About us:

Orange Troller LLC is a Virginia registered Limited Liability Company which was formed in August, 2015.  It is owned and managed by Captain Johnny Ellis – Instructor/President and his wife, Veronica “Roni” Ellis – Executive Vice-President.  Our business office is located on Lake Anna, Mineral, Virginia.  Orange Troller LLC is a service business which provides:  On The Water Boating Lessons, On The Water Striped Bass (Striper/Rockfish) Fishing Lessons and SONAR (Fish-finder) Lessons.  Our On The Water Boating Lessons are hands-on practice of some basic seamanship and boat handling skills.  Our Striped Bass Fishing Lessons are geared to provide hands-on fishing instructions in trolling for Striped Bass, also known as “Striper” or “Rockfish,” and Hybrid Striped Bass, using artificial lures.  Our SONAR Lessons for “Fish-Finders” (ALL BRANDS) are centered around the understanding of the basic fundamentals of SONAR.

Capt. Johnny Ellis retired after a long career in law enforcement, as an enlisted member of the New Jersey State Police.  He had also served as a Special Deputy Agent for the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI.  He finished his career as a Captain within the NJ State Police, Homeland Security Branch, Command Operations Center.

In 2011, Capt. Ellis completed the Mariners Learning System, Princeton, NJ, 25/50/100 Ton Master Captain’s License Course and Commercial Towing (Boat) Endorsement Course.  That same year, he completed and passed his US Coast Guard final exams at the Chesapeake Sailing School, Annapolis, MD.  After completing a US Homeland Security background check, he was issued his Transportation Workers Identification Card (T.W.I.C.) by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  In addition, he completed his training to obtain his Red Cross, Adult/Pediatric First-Aid, CPR, and AED certification.

In 2012, The US Coast Guard issued Capt. Ellis his Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC), which designates him as a licensed Master Captain, 25 Gross Registered Tonnage, Upon Inland Waters, with a Commercial Assistance Towing Endorsement.

Capt. Ellis has over 40 years of boating experience.  Since childhood, he has been an avid outdoorsman, fisherman, and boater.  He has boated and fished many places in Europe and the United States.  He began fishing Lake Anna, VA in 1999.  He and his wife, Roni, moved to Lake Anna permanently in 2004.  That same year (2004), Capt. Ellis met a highly successful Lake Anna winter fisherman, Robert “Striper Guru” Johnson, aka “Fisherman Bob,” whom introduced Capt. Ellis to trolling for striped bass using only artificial lures.  Astounded by Johnson’s high catch rate without using any live bait, Capt. Ellis began learning Johnson’s methods and techniques.  He also pursued learning the artificial lure trolling methods of some Great Lakes professional boat captains as well.  After years of research on striped bass trolling, thousands of hours of actual trolling on the water, trial and error, tackle testing, etc., Capt. Ellis has developed into a highly skilled, very successful, artificial lure striped bass fisherman and boatsman.

Roni Ellis retired after a long career in law enforcement, as a civilian member of the New Jersey State Police.  Roni finished her law enforcement career as a Technician Management Information Systems (T.M.I.S.) Specialist for the NJ State Police, Criminal Investigations Section, Auto Theft Unit.  Roni recently enjoyed a second retirement as an educator within the Spotsylvania County, VA school system.

Capt. Ellis and Roni Ellis have completed Boating Safety courses in New Jersey and Virginia.  Respectively, they have been issued Boating Safety Certificates by both states.