CRYSTAL RIVER - Key Persons
Captain Casey Russell is a USCG Licensed captain and holds his certification as an able bodied seamen. He is originally from Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina also known as the "Outer Banks", where he has dedicated his life to fishing, hunting and everything wildlife.
Casey has spent every minute that he could at the end of Avalon Fishing Pier, so much that It became his bus stop as a kid. Spending his childhood there allowed him to shadow some of the best fisherman in the world. Over time he evolved and mastered different techniques while learning multiple methods that would make him the versatile fisherman he is today. The pier and the surf of the Outer banks were his headquarters for fishing until he was able to drive.
Becoming a 1st mate at the age of 16, Casey found himself on the "square end" of his first charter boat. He loved every second of it. Early mornings to the late evenings, the job of a 1st mate in the Outer Banks never ends. While this job wasn't for everyone, it was where Casey thrived and from then on knew what he wanted as a career. Spending most of the year in the cockpit and coaching clients on how to catch fish of a lifetime was a dream come true. After spending a few seasons in the world of a mate, it was time to further his education in his passion of marine life.
Cape Fear Community College is the only school with a short drive from the ocean, so that is where he attended. An Associates in Applied Science of Marine Technology is the degree he earned. The curriculum offered a hands-on and biological approach to marine science. Traveling up and down the coast and as far reached as the Bahamas this program made Casey a more well-rounded individual.