Is Matt Zudweg an exceptionally talented traditional sign painter with a fishing problem or another obsessed fisherman working (in this case, painting and carving signs) to support his fishing habit? I am inclined to say that from the quality of his work it’s all the above.
Matt hails from Howard City, Michigan where he spreads his time between his sign painting business, guiding and his family. After spending some time at his website, Carvedfish.com looking at his work you can see he has a lot of genuine passion for his work.
On the fishing side of life Matt guides at Feenstra Guide Service on the Muskegon River, one of the arteries from the heart of Michigan’s fish factory, Lake Michigan. Migratory late season fishing includes Steelhead, Salmon and lake run Browns. Summer is trout and smallie time. Sounds tough Matt!
Matt's Smallmouth assassin, Super Kermit
Matt also has a couple sites dedicated his fishing pursuits, Bass-Flies.com that features some really nice bass patterns and Trout-Guide.com that showcase some trout and steelhead patterns. You can also find T-shirts, decals, and even a great looking suitcase style tackle box for the big fly collection.
Matt's Spider Hopper
You can find a couple of Matt’s pattern tutorials on YouTube or at the Trout-Guide site, here he’s tying the Chewbaca Streamer.
Nice work Matt! I don’t know why everyone gets all worked up over Montana fishing, it’s looks to me like Matt and his buds in the Great Lakes area are sitting on one of the best kept fishing secrets around.
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I too am a Michigan resident and love the fishing here. You can hit trout, smallmouth, pike, panfish, carp,walleye and a ton of other species all on one river if you drive from the headwaters to the point they empty to the great lakes. Nice article.
Wow, all those fish and one river, that sounds great. That would beat driving the several hours around here to hit that many at one at a time. I’d rather be exhausted from fishing than driving any day!
I’ve been one of Matt Zudweg’s biggest fans from the first time I visited his studio/work shop in 2005. The man is an extremely talented artist, and then comes out to Montana every year and out fishes me on my home waters! He’s one of those guys that doesn’t seem to be trying all that hard but is always catching fish. -Derek
Derek,
Don’t you just hate gettin’ pounded in your own house? Sounds like Matt is one of the fish whisperers, the guys that can throw a line in large mud puddle and find a fish in it. My youngest boy is the same way, it gets frustrating sometimes and of course they love it, but can’t understand what your problem is. They are “one” with the fish, the rest of us have to work it.
Matt graciously offered to take us out to chase Smallies if we ever get back that way and I hope to take him up on it. And he is very talented, that bass on the sign is amazing!
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