Mike Kitt

Mike Kitt — Marinette, WI

Mike started spearing in 1986 after being invited by a Michigan Conservation Officer and immediately hooked. They used jigging spoons exclusively at the time.

Mike met up with another Michigan Conservation Officer whom he had known for quite awhile a few years later after he retired (Mike Holmes). Found out he was an avid spearer, and an extremely good decoy carver. Mike was president of the newly formed MDAA and actively involved in trying to promote and preserve the sport.

Mr. Holmes began teaching Mike how to make decoys, and showed him a lot of "tough love" along the way. Kitt uses white cedar exclusively because of its properties and availability in the north country. Kitt’s first hand at making decoys for others came in his 1st annual trip to N. Dakota. A group of WI Game Wardens participated in their inaugural season, and he made everyone a decoy. Everyone got fish and fell in love with the sport also.

Kitt began taking people spearing as soon as he had his own darkhouse, but didn't pass on the art of decoy making til around 2004 when a friend and co-worker asked to teach him for Winnebago sturgeon spearing. Mike Kitt has seen thousands of pike, speared a few, witnessed countless people spear their first pike, watched fathers and children share in real quality time together and it never gets old for him.