Captain Mark Allen Mueller was born at Spohn Hospital, which is just a skipping stone away from Corpus Christi Bay. Maybe it was the sounds of the seagulls that lured him towards the water, and created the passion for which he lives today. He is the son of Rita Allen and Charles Mueller. The former is the daughter of Chester Lee “Chatter” Allen, who is largely know for catching one of the largest speckled trout ever from Baffin’s famed waters. The latter is an outdoorsman supreme who took his son fishing and hunting at an early age that allowed for his passion to grow.

Corpus Christi and its surrounding areas are know for its variety of fishing opportunities. There are many areas where you can actually wade in the water, spot and cast to trophy sized speckled trout and redfish (red drum). You can fish by boat drifting the bays for trout, redfish, flounder, and black drum. You can fish the beachfront of the Gulf of Mexico for a huge variety of species including trout, reds, black drum, tarpon, shark, jack crevelle, Spanish mackerel, and ladyfish. For those who can handle the rigors of deep-sea fishing, the Gulf of Mexico provides great action in the summer months for king mackerel and red snapper and sharks among many other species including blue marlin, sailfish, and tuna. These opportunities provided for the lifestyle that makes a fisherman.

At age 11, Capt. Mark caught his first trophy trout wading the waters of the lower Laguna Madre. (see map) His second was just a few years later from a spoil island near the Intracoastal Waterway. Fishing was his hobby and desire through his teens. After high school, college was calling and so his passion became somewhat limited for a time.

After attaining a Bachelor’s degree in Education, Capt. Mark became a special education teacher in an area school. While teaching, he earned the title of Captain by satisfying the requisites of the U.S.C.G. for a 100 ton Masters License. Between school years, he was able to follow his passion and work on area boats, offering his services as Captain for eco-touring, dolphin watching, and of course, fishing. After 4 yrs, Capt. Mark moved to Hawaii to continue teaching and see what the Islands had to offer. While living on Oahu, he operated a diving vessel for extra money. He had discovered the cost of living in Hawaii is extremely tough on teachers.

It was not long before Capt. Mark realized that his home waters of the Gulf Coast provided him with a more diverse opportunity to follow his passion. Since his return, he has been doing what he loves.