2023 Headlining Presenters

Landon Mayer’s angling success is fueled by an addiction to pursuing large trout with small flies and lightweight fly-fishing equipment. Mayer shares tips and secrets in his books Guide Flies: Easy to Tie Patterns for Tough Trout (Stackpole/Lyons 2022), The Hunt for Giant Trout: 25 Top Locations in the US to Catch a Trophy, Trout Tips: A Guide’s Secrets, Tactics and Techniques, Colorado’s Best Fly Fishing, Sight Fishing for Trout, and How to Catch the Biggest Trout of Your Life, in addition to his new film with Headwater Media: Mastering the Short Game. Mayer has been guiding in Colorado full time on the South Platte River for the last 25 years, and one full season on the Nak Nek River in AK. He resides in, Woodland Park, Colorado.

Steve Ramirez is an award winning outdoor and conservation author who lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country. Steve’s first book, Casting Forward - Fishing Tales from the Texas Hill Country, was featured in the film Mending the Line starring Brian Cox and Sinqua Walls. His second book, Casting Onward – Fishing Adventures in Search of America’s Native Gamefish has received critical acclaim as an important work of outdoor adventure and conservation literature. Casting Seaward, the third book in the Lyons Press Series will be released in 2023. Steve currently writes the Seasonable Angler column for Fly Fisherman Magazine and his work has appeared in various journals including, Fly Fisherman, Trout Magazine, The Flyfish Journal, American Angler, Tail Magazine, Hallowed Waters Journal, Under Wild Skies, and many more.

Grant Anderson, originally from Minnesota, has been a resident of Alaska since 1999. He started guiding in 2001 in the Bristol Bay area and then started “Alaska Fly Fishing Tours - Sport Fishing Guide Service.” In 2009, Grant opened “The Fly Box” Fly/Tackle Shop in Anchor River, AK, where he ties local flies. Grant's guiding experience ranges from local riverbank fly fishing to remote hike-in fly fishing and fly-out fishing trips. Grant's greatest passion is guiding drift boat trips on the famous Kenai River and 7-10 day float trips out in the bush in the Bristol Bay area. Before guiding in Alaska, Grant was the athletic director at the Boys and Girls Club in Homer, AK, and a professional racquetball player, teacher and coach in Minnesota. Grant has been a private pilot since 1988 and loves to fly.

Evan is the owner and head guide of Fishing For All LLC. He has been fishing locally his whole life and guiding for over a decade. He has guided and fished everywhere from Minnehaha Creek to Montana, and back again. Whether it’s trout, bass, pike, muskies, sunnies or carp- he loves targeting all species of fish and helping others catch them. He is also a passionate educator and community builder, and has a long career of teaching people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. At the end of the day, Evan wants you to be as excited about fishing, fish, and their ecosystems as he is.

In spring of 2021 Stu became the owner of the Hayward Fly Fishing Company, after eight seasons guiding. He happily gives back to the rivers by serving on the board of directors at the Wild Rivers Conservancy of the St. Croix and Namekagon, and makes his home on the banks of the Namekagon River in Hayward. Stu believes that a healthy river starts with a healthy watershed and an engaged, caring river community.

Carl Haensel is a fishing guide, biologist, photographer, writer, author and educator. He has guided and taught fly fishing since 1996 and has authored dozens of articles on fly fishing techniques, tips, flies and locations. His guide service, Namebini, operates out of Duluth, MN and covers both the North and South Shore of Lake Superior. Currently, he serves as the Northern Minnesota Vice Chair for Trout Unlimited and as the manager for the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo. His book “Fly Fishing Minnesota” was released in 2022.

Geri was born and raised in eastern Washington state, but her fly fishing obsession started while vacationing in the blue mountains of Oregon in the mid 90s. While living in northern New Mexico she met her husband Mat Wagner, in 2006 they decided that they needed to move their family to the midwest to open a fly shop in The Driftless region of S.W. Wisconsin. Geri and her husband have owned the Driftless Angler for 17 years, and she has been guiding SW Wisconsin’s spring creeks for over 11 years. In 2015 Geri opened Women’s Fly Shop (formerly Athena & Artemis Women’s Fly Shop) so that women could have quality fly fishing apparel and gear all in one spot.

The owner of the Driftless Angler, Mat has been fly fishing and working in shops since he was 14. Born and raised in Michigan, he has fished and guided all over North America with time spent in Michigan, British Columbia, and Northern New Mexico. A self described small stream junkie, Mat is always willing to share tips and techniques for fishing the Driftless and beyond.

