Tennesee’s Wild Side Weekly Pro Staff

Chris Nischan

I have been guiding since 1982 for both fishing and hunting. I attended Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and majored in wildlife management. I was a partner in an upscale hunting and fishing store for six years. I decided that I wanted to be a full time guide after being in retail.

My guiding experience is as follows: I guided for fishing and big game in Montana for 11 years. I am currently guiding fisherman in Tennessee, for warm water and cold water species. I manage approximately 135 acres of private ponds and lakes for panfish and trophy bass. I also have miles of private access for stream bass and trout fishing. The main trout water I fish is the Caney Fork, Elk and the Cumberland in Kentucky. I also run Tennessee “Sampler” multi-day trips to East Tennessee to fish the Holston, Watauga, and South Holston rivers. I also guide some small streams in western North Carolina. I am a FFF certified casting instructor. I am a past winner of the Field and Stream Total Outdoorsman Challenge (2004).

I guide hunters for spring turkey in Tennessee and Kentucky. I am also a waterfowl guide in Tennessee and Arkansas.

I currently lease or have access to 3000 acres of private land for turkey and over 5000 acres in Arkansas for waterfowl.

I am a member of Trout Unlimited, FFF, NWTF, DU, Delta Waterfowl, Quail Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and several smaller conservation organizations.

I have fished throughout North and South America, Mexico, The Bahamas, Belize, Guatemala and several countries in Europe.

I am 43 years old. I have been married to Leisha for nine years (I met her on a guide trip) and we have two girls: Elaina, 6, and Lindsey, 3. They both love to fish and Elaina likes to go dove hunting.