Chris grew up bass fishing the farm ponds of northern Pennsylvania, where he first developed a sense of what makes a predator strike a lure. In 1998 he met Bill Pfeiffer and during a vacation to a smallmouth bass lake in southern Ontario, a lifetime fishing partnership was born. Chris took to trout flyfishing quickly and under the watchful eye of Ted Seibert and Dave Rothrock became a first rate fly tier and amateur entomologist. He and Bill began exploring the spring creeks and freestone waters around State College, PA, including Spring Creek, Fishing Creek, Penns Creek and other top-notch fisheries. Chris joined Bill in Montana in 2002 and has continued to create awesome trout patterns, including the Bitterroot Slayer, the Remarkable Markable Midge, and innumerable salt water and streamer patterns, drawing on his early bass fishing experiences. Chris is probably best known for being the friendliest fly shop guru in Missoula, a guy who always takes the time to impart the knowledge he has accrued to customers, regardless of how much money they are planning to spend. He is usually found at the shop vice with a hot cup of coffee very close by, at least when he and Jason aren't in the midst of a philosophical argument about drys vs. nymphs or the inferiority of a certain strike indicator.

Aaron moved to Missoula in 1994 and pounded the rivers with reckless abandon! Mentoring others is his specialty, especially with fly selection for the local hatches. Aaron spent time guiding rivers east and west of the divide and up in Alaska. He is in constant pursuit of the perfect fly at the vise, good calf-tail, and big freshwater barracuda.

Denny started fly-fishing in the 60’s when bamboo and silk was the only equipment available. He learned to tie steelhead flies on his dad’s homemade vise in coastal Washington while growing up. This started his fly-fishing obsession, which landed him in Montana around 1973. Denny covered most of the eastern Montana waters while living in Bozeman, then moved to Missoula to work over the rivers on this side of the divide. In the mid 90’s Denny began seeking big game, which led him to various saltwater destinations chasing tarpon, bonefish, and permit. He is also an accomplished rod builder, honing his skills since the 70’s, that is willing to share his tricks with others.

A native Missoulian, Ryan began fly fishing the local waters at the age of 10. When he turned 15 years old Ryan turned to the vise and began tying his own flies. He is now an exceptional fly tyer for the shop; helping customers fine tune their skills or accommodating custom orders.

Amy landed in Missoula fishing for a graduate degree…she ended up boating two of them. With the pen as her craft, she writes poems from the back of the boat (always), shuttles (rarely) and rows (only once) the local waters with Russell. Amy coordinates and arranges our presentations, readings, and speakers. Give her a call to arrange a slide show in the shop of your trip to Argentina!