Kyle currently resides in the rural bluffs of Black Earth, WI and in 2013, he created Black Earth Angling Co., a fly fishing guide outfit focused providing clients with one-of-a-kind fishing experiences. Kyle guides full time for Driftless trout and the diverse warm water opportunities of the Wisconsin River. Kyle has become well known for his guide work on the Wisconsin River, specifically “The Crash,” and his work with a camera in the field as a fly fishing photographer. His photo work has appeared in notable publications such as, The Flyfish Journal, Eastern Fly Fishing, The Drake, Fly Fisherman, Midcurrent.com, and Hatch.com. Kyle has been lucky enough to fish in Mexico, Bahamas, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and extensively throughout the United States.

Dan is the author of ``The Orvis Beginner's Guide to Carp Flies`` and served as the the fly fishing editor of the magazine CarpPro. Growing up searching for fish to catch on a fly rod in South Dakota, Dan was one of the first to seek out carp on the fly. He has traveled the US fishing for carp nearly exclusively ever since. Dan has been a featured guest on the Orvis podcast and speaks regularly on fly fishing for carp across the country.

National Geographic Photographer Michael Melford has produced 18 stories for National Geographic Magazine and over 31 stories for National Geographic Traveler magazine, including nine covers. His work for the National Geographic magazine has been celebrating the marvels of national parks and wilderness areas around the world. In 2019 Michael was featured on five USPS stamps celebrating the Wild and Scenic rivers of the USA collection. His article on Pebble Mine ran in National Geographic in 2010 and he has followed the fight and donated images to all non-profits fighting the mine since.

Brent's photographs and articles about exploring the Northwoods with a fly rod have appeared in the Boundary Waters Journal and other publications. He is co-author with Carl Haensel of a forthcoming guidebook about fly fishing the BWCA and Quetico. Brent has directed numerous films and videos, including a few about fly fishing, and currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for Minnesota Trout Unlimited. A Professor of Film and Video at University of Wisconsin-Superior, Brent lives in Duluth with his fishing, canoeing, and life partner Cheri Henderson.

Mel Hayner is the owner of the Driftless Fly Fishing Company in Preston, MN. He grew up fishing the Au Sable in Michigan, and Oregon and Washington coastal streams. He has fished around the country and has been published in various fly fishing magazines. He has been fly fishing and tying flies for over forty years. Mel has been fishing in Southeast MN for over twenty years and guiding others for over a decade. His passion is showing others the joy of trout on a fly and the beauty of the Driftless Area.

Luke has been targeting carp for over ten years, and 2023 will be his fourth season as owner and head guide of Freshwater Flats Guide Service, LLC in southern Wisconsin. What initially attracted Luke to carp was their notorious power, but their enduring appeal for him has been their particular behavior and the places they take him. Luke is passionate about helping customers appreciate Wisconsin's incredible wetland resources and the unique fishing opportunities presented by carp.

Paul lives and works in Waconia, Minnesota, the unofficial fly fishing capital in Carver County. He likes to say he was a productive member of society until he discovered fly fishing. When he is not at his desk at the bank, he might just be at home behind his fly tying desk. Paul started tying flies over twelve years ago with a basic fly tying kit from Cabela’s. He was able to take what he started to learn from some books and an old Jack Dennis fly tying tape and expand on that with fly tying classes taught by John Mowery and Andy Roth at Bentley’s Fly Shop. Paul shares his passion for tying and continues to learn new patterns and techniques as part of the Laughing Trout Fly Fishing Club. Much of his tying output is donated to local Trout Unlimited chapters to support their fundraising efforts.

Paul owns PVS Angling, a guiding service, and has over forty years of angling experience on Lake Superior tributaries. He specializes in spey casting for trout and salmon on the Minnesota North Shore and Wisconsin's Brule River. Paul had a long career with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and has always strove to improve the health of our streams and rivers. He has an intimate knowledge of the area rivers, watersheds, flow patterns, hydrologic characteristics and factors this information into his angling strategies.

A St. Paul native, Brian grew up fishing Northern Pike and giant Bluegill in Northern Minnesota's Iron Range. After moving to River Falls, Wisconsin in 2001 he began working at Lund's Hardware & Fly Shop which introduced him to Brook & Brown Trout fishing on the Kinnickinnic River. Fishing for stream trout in the Northern Driftless Region broadened his love for fly fishing and fly tying. In 2011 after the hardware store closed he opened Lund's Fly Shop, just one block away from it's original location and only a few hundred feet from the banks of the beloved Kinni.

Jason is a float fishing guide for Root River Rod Company in Lanesboro, MN. While attending Winona State University he began fly fishing and co-founded the Winona State On The Fly club. After college, Jason spent 3 summers working for Sasquatch Fly Fishing in Estes Park, Colorado where he guided the small streams and alpine lakes of Rocky Mountain National Park. Since moving back to the midwest, Jason bought a raft and has found a unique balance between working as a full time engineer, staying involved in church and family events, and exploring the mostly uncharted floatable stretches of SE MN for trout and warm water species from his raft.

