Mike Schultz (known as “Schultzy” to most) is the Owner of Schultz Outfitters Fly Shop & Guide Service specializing in Southern Michigan angling, instruction, and destination travel. Born and raised in the State of Michigan, Schultzy has been immersed in the outdoors from an early age. After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Business Administration, he started guiding and working in the fly-fishing industry full-time. Logging countless hours on the water each year, Schultzy has developed a vast knowledge of Midwestern waters and beyond. The bulk of his guiding and angling takes place on his home waters of Southern Michigan; These Rivers offer world class warm-water fishing. His angling travels have taken him from Patagonia to Russia and many places in between. Over the years with the help of the Huron River Watershed Council, he founded the Huron River Single Fly as well as the Huckin’ for the Huron. Both are annual fundraiser that takes place on his home waters of the Huron River; Michigan’s Blue-Ribbon Smallmouth stream. Simms Fishing Products Pro Team, YETI, G Loomis, Airflo, and Nautilus Ambassador programs and is a member of the Costa, Clackacraft and Regal Pro Staff. His signature flies are available through Fulling Mill and Rainys. He currently resides in Dexter, Michigan on the banks of The Huron River with his wife, Allie and sons, Tanner and Dylan.

Avid outdoorsman from Girard, Pennsylvania. Greg has dedicated the past 25 years honing his fly fishing and tying techniques while fishing and guiding tributaries most anglers today call Steelhead Alley. He is the founder and former owner of Steelhead Alley Outfitters, which is an all inclusive educational fly-fishing guide service focusing on Steelhead and the tributaries of Lake Erie. Greg was a long-time contract tier for the Orvis Company, winning their prestigious fly tier of the year award in 2008, and has worked with Hareline Dubbin and numerous other companies on innovative fly-tying materials, tools, and components. Many of Greg’s articles, fly patterns, materials, and services have been featured in several leading national fly-fishing publications, television shows, and various media outlets. His patterns and techniques have been instrumental in the evolution of Great Lakes fly design. Many of these patterns can be found thru Aqua Flies and Fulling Mill today. Greg’s First book Titled “Fusion Fly Tying” Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout Flies of the Synthetic Era was released in September 2015, and was awarded Best New Fly Tying Book at ITDF/iCast 2016. Currently Greg resides in Michigan with his wife and two sons. You can find him at Schultz Outfitters where he is a part of the daily shop operations.

Corey “Sleddy” joined the team early in 2013 and has been extensively involved and instrumental in the growth of the shop. Home grown just a stone’s throw from Lake St Clair, Corey was able to dedicate much of his youth to the pursuit of local warm water species. Over the decade he has logged thousands of hours on the water, where he has been able to learn and increase his skill sets as both a fly and conventional angler. Corey is responsible for most of our product ordering which has allowed him to build a vast knowledge of the products we sell and recommend. He spends many hours per week dedicated to his fly-tying vise and to his rod/reel on the water, this is reflected in his ability to help teach and instruct others looking to learn and improve their own skill sets. Corey thrives on being able to teach and help our customers in their angling pursuits! His travels have taken him to many destination locations including Alaska, Montana, Wisconsin, and the Florida Keys. Corey enjoys all forms of angling along with his family, music, food, photography, hiking, and camping.

James started guiding for Schultz Outfitters in 2013. Fresh out of college, he leaned into what had always been a dream of his and never looked back. In his time at SO he has also worked in the fly shop and helped with lessons at larger shop events. James is now Head Guide at Schultz Outfitters, and guides year around in Michigan. He focuses on warmwater species from March to October and switches gears to steelhead November to February. James feels most at home in the boat and covers seven different watersheds throughout the course of a year. Growing up in southern Michigan, James started fishing for warm water species with both conventional and fly tackle from the start. He spent as many days as possible fishing along the river that ran through his hometown, and it was there that he began to build his passion for being on the water. That passion remains today, taking only a handful of days off the water during bass season. James takes a patient and methodical approach to angling and guiding, paying close attention to the conditions, and applying the best angling method based on those conditions. James enjoys guiding anglers of all skill levels and catering instruction to the needs of the individual. To be able to help an angler advance their skill and find success along the way is what drives him above all else.

