Tom Ackerman is a Maine Outdoors luminary, a Fly Fishing Professional and former national television host. Tom brings a lifetime of outdoors experience to share with our audience. Tom is a seasoned sportsman with a passion for sharing it with others. Tom hosted The New American Sportsman on ESPN for many seasons, celebrating the sporting experience with some of the biggest newsmakers of the day.
From fly-fishing in Belize with Liam Neeson to sailfishing in Central America with NFL great Tony Gonzales, to scaling Alaska’s peaks in search of brown bear with Hershel Walker, to bugling elk in New Mexico with Hank Williams Jr., or climbing into a blind with World Series MVP, Josh Beckett and more.
Tom is a Registered Maine Guide and Sea Captain, an avid fly fisherman and big game hunter with a natural curiosity about people and their outdoor experiences. His work in the outdoors includes16 years with L.L. Bean, where he served as hunting & fishing product manager. Tom also helped develop one of the most successful fly-fishing schools in the country, serving many first-time fly anglers through the LL Bean Outdoor Discovery School.
In 1998, Tom formed his own company, Classic Connections, which provides worldwide travel and international trip planning services to hunters and anglers, specializing in exclusive fly-fishing and hunting adventures in remote destination locations.
When not filming for TV or guiding along the Maine Coast, Tom enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the outdoors – photographing wildlife, hiking, camping, hunting and fishing. Tom has a special affinity to fish for Atlantic Salmon, Upland Bird Hunting, Wild Turkey Hunting, and also introducing young people into the outdoors through his careful influence.
Tom lives in Topsham, Maine with his wonderfully talented wife of 35 years, Cindy Ackerman of LL Bean fame. Tom has 4 adult children, his oldest son, Chris a Stone Mason and artist, Colin, A former fighter pilot, his recently married daughter Sara and my destination fishing partner TJ Ackerman. Who Tom and I affectionately refer to as TEEJ.
Tom and I have shared many days together on the water and I recently traveled with Tom in 2022 as a guest to McKenzie River Lodge in Labrador, where we shared a wonderful week-long experience fishing together as friends for trophy landlock salmon and huge brook trout. It was a memorable trip and we were tremendously successful as a result of his guidance. On the heels of that experience, several friends and I are returning with Tom to Labrador in 2023 to fish out of Crooks Lake Lodge for Trophy Brook Trout. Tom runs a very classy operation!
Would you like to work with Tom to book your next outdoor adventure?
Contact Tom at (207) 841-4344 or tom@classic-connections.com
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Host: Michael Jones
Producer: Sheri Maines
Fly Line Podcast is distributed by Podbean.
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