Gustavo grew up in Bahia Blanca a small town south of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic Coast. He developed a deep passion for fishing at a very young age. His parents would routinely take him on family vacations to Patagonia. After almost 20 years in the fly fishing industry Gustavo´s passion for fly fishing is untouched. He is continually looking out for new ventures around the country, training new guides and maintaining the highest level of customer satisfaction. Many years ago he founded Andes Drifters, and after joining forces with Andres and Marcelo, they founded SET Fly Fishing.

Mike Dvorak is a professional photographer living and working out of Minneapolis Minnesota. Having grown up in Dillon Montana, he learned to fly fish on the rivers, creeks and high mountain lakes of the area. Dvorak guides in the Wisconsin and Minnesota Driftless region when he’s not on assignment or in his darkroom. Follow him on Instagram at mikedflyphotography.

Craig created Fall Line Outfitters Co. in 2018 after serving a 20+ year military career. He embodies the American Spirit and wanted to create a unique small outdoor outfitting brand. The shop is located in Stevens Point, WI and provides instructional classes, as well as guiding in the Central Sands Region of Wisconsin. Craig and the shop support local organizations in town and the Stevens Point fly fishing club. If you are ever in the area, stop by and say hi, grab a cup of coffee and check out what they offer.

Seth Waters is a guide and the owner of Dark Waters Fly Shop and Guide Service in Iron River, Michigan. He specializes in fly fishing the western Michigan UP Lake Superior tributaries and western UP inland coldwater river systems.

Rick has been a fly fishing guide and outfitter in southwest Montana since 2010, focusing on the Missouri, Blackfoot, Madison, and various other rivers. Fly fishing has been a lifelong passion. Growing up in Connecticut, he caught the bug for Montana after helping a friend move out west. For Rick, living in Montana is like Disney Land for the fly fisherman. Rick is also an avid fly tier and enjoys teaching fly tying classes at the local library.

Monta is a teacher and guide at the Driftless Fly Fishing Company in Preston, MN. She grew up trout fishing with her family in Michigan and Oregon. She took up fly fishing 17 years ago after discovering the trout streams of the Driftless area. She has since spent many spring breaks with her brother, Mel Hayner, fishing the streams of SE Minnesota. Since joining Fly Fishing Women of Minnesota she has taught beginning fly fishing classes and became a mentor to club members and a mentor with the DNR Minnaqua fly fishing program.

To his mother’s great dismay, Peter became severely afflicted with OCFD (Obsessive Compulsive Fishing Disorder) at a very early age. He terminated his career in corporate finance to become a fly fishing guide five years ago. He started FlyDog Fly Fishing and guides on the upper St. Croix River in pursuit of smallmouth bass. The rest of the year he enjoys the privilege of fly fishing many extraordinary venues in the USA and around the world.

Rob Kimm is a writer, editor, speaker and multi-species angler who began fly fishing and fly tying at age 12. A former instructor at the In-Fisherman's Camp Fish and former Alaskan guide, his pursuit of trout and salmon has led him to numerous locations across the western US, Canada, and New Zealand. A native Minnesota, Rob now currently lives in St Paul Minnesota.

Scott Hanson has been tying flies and fly fishing for over 35 years. After spending 12 years working in the fly fishing industry, he has spent the past several years teaching his Fly Tying Essentials classes via community education departments throughout the Twin Cities. He also ties commercially for local fly shops and has authored dozens of fly tying articles for regional and national publications, including Fly Tyer and The Drake. He considers the fly rod to be the coolest tool that mankind has ever invented, and is a certified fiberglass fly rod junkie. Check out his new YouTube channel, CheckYourFly, for tying tutorials and more!

Scott's love for fly tying began as a child over 40 years ago. However, he feels he's still learning new things every day. Scott enjoys instructing others to perfect their skills and especially helping others overcome their tying problems. Minnesota having so many lakes has given Scott an outstanding opportunity to create panfish and bass flies that really work. The vast array of rivers and creeks has made Minnesota trout a great target as well. Scott loves realistic fly tying and now, over the last decade, tying with foam has become a passion.

David was born and raised in the Midwest along the St. Croix River and has been chasing fish for as long as he can remember. He now guides on the Upper Mississippi and St. Croix rivers, but spends plenty of time on other bodies of water across the Midwest. David’s passion is targeting trophy musky and smallmouth bass, and showing people the incredible fishing opportunities that the many rivers in our area have to offer.

PJ Smith is an Orvis Endorsed fly fishing guide in Wisconsin's Driftless region with over 25 years of experience. He left his full-time job of 26 years to pursue his passion and guide full-time. Just after learning to cast a fly rod, PJ sat down at a vise and has been tying everything from nymphs to musky flies ever since. PJ has explored countless streams and rivers in order to provide an exceptional guide experience. PJ runs both walk and wade trips for trout and float trips for trout, smallmouth and musky.