Testimonials

Here is what some of our past program participants have had to say about their experience!

Darin Ashcraft (parent) – Caleb does an excellent job mentoring and tutoring youth on how to promote awareness of fishing as a sport; to promote conservation and environmental protection; encourage the fellowship of fishing; and to introduce the sport of fishing and the love of the sport to Youth. He has been the boat captain for my son and his fishing partner when they competed in youth events for B.A.S.S. and the Indiana Bass Federation Youth tournament series. Caleb has volunteered his time for numerous other youth giving back to the organizations he fished in as a youth. When my job prevented me from traveling out of state for my son and partner’s tournaments, Caleb was a boat captain taking them to Alabama and Tennessee for 4 day tournaments. My wife questioned me if I trusted Caleb going that far to fish, I told her yes I totally trusted him with the bass boat. She said “with Beau, not the bass boat.,” I laughed and said “of course.” If someone wants their child to learn how to fish recreationally to get outdoors or to learn how to fish competitively in tournaments, I can think of no better boat captain than Caleb.

Micah Colbert (High School Angler) – I would like to thank Coach Taylor for the coaching he has have given me over the past year. As a result of his coaching, I have more confidence in myself and my ability to make decisions that will lead to success. Coach Taylor was always willing to invest his personal time into me.

Mike Dachenhaus (parent) – First of all, thank you for taking the time to invest in Caleb(Mike’s son).  I’m grateful that there are people like you who will come alongside our sons to not only teach them how to be a better angler but to impress upon them what it means to be a decent person. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and gain your perspective on tournament prep and execution. The boys will definitely be stronger for it, and I certainly learned some things as well!

Caleb Dachenhaus (angler) – It was really awesome having Caleb on the boat. Caleb had so much to bring to the table as a mentor and boat captain. We definitely learned some stuff that weekend and had a great time. Caleb is an awesome dude, and awesome mentor, and a good character to look up to. I look forward to fishing with him more!

Shawn Zellers (angler) – I have gone on many fishing trips with Caleb Taylor, and he is as good of a person as they come. We have traveled all around the United States together going to various events, and there is not a day that goes by where I can not recall almost the whole trip. Caleb is a great person to be around. Whenever we go fishing, I can say that there is never a dull moment. Even if the fishing is bad Caleb finds a way to brighten spirits and keep things going. Caleb is a very responsible adult. He makes sure that everything is taken care of and that we have everything we will need for the day. This might just be as simple as making sure that everyone has their life jackets on when the big motor is running to just making sure we have enough water, so we didn’t get dehydrated throughout the day.

Elise Abbott (angler) – Caleb Taylor is a great boat captain. He was knowledgeable, prepared with many snacks, great music, and lots of good advice and put me and my partner as number 1 priority while on the water. I really had a great time on Caleb’s boat.

Laura Caudill (angler) – Caleb was a great boat captain. Since he is younger than the other boat captains I came in contact with, he was easier to relate to. Most of the other boat captains also judged my fishing partner and I since we were girls. Caleb kept an open mind and did not base our skill on the stereotypes. He also showed my fishing partner and I new tricks and techniques. Overall, he was a great boat captain.

Tom Fagan (parent) – I have a son that is 13 years old and is super passionate about fishing and from what i know about Nick, he has been the same since he was a kid and he lives and breathes fishing. He helped my son a ton and can relate to any younger angler out there. Nick is a go getter and has a bundle of knowledge to share . The outings my son shared with him he had a blast and had tips and techniques to tell me that I couldn’t keep up with. No doubt my son gained fishing skills from spending time with Nick. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong having this young man pass on what he knows to anyone who is willing to learn and listen.

Owen Januszweski – My sophomore year I found Caleb Taylor on Instagram and learned about the program he was starting. After talking with him I decided if I wanted to become the best angler that I could be and fish in college then I needed to be part of the program. We started out doing seminars and tournaments with them and the amount of skills learned and experiences gained wer unbelievable. We quickly became much better anglers on and off the water. We got really into it, bought our own bass boats, and began moving up in the leaderboards. We went from barely knowing what we were doing and rarely catching a limit in tournaments to competing at a national level. Our last year of high school fishing we finished tied for second in the anglers of the year race, had multiple top 10 finishes, and competed in the National Championship. Shortly after we both committed to one of the college best bass teams in the state, Adrian College. Without a doubt we would be nowhere near where we are today without NWAI and we are grateful for that every day as fishing has become the number one thing in our lives and we travel the country fishing tournaments. The amount of skills on and off the water that we learned throughout the program is mind blowing.

Mathias Dahline – I was a usual kid in high school who participated in sports but was always fascinated by the sport of bass fishing. Having parents with little to no knowledge about bass fishing, made it very difficult for me to learn new information about all aspects of this sport. NWAI really refined my skills as an angler, boat owner, and angler captain. There are a lot of things that can go wrong while out on the water competing, and being able to overcome adversity in those moments is a crucial skill to have. The guys at NWAI do a phenomenal job of teaching those types of important skills. NWAI has changed my life and given me many opportunities that I would have never thought possible.