Guest Speaker: Captain Bert Deener
Topic: Fly fishing the Okefenokee Swamp, which is renowned for its diverse scenic beauty and aquatic life.
July 9th, at Manual’s Tavern at 7 PM •
Bio: Capt. Bert Deener
His dad (Herb) claims that “fish” was Capt. Bert’s first word, and once you meet him you won’t doubt it. He grew up in the land of Lefty Kreh (Frederick, Maryland), and earned a BS Degree at Virginia Tech and an MS Degree at The University of Georgia (both degrees in Fisheries Management). He worked a 30-year career as a Fisheries Biologist and Fisheries Regional Supervisor for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division of GA DNR out of the Waycross Office and retired in December 2023. He earned his US Coast Guard Captain’s License at age 30 and guided for a decade on the Georgia coast, specializing in using artificial lures for seatrout and redfish.
His father took him to a fly-tying class at age 12, and he has been making flies and lures ever since. From age 16 until 26 all he cared about catching was bass – largemouth and smallmouth. Catching smallmouth bass from the Potomac River using marabou muddlers on the fly rod he built was one of his favorite bites during his formative years. When he caught a 10-lb., 1-oz. largemouth on the Altamaha River at age 26 it was like a light switch flipped, and he decided he wanted to learn to catch everything. Today, Capt. Bert fishes for anything that will bite from small fliers in the Okefenokee Swamp to giant tarpon on the Georgia coast. He has written articles and given seminars on Georgia’s numerous world-class fisheries. His time nowadays is split between making fishing lures (Bert’s Jigs and Things) and guiding in southeast Georgia – mostly the Okefenokee Swamp. Capt. Bert resides with Teresa, his wife of 33 years, and son Timothy (19) in Waycross, and their daughter Ellie (24) lives in Athens.
