About

The Beginning

I was born in Washington, DC and grew up on the banks of the Potomac River in a town called Oxon Hill, MD. One of the first places I ever fished was Mattawoman Creek, a tributary to the Potomac. My Dad and Brother would make many trips to the banks of the Creek in the early spring to capitalize on the yellow perch run. I had no idea that years later I would return to the Potomac River to compete in Professional Bass tournaments.

Family

My family moved to southern New Jersey when I was eleven and this is where I make my home today. I also met my lovely wife Shelley here and we were married in 2006. In 2009 Shelley and I brought Jake Peter Gluszek into the world. Little Jake has brought so much joy to our entire family. Incredible life changing experience!

Jake is one and is full of energy and enthusiasm all the time. He is a huge part of my life and I am enjoying every minute we spend together. As soon as he was born I got him his first fishing rod. It’s a Sponge Bog Square pants signature series. We practice with it at my local pond all the time. I’m planning our first family fishing trip this summer. Shelley and I can’t wait to get him out on the water. I wonder if he’s going to love it as much as his dad does.

Things I love to do

I love striper fishing! I live near the Upper Chesapeake Bay and spend a lot of my free time chasing them. The Chesapeake is the largest freshwater estuary in the world and the majority of the stripers on the east coast migrate into the Chesapeake every year to spawn.

I am also a huge sports fanatic! I’m a diehard Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles fan. How about those PHILLIES! 2008 World Champions. They have put together the greatest pitching rotation in the history of baseball for the 2011 season. The Eagles continue to play exciting football. Win or lose I’ll be watching all the games.

I graduated from Rutgers University and also enjoy watching the Rutgers Football team. Rutgers didn’t have such a great record when I went to school there. However, since Coach Greg Schiano took the helm, Rutgers has become a force to be reckoned with! Keep it going coach.

Tennis is a game I love to play and I also love to watch all the majors.

Career Highlights:

  • Champion – FLW Outdoors Stren Series (Hudson River) 2007
  • Champion – FLW Outdoors Stren Series (Lake Champlain) 2006
  • Champion – Bassmaster Alabama Invitational (Lake Martin) 1999

Professional Tournament Honors:

  • FLW Stren Series Record – Largest Margin of Victory – Hudson R. 17#13oz.
  • FLW Stren Series Northern Division – Leading Money Winner
  • FLW Stren Series Northern Division – Most Tournament Wins
  • FLW Outdoors Stren Series Championship Qualifier 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

  • Bassmaster Tour and/or FLW Tour and Series Contender 1997-Present
  • Bassmaster Opens Points Champion 2004
  • Two Time Bassmaster Classic Qualifier
  • FLW Championship Qualifier
  • Career Winnings – $550,000

How I got Started

I competed in wrestling, running and tennis in high school and college. I used to bass fish every chance I got in between all my other sports commitments. I was in the dark about tournament bass fishing. I didn’t know the sport even existed until I was a sophomore in college. I couldn’t believe there was such a thing as bass tournaments and my fishing career was launched almost immediately. I joined my first bass club – Garden State Bassmasters in 1988 and started competing in state wide tournaments. After spending several years learning and developing my game, I qualified for the Bassmaster Top 100. So in 1997, I took a leave of absence from my Engineering career and took the plunge into professional fishing. It’s been fourteen years and I am still amazed that I am able to make professional bass fishing my career.

Stories from the trail

The second major fishing tournament I ever fished took place on the Potomac River in Maryland. I was very excited about this tournament for a couple of reasons. My 1st major tournament was on the 1000 islands in NY. I finished a dismal 152nd place out of a field of 300, right in the middle of the pack. I was very disappointed and I couldn’t wait for the Potomac River, which was the next tournament on the schedule for the invitationals that year.

I had fished the Potomac for many years and I was really looking forward to taking a shot at this event. After the first day I found myself right in the mix sitting in about 15th place. Day two I raised my game and moved up in the top ten. I was so excited I could hardly sleep the night before the last day. The final day of competition went very well for me as I brought another good bag to the scales and fished in second place. I won my first Ranger Boat. This was a dream come true.

Rick Lilligard easily won the tournament finishing about seven pounds in front of me. However, I did edge out Kevin VanDam who finished third in the tournament. At the time Kevin was building the reputation of being a dominant angler. I admired Kevin a lot and was trilled to have finished ahead of him in the tournament. This was the first top ten in professional completion I would achieve. This finish, more than any other, gave me the confidence I needed to turn professional full time.