Experts and Professional Advisor Bios
Fishing Guides
Kyler Beckmann
Kyler Beckmann is originally from Stover, MO and is no stranger to fishing. His dad got him started early and he's been an avid angler his whole life. He won his first tournament in a kid's competition when he was 8 years old. Growing up, Kyler spent the majority of his fishing days on Lake of the Ozarks, where he really learned the process of crappie and bass fishing. In 2018, he and his dad really started taking tournament fishing seriously. Their efforts paid off quickly with a 3rd place finish in the Crappie Masters National Championship that year. Kyler...
Brock Reinkemeyer
Brock Reinkemeyer is an accomplished bass tournament angler and now a fishing guide on Truman Lake. In 2019, he and Brad Jelinek were Bassmaster team champions. Brock missed going to the Bassmaster Classic that year by only 4 oz. He also was Angler of the Year in the BassingBob winter series in 2020, winning 2 out of the 4 events on Lake of the Ozarks. He's also won a Joe Bass Team Trail event on Pomme de Terre, Stockton, and Truman. Additionally, he has finished 4th in a Toyota Series on Lake of the Ozarks and 3rd in a BFL...
Brad Jelinek
Brad Jelinek is a young up and comer, but is already making big waves in fishing tournaments on Truman Lake and beyond. He grew up in the area and has been fishing the lake his whole life. You will consistently see his name at the top of the leaderboard of many bass tournaments. Many times, it's at the very top. Brad knows how to catch the bass as good as anyone so you can bet the tips and tricks you hear from him on Truman Lake Fishing Intel will be spot on. His family also has a fishing business, called...
Cody Vannattan
Cody Vannattan is a Warsaw, MO staple. He runs Cody's Guide Service out of Warsaw, MO, giving his clients the opportunity to fish Truman Lake or the upper Ozarks. Many folks will tell you he is the catfish king around here, regularly filling limits and finding the big ones too! Cody is also known for putting his clients on the hybrids, as well as big spoonbill in the spring during snagging season. In addition to his guide service, his wife runs Cody's Bait Shop right off 7 Hwy while he's on the water. They keep everything you need in stock,...
Richard Bowling
Richard Bowling has chased his passion for fishing for a long time. Originally from the Table Rock Area, Richard cut his teeth targeting crappie and bass on the clean waters of Table Rock Lake. Eventually, he moved to the Truman area in the early 90s. He began guiding shortly after out of Bucksaw Marina. About 9 years ago, he went out on his own full time and does over 300 trips a year. Richard's specialty is crappie, but he also does catfish and white bass trips as well. His boat is equipped with Garmin Livescope so when you fish with...
Jim Cuda
Jim Cuda, who is originally from Odessa, MO, is the owner of Hybrid Mania Guide Service on Truman Lake. Like many of our other experts at Truman Lake Fishing Intel, he has years of experience on the lake. Jim has been fishing Truman since the mid-80s, and guiding for the last 20 years. His specialty is hybrid striped bass. There are a variety of ways to target hybrids on Truman, but Jim focuses on live bait ranging from shad to bluegill. In addition to hybrids, Jim also offers some crappie trips throughout the year, but prefers to target the hybrids....
Steve Blake
Steve Blake has been a staple around Truman Lake for years and is quite possibly the longest tenured fishing guide on the lake. As a result, he knows how to catch the fish and routinely targets, crappie, white bass, hybrids, and largemouth. Although from St. Louis, Steve grew up around the lake visiting multiple family members who lived in the area. Throughout those many visits, his love of hunting and fishing in the area only grew deeper. Unlike many others, Steve was familiar with the area before it was constructed into the reservoir that it is today. Having that kind...
Jordan Leer
Jordan Leer grew up on the farm just a little ways southeast of Truman Lake. He was a bit of a late bloomer getting on Truman, fishing it for the first time in his late teens, but he's been an avid angler ever since he could walk. He started fishing below the dam and gradually worked his way up to buying a boat. In 2019, Jordan began taking his first guide trips on the lake. He had spent several years learning the lake on his own and with others who are experienced on the lake. Now, he is on the...
Chet Douthit
When it comes to bass fishing, Chet Douthit knows a thing or two. He has competed at the professional level for a long time, qualifying for his first Bassmaster Classic in 1980. That's when people started calling to book him for trips on Truman Lake. Throughout his career, he went on to compete in the Bassmaster Classic eight times. When Truman was first built, Chet was the first guide on the lake. He guided here for 10 years and remembers that time being exceptional. "I wouldn’t have traded it for any other lake in the U.S." Eventually, he began trading...
