Fishing guide focuses on teaching novice anglers

By Nate Skinner

on Sam Rayburn Reservoir to help others learn how to become the best anglers they can be. He has a passion for teaching and showing others the skills needed to find success on the water.

As a former Army 82nd Airborne Paratrooper, Marler has been working with others and motivating those around him to succeed for the better part of his life.

“That’s what we did in the military,” Marler said. “We all worked together to achieve a common goal, and through that, we learned about our team members’ strengths and weaknesses. This taught me how to not only achieve success by using the skills that I possessed, but it also taught me how to help others tap into the skills that they had. I basically do the same thing now, I’m just on a boat instead of jumping out of an aircraft, working with folks so that they can catch more fish.”

Marler grew up in Goose Creek Lake, Missouri, where he started fishing at a young age with his father. When he was as young as 10 years old, he would race home from school every Tuesday to get his homework done as quickly as he could, as a local bass tournament called his name most weeks. And, with all his work done, begging his father to take him out to compete would be a little easier.

“The passion for competing and learning how to figure out where the fish were and how to catch them has been instilled in me ever since,” he said.

As Marler matured and progressed as an angler in his teenage years, his dad started taking him along to club tournaments on other lakes, which was enough to hook Marler for life.

He joined the military in his early 20s and served through late 2018, putting fishing on the back burner for nearly nine years.

When he left the army, he told his wife he wanted to live near a lake or multiple lakes in Texas where he could go bass fishing regularly. They ultimately settled in Jasper, where he had access to Sam Rayburn Reservoir at his fingertips.

After settling down in Texas, Marler became a physical education teacher.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching others, so a career in education just made sense,” Marler said.

While teaching, Marler spent the majority of his free time learning how to fish

Sam Rayburn Reservoir and eventually

“I became very active on social media, ing regularly about tips and tactics that were working for me on the water,” Mar ler explained. “All of a sudden, I started getting a bunch of requests from folks to take them out fishing. These requests continued to come in more regularly as I became more active both on social media and on the bass fishing tournament scene. I finally decided to take a leap of faith, and here I am. I’ve been guiding full time since the early fall of 2022.”

His favorite way to pursue bass on Rayburn has become chasing them offshore in deep water with crankbaits. He loves the challenge of locating fish in deep water and loves even more to show anglers how to do something many aren’t familiar with.

In fact, in addition to guided fishing trips, Marler offers master classes that focus on teaching folks how to use their electronics to find and catch fish. Whether he’s on the Internet or on the water, though, the fishing guide makes a point of teaching others in a way that’s open and easy to understand.

“I’ve always tried to relate to the average, working-class angler, if you will,” he said. “Because that’s who I am. I find joy in working hard and grinding to figure out how to become a better angler, and I want to show people that they can do that, too. Most folks have what it takes to be successful on the water. They just need to believe in themselves and tap into the skills that they already have. My goal is to show them that when I take them fishing.”

Marler started getting clients from across the nation, not just local Texans, as his guiding business progressed.

“My goal is to develop a reputation that I’m going to provide you with the truth when you come fishing with me,” he said.

“I don’t just want to tell you to cast in a certain spot and then set the hook. I want you to be able to take home a set of skills at the end of the day that you can use on your own.”

One of Marler’s favorite aspects of guiding is receiving photos of nice bass and follow-up messages from clients who have been able to apply the tools he has taught them to their own personal time spent on the water.

“It really is a cool feeling to see a client of mine grow as an angler,” he admitted.