Doug started fishing Lake Oconee in 1990, and at the urging of many friends he started
guiding in 1999. Originally from Albany, Georgia, he spent the early part of his teen years
fishing in the many farm ponds found in South Georgia. Doug has caught several
largemouth bass over 10 pounds but it wasn’t until 1990 that he caught his first striped
bass. Stopping for lunch at a local restaurant back in 1990 he met a man named Bill Evans
, the owner of Conyers Seafood, who proceeded to tell Doug about the huge hybrid and
striped bass in Lake Oconee. Bill then took him to the back of the store where he showed
his catch from the day before, and Doug was hooked! From that initial meeting Doug
would go by and sit for hours with Bill and listen as he would share his knowledge on
catching huge line sides! Sadly Mr.Evans passed away a few years ago, but he left behind a
wealth of fishing knowledge that many anglers hold dear today. Just as Bill took time to
explain to Doug the "secrets" of catching these great fish, Doug enjoys taking people
fishing and teaching the same principles he learned from Mr. Evans, with a few pointers of
his own.

Doug has guided on Lake Lanier and Clark Hill, but his first love is Lake Oconee. Doug fishes out of a 2003 Ranger 2300 Bay Series boat. It is powered by a Yamaha 225F Four Stroke. Doug uses all the latest in electronics such as Lowrance LCX 111HD with GPS, Minn-Kota Remote operated Trolling Motor, Shimano and G-Loomis fishing gear. His boat has plenty of room and contains an 85 gallon bait well, 35 gallon aerated live well and tons of storage for gear and supplies. He fishes live bait just about exclusively, and you will see him early in the morning throwing his net, filling the bait tank for the days’ trip.

Doug's customers have boated many stripers over the 20 pound mark and the largest Lake Oconee Hybrid Bass to date is 12 pounds 10 ounces, just missing the lake record by a little over 2 pounds. Doug has been featured in many articles and magazines including Georgia Outdoor News and Georgia Sportsman, and he currently provides fishing reports for the lake for Eangler and Cyberangler.

Doug also loves to catch crappie, and starting in November through March he finds time outside of guided trips to chase the huge slabs on Oconee, just for fun. Doug has been married to his wife, Newana, since 1981. They have four children and have lived on Lake Oconee for the past seven years.