About Me

Hi! My name is Ilan. I grew up in Mexico City, but spent my summers in Veracruz, Mexico. As a kid, I was always very interested in watching fishermen cast their hand lines from shore and frequently investigated their catches. After a while, I decided I had to learn how to do it myself too. I was taught how to fish using fishing line wrapped around a plastic Coca-Cola bottle and later a cast net which was about as big as me at the time. 

At the age of 9, my family and I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. For some reason, I believed there were no fish in the United States and only fished during the summers in Mexico for some time.

One day, a friend of mine invited me fishing at a lake near my house. I remember laughing with my dad because we were sure my friend and I would catch nothing. That night, I came back home smiling ear to ear, having caught half a dozen largemouth bass. At that moment, I realized something — there are fish in the US! This may seem like an obvious statement to you, but for me it was huge. I spent the next few years fishing as often as possible, in freshwater and salt. After I got my driver license, NorCal was my oyster. I was free to explore everywhere I wanted. I continued to fish almost obsessively, waking up at ungodly hours in search of new spots.

After I graduated high school, the COVID pandemic took over the world, and I decided to take a gap year before going to college. Cities were closed, and I could not see friends due to quarantine restrictions, so I naturally spent much more time fishing alone. I decided that for the entire year leading up to college, I would dedicate myself to documenting my fishing adventures and uploading them to YouTube, with the dream of 30 year old future me getting to see a younger me navigate the challenges and adventures surrounding solo fishing. What ensued was the most interesting, fun, and difficult project of my life. 

And here I am, more than 3 years later, finding myself more interested in nature and fishing than ever. Using fishing as a vehicle to immerse myself in nature has led me to deepen my connection to the natural world in incredible ways, and I have no plan to stop anytime soon.