John Hanecak

A relative newcomer to The Fisherman family, John, or Jay as he is referred to by his friends, has been fishing throughout New England his entire life. From ice fishing in the winter months to late nights in the surf, inshore boating to offshore forays, John covers it all. He is equally at home working the near-shore waters from the deck of his center console as he is the late-night surf in his wetsuit.

John's early years were spent fishing the streams and ponds of the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut in search of trout, bass and many other local species. He eventually expanded to saltwater pursuits as he joined his father in and around Rhode Island in search of fluke, blackfish, striped bass and bluefish. As anyone that has ever fished with John will tell you, he is one of those “intuitive fishermen” that makes everyone around him a better angler. After many years on the hunt, John achieved the goal of many a striped bass hunter when he landed a 50-pound striped bass on a rigged eel in the surf. John’s account of that fateful catch recently appeared on the pages of The Fisherman Magazine.

John splits his time between his home in central Connecticut with his fiancé Karyn and his mother’s home in Weekapaug, RI, allowing him easy access to some of the best fishing New England has to offer.