Meet Our Guide Staff
Our guide staff is comprised of patient, hard-working professionals who work exclusively for The Fly Shop®. We are proud that after 30 years of fishing and guiding the waters of Northern California, this is the most personable and talented team of guides that we've ever had!
Bryan Balog
Bryan 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.
Lonnie Boles
Lonnie 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 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 Riversriver, and also targeting Shad and Stripers on the Lower Sacramento.
Website: Boles Floatrite
Brian Bommarito
Brian 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. Brian and his family finally decided to settle down and call Redding "home" in 2005 and has guided exclusively for The Fly Shop® ever since. His easy-going personality and genuine enthusiasm make for a great day on the water. An FFF certified casting instructor, Brian 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 hiking deep into the Pit river canyon.
Website: theshastaflyblog.com
Michael Caranci
Michael started with The Fly Shop® in 2001, teaching at our acclaimed FishCamp® program. 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.
Todd Carnes
Todd 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.
Greg Dean
Greg 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.
Ernie Denison
Ernie 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.
Matt Dover
Matt 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.
Dennis Franco
Dennis (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.
Mark Kaesemeyer
Mark 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.
Greg Kennedy
Greg has been immersed in the fly fishing industry since his earliest memories as the son of a fly shop owner in southern California. Since coming to The Fly Shop® in 2003 Greg has had the pleasure of assisting our retail and outfitting departments as well as guiding nearly every inch of our local waters and some of our Signature Destinations abroad, including Kamchatka, Russia and Egdorf's Western Alaska Sportfishing on the mighty Nushagak River. His patience and carisma make him a great fit for anyone looking at enjoying some fun-filled quality time on the water.
Kris Kennedy
Kris 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.
Shane Kohlbeck
Shane 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.
Website: www.lowersactrout.com
Nick Lawton
Nick cut his teeth on fishing as early as 3 years old and never looked back. He's fished waters all across the continental U.S., Alaska, and South America, and started guiding when only 21 years old on the fisheries of Hot Creek, East Walker River, Upper and Lower Owens Rivers, and Crowley Lake. After 6 years of guiding in the Sierra's Nick didn't hesitate at the opportunity to head to Patagonia, Chile to guide for Patagonia Basecamp during the winter months. Nick continues to guide in Patagonia from December through April, guides on the Upper Nushagak River at Egdorf's Wilderness Camp in the summer, and here in Northern California in the spring and fall months. Nick started guiding for The Fly Shop® in 2009, and his gregarious personality makes for a fun time on the water, whether drifting the Lower Sac, or wading the Upper Sac, McCloud, or Pit Rivers.
Larry Lewis
Larry 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.
Justin Miller
Justin 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.
Mike Parker
Mike 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.
Chris Parsons
Chris 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.
Website: www.bethefly.com
Joe Vasquez
Joe 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.
Ross Wilkerson
Ross 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.