Nick was born and raised in Ohio with a fishing rod in his hands. He joined Schultz Outfitters because he shares a passion for fly fishing, the outdoors, and has a fantastic track record for producing solid video content. His resume includes stints with independent video production houses, film school, comedy sketch writing, and generally wandering about the world capturing compelling moments through the viewfinder. He grew up bass fishing farm ponds in rural Ohio, and at a very young age found a passion for capturing the outdoors on video. Soon after finding a fly rod in his dad’s garage, Nick honed his skills on small stream smallmouth. Spending countless hours driving back roads and searching for new water. This habitual wondering and passion for both fly fishing and photography lead him to Alaska and North Carolina were he guided a few seasons. Nick’s demeanor on the boat and his passion for smallmouth fishing make for an awesome day on the water. Watching an angler learn and excel throughout the day or days is what drives him the most in his guiding. Nick lives in Mason, MI with his wife, Ashley and their dog, Wes.

The Chicago native turned Michigander Jake is no stranger to the SO Crew. In the spring of 2022 became a welcome addition to the SO Guide Staff and will be focusing on his home waters of Western Michigan. As a well-traveled and diverse angler Jake‘s location gives us a perfect opportunity to expand our pursuit of smallmouth bass across the state. If you’re looking for a change of pace and new water to explore, here is your opportunity to experience what the west side has to offer

Born and raised in Michigan, the outdoors has always been a giant part of Jesse’s life. From fishing off the docks of Ford Lake right up the road from the shop to fishing the lakes up north with his family during the summer and watching Bill Dance on Saturday mornings instead of cartoons. The outdoors has always been a giant influence. Jesse mainly fished with conventional tackle before starting at the shop and now he loves chasing anything that swims with any technique that can be used but with fly fishing being his absolute favorite. Warm water species would be his main pick with Smallmouth bass being at the top of the list. Fly tying and being able to dial in the flys used is also one of his favorite parts about fishing on the fly. When you visit Schultz Outfitters or give the shop a ring on the fly side it is likely you will speak with Jesse. his favorite things to do in the shop is to get customers fitted into the new gear they are looking for whether it is a new rod & reel, a new pair of waders, or an upgraded tying vice. When not on the water or in the shop Jesse can be found chasing waterfowl and turkeys or tying flies. He resides in Belleville MI, with his wife Ashley, son Judah, and yellow lab Katie.

Growing up in Michigan his whole life Matt Spranger always had a passion for the outdoors and the industry around it specifically the fishing and most of everything that goes into it. As a young child fishing consumed him and he would take every opportunity to get out along the banks of my high school pond, inland lakes, and rivers as long as it involved fishing of some sort his interest was always present. As a “younger” kid he grew up playing hockey and baseball and has always been competitive. At age 11 he started to follow the Bass Masters and realized that people competed in fishing tournaments and made a living doing it. Fast forward to 2015 going into his sophomore year of high school when he and a group of kids got together with the help of a teacher at their school who was also an avid tournament bass fisherman/guide. They started a high school fishing team in which they competed in pairs all over the state against other high school teams. Angling became more of an obsession as he grew older. He enjoys sharing his knowledge and teaching the skillsets he has learned from many years spent on the water. You can usually find Matt in his Bass cat exploring our local inland lakes and rivers on his days off. Outside of working at the shop and fishing he also enjoys hunting, and hanging out with friends and family.

Jason Cyrbok is one of Schutz Outfitters’s dedicated shop staff. He assists with bar flies, assists at special events, works in the shop, and has helped with various remodeling projects over the years. Jason has been fly fishing for 25 years. He enjoys the time outside fishing as well as the time spent crafting new flies and planning his next excursion. Fly fishing has truly been a reprieve for him. Prior to working primarily for Schultz Outfitters he spent 27 years in law enforcement for the CIty of Ypsilanti Police Department, retiring as a lieutenant. When Jason is not working at the shop, fishing, or tying flies he enjoys spending time with his family. He has a lovely wife and two wonderful daughters he is proud of.

