Fish Like Mike — is a former PE teacher and varsity hockey coach from Buffalo, New York who built a massive audience by doing what he genuinely loves: getting outside, learning the woods, and telling the story like a buddy would. He started fishing in high school with a cheap kayak and a GoPro duct-taped to a hockey stick… and years later, he made the big call to step away from a “safe” career to go all-in on content, travel, and the freedom to fish on a Tuesday when nobody’s around.

In this conversation, we get into the real stuff: the grind of teaching + coaching + building content on weekends, the moment he knew it was time to rip the band-aid off, why Instagram views don’t pay like people think, and why those “little creeks” in New York might be one of the most underrated fisheries in the country.

Some of the moments I found most meaningful in this conversation were:

How he built his entire audience with almost no “fancy” gear — just consistency, curiosity, and telling the truth on camera.

The mindset shift from “posting videos” to “building a business” — and why reputation matters more than follower count.

The possum video lesson: when your face is on camera and you teach like a friend, people stick around.

Great Lakes tributaries that can give you a 5-pound smallmouth and a 30-inch “steelhead” in the same day.

Leaving teaching wasn’t about money — it was about freedom, time, and not waiting until retirement to live the life.

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