If you've ever pulled a steelhead out of the Salmon River, chased walleye on Oneida Lake or the Sylvan Beach canal, ice fished Chaumont Bay, or worked the tributaries of Cayuga Lake back in the day — there's a real chance you've met Shane Muckey, or at least gotten a text from him telling you exactly where the fish were biting that morning.

Between his fishing business, Altmar Outfitters, and the daily fishing reports and weather updates he's been posting for years, Shane has become the guy half of Central New York calls or texts when they want the truth about conditions on the water. Not a guess. Not a guide trying to book a trip. The actual truth, because that's just who he is. He's answered more texts than anyone could count, taught people who'd never held a rod how to read a river, and never once made a beginner feel dumb for asking. A lot of people who call themselves anglers today learned it from Shane, whether they ever fished a single trip with him or not.

That kind of generosity doesn't stay on the water. The friendships Shane's built over the years go a lot deeper than fishing, and there are more people than we could ever list who've been on the receiving end of his help, his time, or just him showing up.

Now Shane needs some help of his own.

He was recently diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the throat and tongue. Starting in March, he'd been dealing with sore throats and going to doctor after doctor — but even with CT scans and scopes, the cancer was missed for five months. Those five months mattered, and losing them means he's now facing a harder fight than he should have had to.

Shane is currently in Houston, Texas, getting the specialized treatment he needs. Right now, all of his energy needs to go toward healing — not toward running a business from a thousand miles away.

Unfortunately, this is happening during September and October, salmon season, the months that carry his entire year's income. With Shane out of state, he won't be able to run the filet station or handle the day-to-day of the business himself. Brittany and Jacob are stepping up to keep the Lodge running while he's gone, even though neither of them has done it before.

Medical bills. Flights back and forth. Housing near the hospital. Bills that don't stop just because he's sick. And on top of all of it, the income he counted on for the rest of the year isn't coming in. Doctors expect Shane to be in Texas for at least three to six months, possibly longer, with rehab likely stretching into next year.

Shane would never ask for help himself — that's not who he is. But he has spent years showing up for this community, and now it's our turn to show up for him.

Every donation, big or small, takes one more thing off his plate so he can focus on getting better. And if you can't give right now, sharing this page still gets him closer to the people who want to help.

Thank you for whatever you can offer — money, a share, a prayer, or just keeping him in your thoughts. It all means something.

With gratitude,

Danielle & Family