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Biography
of a Professional Angler and Educator
 Most
notable fishing experts are stereotyped by species. You've got bass
guys, walleye guys, muskie guys, and even panfish guys. Tommy Skarlis
breaks the mold… He's a touring walleye professional who enjoys
hooking crappies through the ice as much as walleyes on a raging river.
And Tommy possesses an acute ability to share this multi-species
knowledge with others.
Iowa native, Tommy Skarlis' first fishing memory was hooking a farm
country bluegill under the watchful eye of his mom. Tommy continued
honing his fishing skills on the Mississippi River and its backwaters,
small lakes, countless ponds, and expansive reservoirs.
Tommy's knack for stalking walleyes was turned into a tournament-fishing
career, which took roots in 1991. From 1993 to 1998 he fished the
Masters Walleye Circuit (MWC), and along the way earned Team of the
Year, Team of the Year Runner-up, and Big Stone Lake Champion titles, as
well as qualifying for the MWC Championship every year.
In 1996 Tommy joined In-Fisherman's Professional Walleye Trail (PWT),
where he's already snatched five top ten finishes, won several Big Fish
Awards, and qualified for the PWT Championship five straight years.
Tommy has authored and contributed to articles that have appeared in
North American Fisherman, In-Fisherman, Walleye Insider, Midwest
Outdoors, Fishing Facts, Iowa Sportsman, Fish & Game Finder, and
Outdoor News. As well, his fishing expertise has been tapped by the
Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Daily Herald, Des Moines
Register, Minneapolis Star & Tribune, Saginaw News, and Canada's Out
of Doors Magazine, to name a few.
Tommy Skarlis' television exposure includes spots on Midwest Outdoors,
North American Fisherman, and In-Fisherman's television coverage of the
PWT.
His voice has been heard on KFAN's Fan Outdoors (Mpls./St. Paul) and
Bear Facts & Fish Tales (am 1500 KSTP), a syndicated outdoors show
based in the Twin Cities, in addition to Mike Jackson Outdoors
(Chicago), KFYR in Bismarck, ND and KYCK in Grand Forks, ND.
Tommy and outdoor personality Chip Leer recently teamed up to emcee the
2000 Minnesota Pro-Am Bass Tour (formerly Silverado) and host the
affiliated show which airs on Midwest Sports Channel. Their on-stage
charisma and playfully combative chemistry has drawn a lot of attention
in bass fishing circles!
Tommy's latest and greatest work is again with counterpart Chip Leer.
Together they've created On Ice Tour, which is an intensive effort
directed at expanding the sport of ice fishing. Chip and Tommy, ice
fishing's Dynamic Duo, offer public seminars and kid's clinics; appear
at in-store events; exhibit at sport shows and ice fishing competitions;
broadcast a weekly radio show and conduct hands-on product
demonstrations. On Ice Tour publishes an annual ice fishing magazine (On
Ice), and they can be found on the Internet at http://www.onicetour.com
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