Naugatuck-resident Paul Mueller of Paul Mueller Fishing is a professional angler and multi-species freshwater guide whose business is based out of Naugatuck, providing tours and fishing trips for locals and visitors throughout Connecticut. Growing up in Southbury, Paul describes his home as being right on Lake Willanona not too far from Candlewood Lake, a location, which definitely helped shape his passion for the sport. In fact, Paul will be celebrating his 14 years of fishing experience this year when he turns 30, which also marks his third year in the business on a professional level.
While his primary focus is providing fishing guides for yellow birch and bass at Candlewood Lake, his business also covers other bodies of water throughout the state, including Lake Willanona where he guides for carp from May to July, along with Bantam Lake and Lake Waramaug. Recently, Paul expanded his venture to ice guiding trips. "When compared to other states, Connecticut has a lot of small wateries, but we make up for it in fishing. Candlewood is the number one fishing place in Connecticut, but I'll go out and say that it's one of the best fisheries in all of New England. If you compare it to any of the top lakes in the country, it will come toe to toe with the likes of Lake Champlain to Lake Erie. We have a special lake here in Connecticut."
From live bait trips that can accommodate up to 3 to 4 people and artificial bait trips that is offered for up to two customers, the guides are definitely on a more personal level than most. "I guide people of all types of skill level," said Paul. "We have some guys who will want to learn the newest technique from the tournament trail while some guys just want to go live bait fishing." For the larger parties, which is usually up to 8 people, Paul gets help from other guides where they go out on more than one boat. "But usually it's two people per boat," clarified Paul. The reason why more people can be accommodated on live bait trips than others is because, as he says, you're not really casting. "I tell people, I don't have any ear rings and I would like to keep it that way," joked Paul with a laugh.
When asked, I found out that Paul also supplies all the equipment needed for the trip, including beverages. "The only thing you need is a Connecticut Fishing License," said Paul. "That's what it all boils down to."
Recently on his Facebook page, Paul shared with his fans and customers that he bought a new Ranger Z521C, an upgrade from the 20-foot 2007 Ranger V20. "The Z521C is the newest model. It's my office, work space," said Paul. "It's their flagship model. It's basically the best bass boat money can buy. It's the same quality as my previous Ranger, just bigger, better, and faster," laughed Paul. This upgrade will undoubtedly improve the experience for Paul's customers, especially since it's both longer and larger width-wise. "It's going to be more comfortable to fish from," predicted Paul. On top of that, Paul purchased two 10-foot power poles. As Paul explained over the phone, they are basically shallower anchors. "You can put them down and it will anchor the boat in waters 10-feet deep or less. That will definitely change the game and help put the fish in the boat when fishing in a shallower application."
In an effort to reach out to locals and beyond, Paul uses social media as one of his primary tools and has formed quite a strong and impressive presence on Facebook where he gets an overwhelming response from fans and customers. "I try to focus on content," said Paul in regards to his social media posts. "I put up a lot of videos. Basically, I try to show people how to fish on Candlewood. I know that social media is expanding and that it helps everybody involved." Paul is also expanding his reach by writing for The Fisherman Magazine and On The Water magazine. "It's just another way I can help people learn stuff about fishing."
If you're interested, please visit paulmuellerfishing.com or his Facebook page. You can also give him a call at (203) 910-3676 or e-mail him at pmuell08@aol.com.