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Ernie Denison
first began guiding for The Fly Shop®
in 1989. Over the years, Ernie has chronicled nearly every inch
of water in Northern California and Southern Oregon, and he
typically puts in over 300 days a year on the water. Ernie is
as much a part of the area's ecosystem by now as the river otters
and osprey that share the rivers with him… and he's just
as adept as they are at finding fish. With all of Ernie's experience
and knowledge, it's no wonder that he's our most requested guide;
bookings often come a year (or two) in advance, so plan well
ahead to spend a day with this top-notch guide. |
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Ross Wilkerson has
been guiding for The Fly Shop® for over a decade now (starting
in 1996), and grew up fishing the waters of the North State.
Ross specializes in guiding the Trinity River for steelhead,
Chinook salmon, and sea-run brown trout from August through
February, but he also loves to take anglers into the majestic
McCloud River. Ross is happy wading his clients on the riffles
and flats of Hat Creek, the Upper Sacramento, even the Pit River,
and his 21' drift boat is ideal for taking groups of 1, 2, or
3 anglers down the famous Lower Sacramento River. Ross has international
guiding experience, too, having spent several seasons at El
Saltamontes lodge in Chile. |
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Larry Lewis has
been with us since 1997, and he spent several years guiding
in Alaska before re-locating to Northern California. His friendly,
laid back personality has made him a favorite for many of our
long-time guide service customers, and Larry has developed a
very loyal client base guiding primarily on the Lower Sacramento
and Trinity Rivers. Larry is a true gentleman, very patient
with beginners and informative for more experienced anglers. |
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Bryan Balog joined
The Fly Shop's® Guide Staff in the fall of 2002. In his
first month of guiding, he took 26 trips on the Lower Sacramento
River. Since then he's proven to be one of the best guides in
the area, consistently boating good numbers of fish on whatever
river he's on, whether its giant rainbows on the Lower Sacramento
or powerful steelhead on the Trinity River. Bryan's hard work
ethic and great personality makes every day on the water a memorable
one, and the result is one of the highest return rates out of
any of our guides. |
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Mike Parker came
to The Fly Shop® in 2003 after spending five seasons with
Lees Ferry Anglers on the Colorado River. Mike's patience and
sense of humor make him the perfect choice for both beginner
and advanced anglers. He may be the old man on the block around
here, but he's one of the hardest working guides we've ever
had, putting in long, hard days on any and all of our local
watersheds. Mike is a true professional, one of the best in
the entire industry, and we're proud to have him on our guide
staff. |
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Chris Parsons was
a new addition to our guide staff back in 2003, and things have
never been the same since. Chris' positive attitude and hard-working
demeanor sets the bar high for any guide, anywhere. He's also
a patient instructor, certified by the Federation of Fly Fishers,
who likes to work with anglers of all skill levels. Chris specializes
in chasing steelhead and trophy trout on all of our local rivers
and lakes. He'll fish anywhere there's water, but especially
enjoys the Fall River, Lower Sacramento, and Trinity Rivers.
View Chris' website at www.bethefly.com.
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Greg Dean
has been fishing the waters of Northern California for over
twenty years. As early as 1997 Greg began guiding independently
in the area, and he joined The Fly Shop's® guide staff in
2004. His great passion and enthusiasm for fly fishing, and
his ability to infect both novice and experienced anglers with
that passion and enthusiasm, led very quickly to Greg becoming
one of the most requested guides in the North State. Greg's
ability to fish such a wide variety of waters and species in
our area – from steelhead on the Klamath to shad on the
Lower Sacramento – provides an almost unlimited array
of angling options for fisher-folk interested in trying new
things. Greg is also our resident Stillwater expert, guiding
and fishing many of our local lakes
whenever he finds time in his busy schedule. |
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Dennis Franco (aka:
Popeye) began his guiding career in 1989, rowing many of the
fabled steelhead waters of the west, including the Smith, Rogue,
Klamath, Trinity, Bogachiel, Eel, Gualala, Garcia, Yuba, American,
and even 7 years on the rivers of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska,
before coming to The Fly Shop® in 1998. Dennis is one of
the most versatile guides we have on staff, utilizing either
his drift boat or jet boat to fish such watersheds as the Lower
Sacramento, Feather, Yuba, Klamath, and Trinity Rivers. Dennis'
willingness to try different things sets him apart from other
guides on other rivers, and you can expect a fun and exciting
day on the water with him, whether chasing elusive rising trout
on the Lower Sacramento, steelhead on the Trinity, or shad and
stripers in the summer months. |
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Brian Bommarito grew
up fishing the fabled waters of northern Michigan. A 22-year
Navy career allowed him to pursue numerous exotic species all
over the globe, but Brian and his family finally decided to
settle down and call Redding "home" in 2005 when he
began guiding full-time for The Fly Shop®. His easy-going
personality and genuine enthusiasm make for a great day on the
water. Brian is an FFF certified casting instructor who welcomes
beginners and will tailor an instructional and productive day
to hone the angling skills you'll use all over the West. When
not guiding, you'll likely find him casting a long leader on
the area's numerous stillwater venues. |
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Lonnie Boles
learned how to row a drift boat on the Sacramento River before
he was old enough to drive a car. He started guiding on the
river in 1989, and first joined The Fly Shop's® guide staff
in 1992. Since then, Lonnie's become one of the premier guides
in the region, putting in close to 300 days a year on the water,
working seasonally on the Lower Sacramento, Trinity, and Feather
Rivers, and also targeting Shad and Stripers on the Lower Sacramento. |
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Todd Carnes was
born and raised in Redding, has been fishing this area since
the age of 12. One of our weekend guides, Todd has been a
valuable asset to our operation since 1996. His great demeanor
and wonderful sense of humor are a perfect addition to a scenic
trout-filled float down the Lower Sacramento River. Anglers
fishing with Todd should expect a lot of laughs, good fishing,
and delicious home-made cookies from his wonderful wife.
