One more cast
Every Saturday for eight months out of the year, you’ll be able to find Jack Shuttleworth guiding a fly-fishing trip from his favorite spot in South Central Kentucky. It's not just a hobby, but instead a way for him to share experiences with others, building a community, one cast at a time.
For Jack Shuttleworth, being on the water is like second nature to him. Having grown up on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, Tennessee, he's no stranger when it comes to catching fish and being outdoors.
It all started when he was a child. Although he can't remember exactly when he made his first cast or caught his first fish, he always had a knack for the sport.
It all started when he was a child. Although he can't remember exactly when he made his first cast or caught his first fish, he always had a knack for the sport.
"85% of current fishing participants
fished before the age of 12."
- Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation and the Outdoor Foundation
Starting at young age from spinning rods to learning how to fly fish, he grew to love fishing even more. His dad taught him everything he knew there was before eventually making his way out on the water by himself.
Jack and Tod Shuttleworth (left to right), March 2026.
Jack was born on October 1, 1998 in São Paulo, Brazil, but moved to the United States in the early 2000s. His mother's side of the family were no strangers when it came to being on the lake.
Jack's father, Tod, guesses that his earliest memory of taking Jack fishing was around the age of four or five. All the skills that Tod learned from his own father were eventually passed down to Jack.
"When starting with a young person, you're baiting the hooks, you're getting them out of trees," Tod said. "Here we are 20 years later and now he's the one doing all that and getting me out of the trees."
Jack's father, Tod, guesses that his earliest memory of taking Jack fishing was around the age of four or five. All the skills that Tod learned from his own father were eventually passed down to Jack.
"When starting with a young person, you're baiting the hooks, you're getting them out of trees," Tod said. "Here we are 20 years later and now he's the one doing all that and getting me out of the trees."
Growing up on the water
The Shuttleworth's grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee right on Old Hickory Lake. It was here that Jack took off with his love for fishing.
After graduating high school, he went on to attend Maryville College in Eastern Tennessee. He played baseball for a few years and at the same time was constantly finding new fishing spots. While he was there, he ended up going on a guided trip at Frontier Anglers.
One of the guides noticed how well Jack was doing and encouraged him to think about guiding on his own. Once he was out of school, he moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky with his then girlfriend, Hailey while she was enrolled in the Physical Therapy Program.
After thinking about it several times, Jack took a leap of faith and decided to start his own guiding business right here on the Barren River.
After graduating high school, he went on to attend Maryville College in Eastern Tennessee. He played baseball for a few years and at the same time was constantly finding new fishing spots. While he was there, he ended up going on a guided trip at Frontier Anglers.
One of the guides noticed how well Jack was doing and encouraged him to think about guiding on his own. Once he was out of school, he moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky with his then girlfriend, Hailey while she was enrolled in the Physical Therapy Program.
After thinking about it several times, Jack took a leap of faith and decided to start his own guiding business right here on the Barren River.
Jack Shuttleworth leads clients through the water on a two-person guiding trip on Saturday, April 11, 2026. Clients aren't limited to just fly fishing, but also spin fishing. The three of them ended up catching multiple rock bass and smallmouth bass.
With Jack as the lead guide, Southern Currents Angling was born in 2024. However, his father and wife, Hailey, both help him out in any way they can.
What can one expect to catch when they're with Jack? Clients aren't limited to one specific type of fish, but for him, his favorite is a smallmouth bass.
What can one expect to catch when they're with Jack? Clients aren't limited to one specific type of fish, but for him, his favorite is a smallmouth bass.
What is a smallmouth bass?
"The Micropterus dolomieu (scientific name) can be found in all the way from southern Quebec in Canada to North Dakota and south to northern Alabama and eastern Oklahoma within the U.S.
They thrive in cool, clear water with rocky bottoms and can grow anywhere from 10-20 inches feeding off plankton and other aquatic insects."
They thrive in cool, clear water with rocky bottoms and can grow anywhere from 10-20 inches feeding off plankton and other aquatic insects."
One more cast - Smallmouth bass
Jack describes what it looks like.
Jack's clients vary from repeat customers, family friends and complete strangers, but his one goal is to make memories with everyone who he guides at Barren River.
“
Fishing has a way of creating moments and memories that are really special. It's what I've experienced myself and I want to provide that for other people.
Jack hopes to one day be able to share his love of fishing to his kids, just as Tod did with him. Whether it's a boy or a girl, Jack and Hailey plan to raise them outdoors.
"I think a core part of that is just raising them outside," Jack said. "You know encouraging them to take on new and challenging experiences."
Even though he has been fishing more times than he can count
"We all live in uncertainty," Jack said. "Fishing is just a giant metaphor for that really. You don't know what's going to happen around the next river bend, you know you never do, but you don't know unless you do it. Unless you make that cast."
"I think a core part of that is just raising them outside," Jack said. "You know encouraging them to take on new and challenging experiences."
Even though he has been fishing more times than he can count
"We all live in uncertainty," Jack said. "Fishing is just a giant metaphor for that really. You don't know what's going to happen around the next river bend, you know you never do, but you don't know unless you do it. Unless you make that cast."
Jack Shuttleworth, March 2026.
For more information about Southern Currents Angling, click here.