Jim is a lifelong fisherman and conservationist who has always marveled at and lived close to the natural world. Retired and living in Montana, he has had various careers, including college professor, rancher, big game guide, mountaineering guide, and firearms consultant. He began his steelhead career on the northern Oregon coast in the early 1980s and fished many of the formerly iconic rivers of the Pacific Northwest.

A frequent participant in the Kamchatka Steelhead Project, he is dedicated to preserving the remaining wild populations and is committed to the goals and mission of The Conservation Angler.