About Us

Fishin' Magicians relax streamside by the Firehole River in Yellowstone.

 

 

 

We met while working together in a hospital and got married in 1985.
We’ve been happily married 15 out of the last 36 years. We swam away from real jobs and started our business in 1988. We live in southwest Missouri. When we are not working on our fish shtick, you can find us canoeing an Ozarks stream and fishing for whatever is biting.

 

 

 

 

Steve Craig

Performer. My love of performing began when I was twelve and performed my first show. I created my first major illusion using cardboard boxes and my wagon then sawed my younger brother in half. My joy of creating new tricks continues today but I need Amy to revise my big ideas into practical solutions. I also entertained people when I played sports during my youth.

After earning a master’s degree in counseling psychology, I decided that the best way I could help people was to entertain them and make them laugh.

And of course, I like to fish and I especially enjoy fly-fishing for trout, smallmouth bass and compliments.

Amy Short

Details. That’s what I contribute to the business. Whether it’s meticulously creating props, critiquing performances or navigating our travels, Steve would be “lost” without me. Or at least, that’s what I like to believe. My performing career started early with childhood skits and school plays. I even entertained friends and family with a few magic tricks.

The story goes that I first uttered the word, “fish,” when I asked for one from Santa. While growing up in Missouri, I spent family vacations camping, canoeing and fishing.

After graduating from the University of Missouri, I worked as an occupational therapist in the mental health field. Then one day I said to Steve, “Let’s don’t wait until we’re sitting in our rocking chairs to try the magic business.”

 

Green Activities

We are volunteer naturalists with the Missouri Department of Conservation — Amy since 1989 and Steve since 2003.
We continue to be lifelong learners and have participated in Project Wet, Project Learning Tree, Project Wild and Stream Team training and activities. We serve as volunteer docents at the Native Butterfly House in Springfield, MO. We like to go fishing for whatever is biting and especially enjoy stream fishing. Catch-and-release is our typical motto for any fishing adventure. We also enjoy canoeing, hiking, backpacking, camping, observing wildlife, learning natural history and photographing nature. We especially like visiting our Missouri state parks and national parks. And we try to reduce, reuse and recycle