“These have been the best three years of my life,” said Dylan Schmitt, referring to the time he’s spent helping out as a mate on his father’s Chesapeake Bay charter boat.
Dylan Schmitt, it bears noting, is 10 years old. His father is Bassmaster Elite Series champion Bryan Schmitt, a three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier.
The boat they work on together, not quite as equals, but certainly as trusted partners, is the Miss Ashleigh, named after Bryan’s wife, who is also Dylan’s mother.
Extending the family connection, the patriarch of the whole charter operation and the captain of the Loosen Up, is Frank Carver, Ashleigh’s father. If Dylan had gills and a swim bladder, no one would be surprised. This is the life he was born into.
It’s not an easy life, though. Despite the appearance that travel is glorious, even for the families who are together all of the time it can be tough. I’ve watched the Kennedy kids and the Lowen kids grow up on tour, and they’ve had incredible childhoods, but there are sacrifices too. For the kids who stay home while dad casts for cash around the country, there are different challenges. That’s especially true for those whose fathers have jobs when they get home and can’t spare the time to sit in recliners, coach Little League or otherwise compensate.
When Bryan Schmitt gets home from his latest derby, whether he wins or leaves disappointed, he’s often on the Miss Ashleigh the next day. He has legions of satisfied clients, but there are lots of early mornings, late nights and uses for foul weather gear. I got a firsthand peek into this part of his existence on a recent Sunday when my wife, Hanna, and I were invited by former Elite Series pro Kurt Dove to join his family on Schmitt’s boat.
Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. Schmitt has always been ultra-professional toward me, picking up his phone, returning calls, giving thoughtful, nuanced answers to my questions. He’s fished the Elites since 2020, and was a hammer in my home region long before that, but he’s also a quiet, workmanlike pro – speak softly and do your work with a flipping stick, that kind of guy.
But now that I’ve seen father and son working together, I’ve learned more about Bryan Schmitt, his legacy, his attitude and his future than I could have through a dozen or more interviews. Once again, for the record, Dylan spoke more in one day than I’ve heard Bryan speak in five years, but it wasn’t the mindless jibber jabber of your normal 10 year old, or even that of a high schooler. To be honest, he’s more articulate and passionate about the sport than at least half of the pros I’ve ever worked with. When I asked him whether he preferred chasing rockfish (Bay speak for striped bass) or largemouth, he didn’t opine about the fish themselves, but stressed that he liked working on the charter boat because he got to interact with a lot of people from all different walks of life.
Furthermore, he was able to explain fish behavior and locations clearly and concisely, with scientific accuracy and a touch of humor. When we caught a rare-for-this-time-of-year speckled trout early in the day, he proclaimed it to be “like winning the lottery.” When we added another to the fish box, he said we’d been “handed the keys to a mansion.” Someone onboard asked about the bait we were using, juvenile spot. “Those are like cake to everything that swims in the bay,” he answered.
But while Dylan talked, Bryan was fully aware of everything his son was doing. Business got taken care of first – the younger Schmitt knew when to change bait, when to retie leaders and how to keep the clients comfortable. He was a whirling dervish of motion, clearly trained flawlessly to understand there’s a lot at risk when facing the elements, and also when trying to please paying customers. The elder Schmitt never had to say a word. The lessons had been taught long ago — to the extent that “long” can define a 10 year old life.
I have no doubt that if Dylan Schmitt wants his captain’s license, or someday wants to join his father on the Elite Series, he will succeed. He could combine his father’s fishing skills and Gerald Swindle’s wit and put them both out of a job. Bryan Schmitt is only 43, so he has a lot of career runway in front of him, perhaps an Angler of the Year or Classic victory, but the thing he should be most proud of is his prowess as a father and husband. He’s getting things done every day, rain or shine, at home and away.
