The Guides

Bob is from Sedalia, Missouri. He first fished the area in 1972 with his high school guidance counselor, Bill Rose. He started working in Jim Danskin’s Fly Shop in 1974 and ran his first guide trip for Bob Jacklin in September of that same year. Bob came to work for Henry’s Fork Anglers in 1978. A winner of Fly Rod and Reel’s “Guide of the Year” award, Bob sets the standard in the fly fishing industry. His knowledge of the area lakes and rivers is unsurpassed. He is a patient, effective teacher and a true professional. Booking a trip with Bob can be next to impossible. He has a great number of return clients and if you’d like to book a trip with him, you’d better do it as early as possible. In the off season, Bob guides bird hunters, trains retrievers, and chases wild turkeys.

Smitty first fished the Henry’s Fork with Will Godfrey in 1972 when he was 13 years old. That summer, he caught his first fish on a dry fly on the Yellowstone River. He returned to Island Park to work in Godfrey’s shop during the summers of 1973 through 1975. He started guiding for Will in 1985 and eventually, he came to work at Henry’s Fork Anglers in 1990. Smitty loves to take people fishing on Harrman Ranch and Yellowstone National Park.

A patient teacher, Smitty is also an accomplished artist. His artwork can be seen in our shop and at the Henry’s Fork Lodge. Visit his website at www.marksmithfishart.com. Smitty lives in Brawley, California during the winter months where he does his artwork. He and his his wife Glenna have two sons, Tyler and Mason.

Curt is from Ogden, Utah and has been with Henry’s Fork Anglers since 1979. His father bought a cabin on Island Park Reservoir in 1960 and Curt has been fishing the area since then. As a result, he knows the Island Park area and the entire Yellowstone region very well. Whether he is searching for trophy trout on Henry’s Lake or wading little known sections of the lower river, Curt has an uncanny ability to find fish. Curt spends the winter recovering from a summer of guiding by hunting pheasants and other birds with his black labs and working for the IRS.

“Tall” Tom as he’s admirably known is originally from Missouri and has been a member of our staff since 1983. He first fished the Henry’s Fork area in 1968. Over the years, he has acquired a great deal of knowledge about the area. He is known as a patient guide who does an excellent job teaching beginner & advanced anglers alike. His steady temper and dry sense of humor make him a great companion for a day of fishing. In the off season, Tom guides elk hunters and works at a restaurant near his home in Sheridan, Montana. Tom has also done quite a bit of big game hunting in the Yukon and is active in the Federation for North American Wild Sheep.

Hootie was born and raised in Dalton, Georgia. He began fly fishing for trout about twenty years ago on the Conasauga River in the Cohutta Wilderness. He Graduated from Kennesaw State University with a B.S. degree in Psychology. He began fishing northwestern Wyoming waters as a young teenager on summer vacations. 2008 was his first season with Henry’s Fork Anglers, and he is very excited to return every summer. When Hootie is not fishing he is either tying flies or observing insects and fish from the stream bank. During our off-season Hootie guides on his home waters of Georgia and Tennessee.

You better be a darn good fisherman to develop a love of flyfishing growing up in Columbus, Ohio. Sam took his first backcountry fly fishing trip in Wyoming at the age of 14. He honed his skills at Teton Valley Ranch Camp as the resident guide the summer of 2014, where he taught kids age 10-14 the basics of gear, casting and fly tying. While his experience ranges from steelheading in the tributaries of the Great Lakes to hunting the elusive rooster fish in Baja, Sam’s love of the area draws him back to Idaho year after year stalking trout. Sam is a great guide if you are a beginner or experienced fisherman. On his rare days off you can find him scouting the water for the next great spot.

Brandt was born and raised in Clovis, CA, where he grew up waterfowl hunting the Pacific Flyway and flyfishing a wide variety of waters on both slopes of the Sierras. In 2013 he moved to Southern Oregon to pursue a career in guiding waterfowl hunts and flyfishing excursions. Then, after spending a summer guiding in Alaska, Brandt moved to Boise, Idaho where he started flyfishing the Henry’s Fork, the Owyhee River and other area waters as often as possible. Brandt spends the offseason guiding waterfowl hunts in Northeast Texas, then heads back to Boise to guide waterfowl hunts during the late season. Brandt’s passion for the outdoors, along with his skill and patience has led him to a career he loves.

Will is from Columbus, Ohio where he grew up with a fly rod in his hand chasing smallmouth and largemouth bass, musky, trout, carp and anything else he could trick into eating a fly. He began venturing out West to ski and fish at a young age and fell in love with the rivers, lakes and streams that this region has to offer. Living in Fly Fishing’s gravity, he has followed it all over the world, fishing places like the Florida Everglades, the Bahamas, Mexico, and Belize to name a few. This kind of diversity has given Will an intricate understanding of the sport. Will made the move to Bozeman, Montana in 2018 to chase his passion for fly fishing and skiing as well as to get his degree in business management at Montana State University. Shortly after the move he began working in the Fly Shop at Henry’s Fork Anglers where he gained an expansive knowledge of the lakes and rivers in Henry’s Fork country. Will is a patient teacher whose passion for fly fishing is contagious. His drive to share his knowledge and love for fishing make him a great choice for both beginners and expert anglers alike.

Owen grew up in Roswell, GA fly fishing for anything with a fin from trout to striper. He developed a passion for fly fishing at a young age Western North Carolina, North Georgia, and Eastern Tennessee regions. During the off-season he is down south guiding for trout in his home waters or taking an occasional trip to the east coast in search for redfish in the salt. Owen attended Montana State University in Bozeman majoring in Business Management. He immediately started honing his skills on the waters that surrounded Bozeman, and soon fell in love with the Henrys Fork area. His time as a shop employee at Henrys Fork Anglers has allowed him to learn all of the rivers in the area and all that they have to offer. He is passionate about teaching, sharing knowledge, and watching anglers of all ability levels with their rods bent.

Adam was born and raised in Idaho and began fly fishing at 4 years of age for brook trout and cutthroat trout in the small creeks of North Idaho. In 2015 he began guiding upland game hunts for veterans; after a couple seasons he moved to Colorado to continue pursuing his love for guiding where he guided the South Platte drainage. The pursuit of big fish has led him to places like The Great Lakes, British Columbia, Bahamas, and the Henrys Fork. In the late spring of 2019 Adam fell in love with Henrys Fork and couldn’t wait to return. In the off-season Adam can be found in corn fields or ponds guiding waterfowl in the treasure valley. His humor combined with vast knowledge of trout, make him suitable for anglers of all abilities.

Pierce was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. Ever since he was old enough, he had a rod in his hand and was fishing whenever, and wherever he could. He picked up fly fishing when he was 15 years old and was totally consumed by it ever sense. The next several years were spent in eastern Tennessee chasing tailwater trout. From fly fishing the Florida Gulf Coast all the way to Alaska, Pierce has had several years to learn and explore the art of fly fishing. He spent two years guiding in northwestern Wyoming and is eager to spend his foreseeable future with Henry’s Fork Anglers. Pierce has a passion for building relationships and sharing his knowledge with anyone that stands alongside of him in the river. You’ll find Pierce spending his off-season in Bozeman, Montana awaiting the next season to come.

Preston was raised in Kansas City and grew up chasing pheasant on prairie grasslands. At a young age he was first introduced to fly fishing at a trout park in Missouri, and since then, the sport of fly fishing has been a central part of his life. Preston fostered his love for fly fishing while combing through the many quaint streams of the Ozarks and has broadened his horizons on many trips throughout the west. Preston’s outgoing personality, desire to teach, and passion for the sport have led him to pursue a career close to his heart.