JDM FISHING AND OUTDOOR SHOW
SPONSORED BY ACADEMY SPORTS + OUTDOORS
2026 Seminar Schedule
2026 Speaker Bios
Aaron Pratt
Seminar:
Musky Fishing Insights & Proven Methods
Aaron Pratt is the owner of Churning Waters Bait Co, LLC, as well as Churning Waters Guide Service. If you want to catch Musky and don't know where to begin, that’s where Aaron can help. Influenced greatly by his father, Aaron has been fishing his entire life and has dedicated the last 29 years to specifically targeting Musky in Ohio. He is fervently committed to helping you catch fish and won’t rest until you succeed. The pursuit of the elusive Musky, known as the fish of 10,000 casts, has become a significant part of his life. His desire to share this knowledge has grown, enabling you to thrive on your own musky adventures. In 2024, Churning Waters Guide Service celebrated their eighth year guiding for Musky in Ohio, during which time over 1,200 Musky have been caught. Every year and every trip brings a unique adventure, and they eagerly anticipate sharing that experience with you on your guiding trip.
Allen Weaver
Captain at AA Charters
Seminar:
From Zero to Limit: Drifting for Lake Erie Walleye 101
AA Charters, led by the skilled and experienced Captain Allen Weaver, offers unparalleled Lake Erie fishing charters, focusing on drifting Walleye fishing. With years of expertise, Captain Weaver has honed his craft, specializing in targeting Lake Erie Walleye. His dedication to providing exceptional Lake Erie fishing experiences is evident in every trip, ensuring that both novice and seasoned anglers have a memorable time on the water.
Carl Bachtel
Radio Co-Host & Pro Staff Member of Cast Cray Outdoors
Seminar:
From School to Cooler: Putting Crappie in the Boat
Carl "Big Daddy" Bachtel is a multi-species angler with over 55 years of experience. A fan of all types of fishing, his favorite species to target are crappie. Though he has fished and done well in a few tournaments, his focus is more on teaching the everyday, regular angler the basics of fishing. He's one of the original owners of Ohio Game Fishing.com, spent eleven years on the Pro Staff of Bass Pro Shops in Toledo, developed an outdoors franchise segment and fishing report for his employer, WKYC TV 3. He is currently a co-host of Inside the Great Outdoors radio with Joe Kastaway Kulis and a member of the Pro Staff of Ohio tackle company Cast Cray Outdoors. Carl is married with six children and lives in Cuyahoga Falls.
Chuck Earls
Owner of Lake Erie Kayak Fishing with Chuck Earls
Seminar:
Landing Lake Erie Walleye from a Kayak
If you’re in Northeast Ohio and want to kayak fish in 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, kayak outfitter and ACA instructor. 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 USA Kayak Fishing Team, the USA Street Fishing Team, Team Amped Outdoors, Team Native Watercraft, Team Torqeedo, and Team YakAttack, Team LEWS & Strike King, 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.
Dan Elko
Radio Co-Host & Pro Staff Member of Cast Cray Outdoors
Seminar:
The Complete Guide to Slab Crappie Fishing
Dan was born and raised in Northeast Ohio where he grew up hunting and fishing with his father and brother, he mostly fished the local lakes like Mosquito Lake, Ladue Reservoir, Pymatuning and Lake Erie fishing for Walleye and Crappie. Over the years, he and his brother, Bob, competed in several local Crappie and regional tournaments on Mosquito Lake, Buckeye Lake, Delaware lake, Berlin and others. Success has led the duo to 2 Local Mosquito Lake Madness Crappie Tournaments and a few Top 5 finishes. In the Northeast Ohio Crappie Tournament Trail, Dan & Bob have won 7 tournaments and have 15 top 5 finishes and have been in the top 3 in points for the past 4 years. Over a decade ago, his desire was to start his own crappie trail in Northeast Ohio where we could provide a club where avid anglers could come out and compete in a Tournament where it was cost effective while having a great time. This became Northeast Ohio Crappie Club. His love of fishing and the support of his family and brother paved the way to educate and help Crappie anglers across Ohio and Pennsylvania providing a great effective tournament trail where anglers supported one another and educated each other on tactics.
Dylan Nussbaum
Professional Walleye Angler
Seminar:
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Forward Facing Sonar for Walleye: Tips from a Pro
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Jigging Masterclass with a Pro Walleye Fisherman
Dylan Nussbaum is one of the most accomplished young anglers in professional walleye fishing. Raised in northwestern Pennsylvania, he began tournament fishing at just 10 years old alongside his father, Jesse, and quickly climbed the ranks from regional events to full-time national competition. Known for combining advanced electronics with aggressive fish-hunting tactics, Dylan has built a reputation as a smart, adaptable competitor across Midwest and Great Lakes fisheries.
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He became the youngest champion in National Walleye Tour history at age 20 and has since earned multiple Top-5 and Top-10 finishes, including a record 10 consecutive check-cashing events. A consistent Angler of the Year contender, Dylan has also posted major finishes in the NWT Championship, Masters Walleye Circuit, and National Team Championship, proving his versatility on rivers, reservoirs, and big open-water systems alike.
