Guides
David Jones
DJ, as he is known, showed up on our boat launch with rod and gear in hand the spring of 1991. He brings a peaceful spirit to his time with you on the river. Perhaps the most intuitive of our guides, he leads the angler to the fish with a quiet hand. He is a wonderful stalker of trout and loves to develop and fish gooey surface film flies, perfect for the pickiest sipper. With DJ at the helm, the day is full of the beauty of the river.
For twenty-five years, I have been a guide. I hope I get twenty-five more. – David Jones
Max Lewis
Max is a veteran big hole river guide with a lifetime of experience on the big hole starting when he was a child growing up in nearby Butte.
If I only had gills! -- Max Lewis
Wayne Clayton
Wayne has been guiding here since 1983. We are lucky to have someone with his experience on this crew. He has fished the rivers of Montana for trout and the rivers of British Columbia for giant steelhead for a very long time. Some of our guests have fished with Wayne year after year, for more than a decade. He is “steady as she goes” and never gets riled up. Wayne is a superb casting instructor and highly skilled angler in his own right. As our resident fly tier in the off-season, he is always honing his angler skills. “Wayno,” as he is known, is an avid reader and brings a special knowledge on board with his anglers.
Tight lines! – Wayne Clayton
Drew Taylor
Drew grew up with a rod in his hand, catching fish any way he could, whether it be with a piece of switch cane, some Stren and cheese, or a baitcaster and bass lures. At around 14 years of age, he took up a fly rod and found it was quite effective at catching bluegills and bass out of the Georgia farm ponds he frequented, and his fishing path was changed forever. Drew is a laid back fisherman who knows there will be some hardships along the way, so he doesn’t rush his fishing or his clients’ fishing. He is a student of rivers, and is open to discovery, either at the vice or on the water. Other than fishing, he can be found with a guitar in his hands and a song on his lips, or with his longbow searching out his passion for wild adventure.
Gary Tilton
Gary has been with us since 2005. After cleaning boats and running shuttles throughout the first year's apprenticeship, he is now part of our full time guide staff. Gary learned how to dry fly fish on the banks of Silver Creek and other southwestern Idaho waters. As an avid angler with a love for the outdoors, Gary is always in tune with what is going on, in and on the water. If it is stalking big browns in shallow water, working that perfect riffle, fishing the early morning hatch, Gary is always ready for whatever it takes to catch big fish. His honesty, responsible manor and kind demeanor are the backbone of his guiding. One should never pass up a chance to fish with "Big Garr."
To me fishing is like art. It’s in my blood. – Gary Tilton
Mark Downey
Mark has many years guiding fly fishing anglers in Montana. He grew up in northwest Montana where he started fishing more than forty years ago. He can and has been know to talk about nothing but fishing for days. However, his background does give him a few other topics to explore beyond fishing. He was a longtime staff writer for the Great Falls Tribune newspaper, before which he was a commercial salmon fisherman on the Bering Sea. Former fly fishing clients include the Dali Llama, the Unabomber (an explosive caster) and Al Franken (really).
Jeremy Gneiting
Jeremy was born on the banks of the Big Hole and has fished it since he was just a little boy. Jeremy has been with us since 1992. A true mountain man, Jeremy knows every rock and cranny on this river along with about twenty others. He is at home in the outdoors and never stops working to find and fool trout for his anglers or teach them new skills. When he is not guiding or fishing for himself he is stalking the high mountain forests looking for Elk and Deer with his long bow. Having Jeremy as a guide is like a day with Jeremiah Johnson.
Just one more cast! -- Jeremy Gneiting
Jed Fitzpatrick
Jed first started guiding the western waters of Montana in the mid 90's. The Big Hole and Beaver Head are held dear to his heart. He and his wife and daughter reside in the Bitterroot valley. Jed is well adept at charging after big trout as well as being a professional instructor in the art of casting and the techniques that apply. With a background in Biology you can learn from Jed a deep understanding of the river ecosystem and the cycles of life within it.
John Rich
John has guided and fished the Big Hole and Southwest Montana rivers since the early 70's. He has an intimate knowledge of the water and the local history and Western lore. JR has spent a month or so chasing saltwater species every winter for some time now and shows no sign of slowing down. He brings a southern sense of humor and tireless effort on the river each day and every day. Early mornings and late evenings hallmark his guiding style with a strong effort in between in search of the "Big Yellow Bellies." John has developed many of the flies he uses and brings a very effective method to his guiding. His passion for this game brings him back to the river and working on it.
Just give me a hunk of water, a boat and a couple of anglers who love to fish. Really love to fish! -- John Rich
David Decker
David is the former owner of the Complete Fly Fisher. He began fly fishing as a child and may still be in his childhood phase when it comes to fishing. His angling passion has taken him around the world but always back to Montana. David is an accomplished casting instructor, fly-tier and still guides on occasion. Spending a day with him will be unforgettable.
I fish because I love to. I can’t help it. – David Decker
Andrew Hanson,
Head Guide
Andrew, our head guide and operating manager has been with us since 1990. Being a native of this area, Andrew has earned an extensive insight of the streams, rivers and infrastructure of the Montana mountains. He has a misspent youth, learning all of the Big Holes nooks and crannies. He guides in the fall and after the fishing season is over. The paradigm of hunter seeps out of his pores. You are sure to pick up some of it, if you spend time with him. Andrew brings boundless energy to the day. Whether it is to see the sun come up or to see it go down, he is your huckleberry for angling adventure. Since his apprenticeship, he has always been our fall back guy when something goes wrong with boats or vehicles, with his mastery of the infrastructure and mature people skills.
When I'm not on the river, I'm thinking about the river. – Andrew Hanson