For Ken Perrotte, the outdoors has always been about opportunity.

Opportunities to learn, share with others and build relationships and friendships.

Perrotte will visit Lake Charles this week for the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association conference, to be held in Lake Charles Wednesday-Saturday.

Perrotte, who has written outdoor stories for The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, Va., for the past 17 years. His work has also been featured in North American Hunter, Outdoor Life, Wyoming Wildlife, Virginia Wildlife, Whitetail Times, Turkey Call, Turkey Country, The Bird Hunting Report, Blue Ridge Country and militarytimes.com.

Perrotte has always been an outdoorsman.

“I have always had an interest since I was a young kid growing up,” he said. “I would go to the barber shop and look at Field and Stream and Outdoor Life, read the articles in there and they would get my mind wondering about what kind of life that would be.

“I would think about how cool would it be to eventually go out and do the kind of thing these guys were writing about. To be able to do that and make a living from it has been wonderful.”

Perrotte served in the Air Force before starting to write full time.

“I was in the military for a while, then went to school, then finally got into a position where I could move more and more into outdoor writing,” he said.

As a writer, Perrotte has focused on people.

“Every time you go out, it is an opportunity to learn,” he said. “That is one of the great things about writing, very few fishing trips are ever the same. I am not so much of a how-to/where guy. I really enjoy writing about people, the experience, the camaraderie, the way fishing brings families together. That is what I find most enjoyable.”

During his time in the military, Perrotte was able to see much of the country and do lots of fishing.

“I was in the Air Force, and was also going to college part time, so I did not do a lot of hunting, but I did a lot of fishing, had some great fishing out in Texas, Colorado and up in Indiana,” he said.

Perrotte always shares what he learns.

“As a writer, a lot of the fun is getting to translate all that you have learned and share it with the readers,” he said.

“Outdoor readers are very candid. They know you after a while and want to share their experiences. Some of best story ideas in the past have come from readers and experiences they have had.”

The annual SEOPA conferences are also rewarding to Perrotte, particularly the ones held in Louisiana.

“I have been involved 18 years, it is a great organization,” he said.

“This is our second time coming to Lake Charles, the Convention and Visitors Bureau always puts on a superb conference. CVB does a great job, the way they put the entire state together to do the conference, other states that fancy themselves an outdoor destination would do well to emulate.”

Writer and outdoorsman Ken Perrotte and grandson Kenny Perrotte hold up their catch during a fishing trip. (Special to the American Press)