Jeff Faulkenberry
Jeff Faulkenberry is a family man who grew up with Truman Lake and the surrounding area. His love of fishing came from his dad and grandad beginning in the early 80s. Amazingly, Jeff began guiding on the lake when he was 17 years old. Eventually, he started guiding out of Bucksaw Marina and then went out on his own full time. When folks look up anything fishing related on Truman Lake, they are bound to come across Jeff Faulkenberry. He has built a reputation as an outstanding professional on and off the water and is considered a top guide for...
Hunter Bowling
Hunter Bowling has grown up fishing Truman Lake learning from one of the best, his dad, Richard Bowling. He's a chip off the old block as the saying goes and knows how to hammer bass and crappie all over Truman. In addition to assisting his dad with guide trips, Hunter fishes competitively on Truman in both crappie and bass tournaments. Truman Lake Fishing Intel is very proud to have this up and comer contributing reports for the TLFI membership! Get a hold of a trip with Hunter through Richard Bowling's Guide Service - 660.351.5361
Dillon Stocking
After fishing on Truman since before he could walk and spending the last few years fishing lakes all over the country with the best crappie anglers in the world, Dillon decided to start his own guide service on Truman Lake. He has spent countless hours learning and perfecting techniques, skills, tips, methods, patterns, weather, and much more from the best of the best. And now he’s putting all of the information to use on his home lake, to teach others the skill of crappie fishing. Dillon knows how to put fish in the boat and loves teaching others to do the...
Bob Bates
Bob Bates has been fishing Truman Lake since 1985. When he retired, he moved to the lake full time and began fishing daily. Pretty soon, the marina told him he really should be guiding if he's going to be out everyday, so that's what he did! Bob specializes in targeting crappie, white bass, and wipers. You can find him at his website to look at availability and learn more about the trips he offers! http://trumanlakeguide.com/
Jack Vanderpool
Jack Vanderpool, The Wiper Sniper Guide Service, has been ate up with fishing since he was a kid. His dad fostered the love of fishing, which ultimately led to him becoming a guide. Jack learned how to fish for wipers (hybrid striped bass) on Truman Lake from Ron Cummins, who guided on the lake as well before he passed. Jack has been guiding for years and knows exactly where to find the wipers and how to catch them. "Several things have to come together to catch large fish in numbers, but the one thing that I know from experience and...
Professional Tournament Anglers
Brock Reinkemeyer
Brock Reinkemeyer is an accomplished bass tournament angler and now a fishing guide on Truman Lake. In 2019, he and Brad Jelinek were Bassmaster team champions. Brock missed going to the Bassmaster Classic that year by only 4 oz. He also was Angler of the Year in the BassingBob winter series in 2020, winning 2 out of the 4 events on Lake of the Ozarks. He's also won a Joe Bass Team Trail event on Pomme de Terre, Stockton, and Truman. Additionally, he has finished 4th in a Toyota Series on Lake of the Ozarks and 3rd in a BFL...
Darin Lankford
We are proud to have long-time, accomplished crappie and bass tournament angler, Darin Lankford, as a contributor to Truman Lake Fishing Intel. Darin is born and raised in the Chilhowee/Clinton area and first started fishing Truman before it was even a lake. He grew up fishing the river for catfish with his grandpa and has kept close to his roots, raising 4 children, 3 boys and a girl in the area. He first got into tournament fishing with Doug Schilling in 2001 and it has grown from there. He's won many tournaments on Truman and beyond. In 2012, he began...
Brad Jelinek
Brad Jelinek is a young up and comer, but is already making big waves in fishing tournaments on Truman Lake and beyond. He grew up in the area and has been fishing the lake his whole life. You will consistently see his name at the top of the leaderboard of many bass tournaments. Many times, it's at the very top. Brad knows how to catch the bass as good as anyone so you can bet the tips and tricks you hear from him on Truman Lake Fishing Intel will be spot on. His family also has a fishing business, called...
David McCormick
My passion for fishing started as a young boy riding my bike to local ponds. During my teens and twenties, fishing took a back seat to hunting until 1993. In 1993, I joined a bass club and the rest is history. My fishing journey led me to join several bass clubs where I participated in club tournaments and then Red Man Trail, Heartland ProAM, Everstart/Stren Series, FLW Series and Bassmaster Open Tournaments to date. My first big win came in December 2000 at the Inaugural Super Bass ProAM. That win sealed the deal, and paid for my wife's engagement ring....
David Ryan
David Ryan was 19 when he entered his first bass tournament on Truman Lake. He was going to college on a basketball scholarship when he decided to change course and pursue a fishing career. He made things work by doing odd jobs and fished as much as possible. In his career, he fished the Red Man Trail, Central Pro Am, and BASS invitationals. Throughout that time, Truman has been close to his heart. He has seen the lake go up and down with bass population and knows every corner of the lake like the back of his hand. In addition...