Jay has been with Schultz Outfitters since 2012 as the shop’s lead fly fishing and casting instructor. He is a Certified Casting Instructor through Fly Fishers International since 2013. Jay has been teaching fly fishing since 2002, and while attending graduate school, he landed his first job in a fly shop at the Chicago Orvis store. After three years in the Windy City, he returned to his home state of Pennsylvania and became a guide for Rivers Outdoor Adventures in 2005, where he hosted trips on the Lehigh and Susquehanna Rivers and in the Cumberland and Lehigh valleys. Over the years, Jay has taught fly fishing schools for community colleges, specialty events, The Mayfly Project, through shops and privately. He has taught in guide schools and has guided on nearly 30 different bodies of water across three states. Growing up in Pennsylvania, Jay was surrounded by limestone streams, spring creeks, and even abandoned coal mining ponds, which were rich with cold water and a variety of fish species. He chased warm water species in the big water, and trout and steelhead in small streams using all tackle, learning to be an angler first. In his teens, Jay fell in love with fly fishing and spent too many years on his own trying to master the skills of fly casting, fumbling to execute casts and set up rigs properly. This paved the way for his desire to transfer his acquired knowledge over to the novice. His love for taking fish using any tackle is only superseded by his desire to share his knowledge and passion. Be it in the “fishing classroom” or behind the oars, Jay takes pride in delivering an enjoyable and educational experience for all anglers. So whether you are looking to just get started in fly fishing, improve your double haul or work on destination-specific techniques, Jay is there to support. Currently, Jay resides in Whitmore Lake, MI with his wife, Erica, and children, Graham and Claire.

Raised in the era of Hippy Love, Magical Mystery tours and personal enlightenment of the 1960’s in Ann Arbor Michigan, John knew at an early age he was born to be wild! After a 25 year career in the seafood restaurant business he became the Marketing Director of Dardevle by Eppinger, makers of the world famous Dardevle spoons and has been there for the past 24 years. Fly fishing, and traditional bow hunting are the corner stones of john’s outdoor adventures. An avid fly fisherman and outdoorsman for over 60 years he is both an accomplished fly fisherman, and conventional angler using both in his quest for adventure in the North Country while traveling extensively throughout Northern Canada, the Arctic, and Alaska. He also holds numerous fly fishing and conventional tackle catch and release line class world records. John is a member of Schultz Outfitter’s fly-fishing instructor team, as well as a certified fly-fishing instructor with the Michigan Trout Unlimited fly-fishing school (TUFFS). He is also an award-winning outdoor writer, and a regular contributor to several regional and national magazines. Introducing newcomers to the fly-fishing community and sharing the passion, wisdom and wonder of the journey through his instruction and writing are the benchmarks of his philosophy as a mentor of the sporting life. When not hunting or fly fishing he stays in shape by competing in triathlons.

Growing up in Byron, Michigan, with the Shiawassee River practically in my backyard, I’ve been fishing for as long as I can remember. My early days were spent on local lakes with my dad, but it wasn’t long before stepping into a river for the first time sparked a lifelong passion—especially for smallmouth bass. My journey into fly fishing began in my grandpa’s garage, where a dusty old Martin fly rod caught my attention. With guidance from both my dad and grandpa, I learned the art of fly fishing on the Au Sable River chasing trout, before turning my curiosity back toward river smallmouth. Through middle and high school, bass remained my main focus, chasing both largemouth and smallmouth mostly on gear, but always keeping a fly rod close at hand. Once I got my driver’s license, I began exploring the many river systems we’re fortunate to have in the area, and my knowledge grew significantly. Today, smallmouth still take center stage chasing them year-round if possible, though in the late fall and winter months, you’ll often find me swinging flies for steelhead. For me, being on the water is about more than just the fish—it’s about being immersed in nature, observing a river’s constant changes, and sharing laughs with friends and family. The fish are simply a bonus. I love teaching and talking about fishing, and my goal is always for anglers to leave the water knowing more than they did at the beginning of the day—while having fun along the way. Away from the water, I enjoy golfing, watching sports, and spending time with friends and family. My competitive drive, shaped by years of athletics, continues to fuel my angling. Every day on the river is a chance not only to find success but also to learn something new.