John Breedlove
Avid Steelhead Fisherman for Over 40 Years
Seminar:
Targeting Steelhead on Breakwalls & Harbors
John Breedlove has fished since his child hood! Started doing walleye tournaments in the 80`s and 90`s then progressed to Bass Tournaments since the early 2000`s! But Steelhead fishing has always been his passion! He has fished for and trolled for steelhead since the mid 80`s starting the year of Ohio’s last returning salmon! John has honed his skills by logging many, hours and days over the years on the water using many different lures in different sizes and colors to understand when and what the steelhead want! He has his boat setup to very efficient and functional and will discuss in his seminar all aspects of what he has learned and what tactics he uses to be very successful at catching steelhead!
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John has been featured on many radio shows to podcast to newspaper articles to a feature article in Great Lakes Angler magazine to a chapter in the book the Common Angler!
Johnta Kirton
Pro Fly Tier & Avid Fisherman
Seminar:
Fly Fishing for Panfish: A Practical Guide
Johnta Kirton is an avid fly fisherman and fly tier - his journey fly fishing and fly tying
started in 2008. He ties flies for every species, from Bluegill to Carp to Bass to
Steelhead. Johnta loves fly fishing and targets many species, but his favorite species to target is Bluegill. A 9’ 4 weight is his typical rod of choice, and his favorite flies to throw are micro poppers and micro streamers. Johnta fishes different local waters, but his favorite waters to fish are small local farm ponds. Johnta will be giving seminars on targeting bluegill and panfish with the fly, and highlighting his micro poppers and micro streamers. Be sure to catch his seminars for helpful tips and tricks, and check out his booth to pick up some flies!
Kevin Walters
Owner of Monster Cat Catfishing
Seminar:
Targeting Trophy Catfish: From Setup to Hookset
Kevin Walters is the owner of Monster Cat Catfishing an online retailer of everything catfishing related. They are based out of southern Ohio on the banks of the Ohio River. Kevin has pursued giant catfish for the past 30 years in waters from Sandusky Bay on Lake Erie all the way to the Tennessee River, with most of his time spent on the Ohio River. He has competitively fished hundreds of catfish tournaments on many different lakes and river systems in the eastern part of the United States. Kevin has been a firefighter paramedic for the last 25 years and in his off time he enjoys fishing for catfish. Kevin uses it as a source of meditation to get away from the mental stresses of his profession. He enjoys spending time teaching others different methods and techniques that make them more successful during their catfishing trips. The sport of chasing monster catfish is becoming more popular than ever and there's hundreds of different techniques that can be used to make anglers more successful such as trolling with planer boards, drifting and bumping. Kevin always gives people a fair warning, catfishing isn't just sitting on the bank with a stinky old piece of bait waiting on a fish to bite. It has evolved into so much more and once you hook up with your first giant catfish you will be hooked.
Nate Reynolds
Owner of Pig Jigs LLC
Seminar:
BFS 101: An Introduction to Ultralight Bass Fishing
Nate Reynolds is a seasoned multi-species angler with more than 30 years of experience on the water and the owner of Pig Jigs LLC.
With a focus on BFS and ultralight baits—while still offering traditional tackle—Pig Jigs is driven by one simple mission:
Jigs Made for Pigs.
Tim Grinder
Owner of Tag's Kustomz
Seminars:
Targeting Monster Bass After the Spring Thaw
Tim Grinder is a passionate Largemouth Bass fisherman who has competed in the Major League Fishing Toyota Series, successfully making it to the championship during his first year at Kentucky Lake. He has traveled across the country, participating in seminars for Academy Sports grand openings. In Ohio, Tim's personal best Largemouth Bass weighs 9.4 lbs, and he has achieved the impressive feat of catching a 30+ pound bag of five bass for two consecutive years. Additionally, Tim runs the Facebook group Bass Nation of Ohio. He is the owner of the custom lure company Tag'em Kustomz, where you can explore a fantastic selection of lures specifically designed for bass fishing at our show. Don't miss Tim's seminars, which are packed with tips and tricks to help you catch huge Largemouth Bass in the spring, along with valuable insights on baitcaster reel gear ratios.
Tom Bechdel
Author, Hunter, and Trapper
Seminars:
Coyote Hunting Techniques: Skills for Success
Tom Bechdel, a Pennsylvania native, brings over 40 years of hunting experience and nearly 50 years of trapping knowledge to every seminar he teaches.
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For more than two decades, Tom has led seminars on deer hunting (gun & bow), deer calling, scents, and decoys, along with spring and fall turkey hunting tactics. In the last 10 years, he’s focused heavily on predator hunting—especially Eastern coyotes.
His popular coyote seminar covers everything from year-round coyote behavior and locating tactics to calling strategies, decoy use, color phases, diet, and protecting livestock and pets. Whether you’re a hunter or simply want to understand your “new neighbor,” it’s time well spent.
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Tom has served as a seminar speaker or hunting advisor for leading outdoor brands and has presented across MI, PA, NY, OH, WV, MD, and MO, partnering with major sporting goods retailers and conservation events along the way.
Vic Vatalaro
Owner of Vic's Sports Center
Seminar:
From Cast to Catch: Mastering Largemouth Bass​
One of the veterans of the FLW Tour, Vic began fishing the Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournaments in 1995, posting his first win at the Ohio River event two years later. He fished his way up through the EverStart Series, joining the FLW Tour in 2005. A finesse fishing specialist, he loves lakes that hold large numbers of smallmouth and cites lakes like Erie and Champlain as his favorite bodies of water to fish. Victor runs his own Ranger boat dealership - Vic's Sports Center - in his hometown of Kent, Ohio.