You never know where life will take you!

My fly fishing journey has been one hell of a roller coaster to say the least. When I started fulltime guiding it was always difficult to figure out do I rather spend longer time on one specific destination and really get to know it well or do I try and move around to see as many different destinations as possible. Well I honestly think a big part of fly fishing is the places that you get too see and experience, it takes you to the most remote and beautiful corners of this planet.

I was very fortunate to have really kicked of my guiding career on a very remote atoll called St Brandons atoll. Situated 245 Nautical miles NE of Mauritius. Known for freakishly big bonefish, healthy numbers of Permit and monstrous size GT’s.  After three seasons on St Brandons I managed to get another pretty sweet gig in the Russian Far East, an area better known as Kamchatka. If that name doesn’t ring a bell then you have net been exposed to some of the best Rainbow trout fishing on this planet. I have not seen Alaska first hand, but all my guests over the past couple of years have said the same thing and that is: “Kamchatka is like Alaska 100 years ago”.

The passion has always been the fuel to any of my adventurous trips. Often not even thinking twice about any risk involved, but completely blinded by the potential fish that might wait on the other side. I soon also realized the amount of special people you meet along the way.

It was during my last week guiding St Brandons when Oliver White was part of an eight-man team. The fishing wasn’t particularly great that week, but the company was fantastic. Long story short, Oliver told me about his lodge that he is part owner of in the Bahamas, Abaco Lodge. The name definitely rang a bell and I had to go check it out online. We had many conversations on the different avenues one can pursue in the Flyfishing industry and I definitely listened with intent.

In my following season in Kamchatka, Oliver once again came over and we had another chance to fish together and share some good stories. This, on the other hand, was probably one of the best fishing weeks I have ever witnessed.

Well long story short, today I am sitting next to the pool waiting for the guests to come back from their day out on the water. Today I am happy to be managing Abaco Lodge together with my girlfriend, Lindi. The Lodge that Oliver had told me about four years ago.

Abaco Lodge is the only fly-fishing operation tucked inside Great Abaco Island’s renowned Marls region—a pristine swath of unpressured flats that are home to one of the greatest populations of bonefish in the Bahamas.
Ten to thirty fish days are not uncommon, with 200 square miles of prime habitat awaiting anglers. Our convenient and comfortable Marls-side headquarters also means no trailering, no fuel stops, and more time fishing.

And man, oh man, a journey it has been, a learning curve of epic proportions. I thought as a guide there were many things out of your control, but managing a lodge took that to a whole different level.

I am so fortunate to be running a very professional operation such as Abaco Lodge, with some of the friendliest staff I have ever come across.  Every now and then I even find a little time to sneak out on a boat and go explore.

Memories from Christian’s childhood are vague, but one thing that he really remembers as if it had happened yesterday, is the day he caught his first trout on fly at the age of six. Since that day fly fishing has been everything to him. He knew for certain that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Since that day he has been a full time fly fishing guide for the past 6 years guiding mainly in Africa, Seychelles and Russia. He has competed in 7 World Fly fishing tournaments and has recently joined The Fly Shop as a travel ambassador while calling Abaco Lodge in the Bahamas home. For more, check out Christian on Instagram!