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Joe Vasquez came
to us from the Sacramento area back in 1999. He specializes
on the Yuba, Feather, and Lower Sacramento Rivers. Joe, a
family man and FFF Certified Casting Instructor, has unsurpassed
patience with beginners, as well as the expertise to further
educate more advanced anglers with ease. He seems to have
a nose for sniffing out the few fish that might be feeding
on dries on any given day. Joe mostly guides weekends for
us, so his available days often fill up well in advance: call
early to get a date with this mellow-mannered professional. |
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Matthew Swan
started guiding for The Fly Shop® in 2006, after coming
from Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River and Hubbards Yellowstone
Lodge in Montana, where he still guides during the summer
months. Matt's professionalism and experience has made him
a great addition to our guide staff. From September through
May Matt works hard to ensure that his guests are having catching
fish, learning a lot, and having a great time while fishing
the Lower Sacramento River, Trinity River, even the Upper
Sacramento, McCloud, and Pit Rivers as well. Matt is a Federation
of Fly Fishers Certified Casting Instructor, making him a
good choice for both beginner anglers and experienced hands
alike.
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Shane Kohlbeck
first started guiding for The Fly Shop® in 1997. In the
years since, he has also spent time guiding all over the world,
including Los Roques, Venezuela, Penrhyn Atoll, Rapid’s
Camp Lodge in the Bristol Bay region, Alaska, and Hoodoo Lodge
in the remote Southwest Alaska, as well as continuing to guide
all of the fabled waters of Northern California during the
fall and winter months. Now that Shane has settled down and
tied the knot, he's back to guiding full-time on the Lower
Sacramento, Upper Sacramento, McCloud, and Pit Rivers. Shane's
experience and expert instruction (he's also an FFF certified
casting instructor) make any day on the water a productive
fishing and learning experience.
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Mike Brazzi has
been fishing the rivers and streams surrounding the Redding
area since the early '90s, and began guiding with The Fly
Shop® in 2006. Mike is an easy-going guide, fun to spend
a day on the water with. He enjoys teaching the art of fly
fishing, and is a good choice for anglers of all skill levels.
Mike spends a lot of time of the Lower Sacramento and Trinity
Rivers, but the Pit River is one of his specialties from March
through November.
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Kris Kennedy
was born into a fly fishing family and raised behind the fly
bins at The Troutfitter in southern California. Since, he
has worked at The Fly Shop® in both retail and outfitters,
and now spends his days guiding all over hell and back, from
the wilds of the Upper
Nushagak River in Alaska at Egdorf’s Wilderness Camps
to the unexplored rivers of Patagonia at one or our Signature
Fly Fishing destinations - Patagonian
BaseCamp. He fills in the gaps of a busy annual guide
schedule here in Northern California in the fall, winter,
and late spring. His experience and warm personality have
made him one of our most requested guides.
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Matt Dover started
his own independent guide business on the Lower Sacramento
River in 2000, and started guiding for The Fly Shop® in
2006. Matt is a hard-working, patient guide, who is quickly
developing a loyal following with almost everyone that spends
time in his boat, whether floating the Lower Sac, upper Klamath,
or Trinity River, or fishing one of our rarely-fished local
lakes.
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Mark Kaesemeyer began
his guiding career in 1995 near Flagstaff, Arizona on Stillwater
ponds from float tubes. From there, he moved on to Lees Ferry
on the Colorado River, putting in 10 years guiding both walk
and wade trips and jetboat excursions. In addition, Mark spent
5 summer seasons guiding in Alaska on the Kvichak and Alagnak
Rivers. Mark knows how to guide, and is swiftly learning our
local waters here in Northern California, starting with The
Fly Shop® in 2007 on the Lower Sacramento and Klamath
Rivers.
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Justin Miller
started teaching at our FishCamp® program during the 2004
season. He has since proved to be a dedicated angler and instructor,
and is an FFF Certified Casting Instructor. For the 2007 season,
Justin began guiding spey-casting and fishing trips on the
Trinity River, and guiding on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia
during the summer months. In the fall and winter, he spends
every waking moment chasing steelhead.
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Michael Caranci
started with The Fly Shop® in 2001, teaching at our acclaimed
FishCamp program (www.flyfishcamp.com).
That led into several years of guiding for the shop, specializing
on the Lower Sacramento and Trinity Rivers. In 2005 Michael
agreed to trade in his rowing bench for the Outfitters desk,
now managing The Fly Shop's® Guide Service and directing
The Fly Shop's® Fly Fishing School's and FishCamp, as
well as hosting international fly fishing trips to exotic
locations from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. He is also an
FFF Master Certified Casting Instructor.
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