouldn't go without saying thank you to my parents and close friends for the encouragement and help in shaping my love and passion for what I now get to call my job.