Dan Swanson Dan Swanson is a professional walleye fisherman and guide residing in Fort Collins, Colorado. Aside from competing in tournaments across North America, Dan has returned to his roots as a multi-species angler, fly-fishing mountain rivers, guiding for walleye and bass on Horsetooth Reservoir, and chasing a variety of fish in the numerous lakes in northern Colorado and Wyoming.
Dan Swanson grew up fishing for the many species of warm and cool water fish on the lakes and rivers in Minnesota. When he moved to Colorado’s Front Range over 30 years ago, Dan took his experience with fly-fishing for panfish in the Midwest and applied it to fly-fishing for trout. But once he was introduced to the fantastic walleye fishing of the 80’s and 90’s in Horsetooth Reservoir he was hooked on pursuing those larger fish. This led to a passion for chasing large walleyes throughout the mountain region and eventually competitive walleye fishing. In addition to guiding for bass and walleye on Horsetooth Reservoir, Dan will be found chasing walleyes in Colorado, Wyoming and throughout the Midwest.
Dan has been fishing walleye tournaments since 1996 beginning in the Wyoming Walleye Circuit and the Colorado Walleye Association. He fished the first two Wal-Mart RCL Championships as an amateur, turning pro in 2002 and qualifying for the RCL Championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004. In 2004, Dan began fishing the In-Fisherman Professional Walleye Trail. As a rookie, Dan was one of only 52 qualifiers for the PWT Championship in Houghton, MI and was named PWT West Rookie of the year.
Dan has been featured on Mountain States Fishing with Terry Wickstrom, The Fishful Thinker with Chad LaChance, and is an occasional contributor to The Fan Outdoors radio show. He is a seminar speaker and has authored several articles for Colorado Fisherman. His seminars and articles are focused on fishing for walleyes and the use of electronics for finding fish.
There are several reasons why hiring a guide can be a good decision for eager anglers. Dan discusses the benefits of doing just that, what to look for, how to tip, and how to make sure you've got everything covered for your guided fishing trip.
In this article, Dan takes you through the ups and downs of fishing a PWT tournament including actual experiences , pertinent thoughts, mistakes, and everything in between from start to finish.
Trolling is more than just throwing some lines out and putting the boat into gear. Dan steps through the crankbait types, equipment, and methods for successful trolling.
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Busting through the woods for walleyes
