John Sindland was raised in New England. He served aboard nuclear submarines in the US Navy.  He has lived in Montana the past 30 years, and has been a fly fishing guide for over 20 seasons on the Bighorn River.  He has acted as a board member for the Bighorn River Alliance since 2008 and also serves on the board of the Southern Arizona Quail Forever chapter.  He and his wife Debbie, along with their four Brittany Spaniels, split their time between Fort Smith, Montana and Patagonia, Arizona.