Out Fly Fishing outfitters
Guides
Josh Nugent (Outfitter and Guide) |
||
|
Josh learned to fly fish at the age of six. By the time he was in Junior High he was giving casting lessons to other kids from his school. After completing a coaching diploma and playing basketball for Red Deer College Josh moved to Calgary. Once again he was back on the Bow river. His passion and love of fly fishing are second to none. In 2003 Josh started Out Fly Fishing outfitters Ltd at the urging of others in the industry. Guiding put Josh through the rest of his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Calgary. "During my undergrad I couldn't always tell you what happened during class, but I could tell you what the trout were eating." Josh did his Master's Thesis on the visual characteristics of expert fly casters with respect to accuracy. His thesis was an eye tracking study where expert caster's eye movements were monitored while casting to targets. It examined the visual characteristics of expert casters with respect to accuracy, and what gaze characteristics are associated with accurate vs inaccurate performances. His thesis also addressed manipulations of attentional focus, and which is more conducive to an accurate performance. His study is the first of its kind in the fly casting world. "When I started this company at the age of 21 it was a risk. At 21 you won't be afforded the mistakes competitors twice your age would be, and I'm ok with that. I knew from day one that I was half the age everyone expected a fly fishing guide to be, but to me that simply meant I had to work twice as hard if I wanted to get people's attention." That is what Josh has done and continues to do. On a river as world renowned as the Bow river there is going to be competition in the industry. Competition is a great thing, because competition forces Outfitters and guides to work harder and strive to provide the best service possible for their clients. That's why day in and day out you'll find Josh is the last one off the water. At the end of the day he's exhausted, that's because his idea of rowing a drift boat involves hitting every seam, as many times a necessary to make sure his clients have the best opportunity to catch fish. Bow river trout are worth more than one pass, and not every seam is reachable from the bank. Josh's philosophy has, and continues to be, "it's your day O.F.F. not ours. It should be fun, memorable, and every second as long as you wish it to be". | _1.jpg) |
|
Naoto Aoki |
||
 | Out Fly Fishing outfitters is proud to announce one if its newest members Naoto Aokoi, joining us for the 2010 guiding season. Naoto Aoki was born in Banff, Alberta where he began fly fishing at a very early age, although he spent most of his life in Peterborough, Ontario. With fly fishing as his main focus, he has traveled the globe, pursuing some of the greatest game fish the world has to offer. From Peacock Bass deep in the Amazon to Atlantic Salmon in the pristine rivers of Iceland, there is not too much Naoto has not caught on a
fly. Naoto is an outdoor writer and photographer and is regularly featured in such magazines as The Canadian Fly Fisher and Outdoor Canada. He is also a co-host of Fly Max Films and the new and upcoming show Fly Nation. Naoto has guided all over Canada and is extremely excited to add the world famous Bow River to his list! He has spent countless hours on the river and can't wait to start guiding the Bow. Naoto is as gifted with people as he is with a fly rod or a camera so he is a welcome and experienced addition to the O.F.F. team. |
|
Akasha Bopp |
||
|
Akasha Bopp joined Out Fly Fishing outfitters back in 2006. In 2003 Akasha and Josh coached club basketball together and have been fishing together since. Akasha worked as a high school social studies teacher for 11 years. He completed his Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership Training and now works as a consultant in community and economic development. Akasha has been learning and helping others learn about fly fishing for over twenty years. He cut his teeth fly fishing on the many small streams in southern Alberta while growing up in Pincher Creek. Akasha's family has since moved away however his wife's family still resides right along the banks of the Crowsnest river which affords Akasha the opportunity to still frequent his old stomping grounds as often as possible. Akasha specializes in helping beginners enjoy the sport of fly fishing that he loves so much. He also has a passion for stalking surprisingly large trout in skinny water, which the Bow river is famous for. Although he enjoys fishing the Bow, his true love is the waters in the deep south of Alberta like the Crowsnest, the Livingston, and the Oldman along with the many other smaller tributaries in the area. Akasha's local knowledge and connections give him access to areas most of us can only dream about. |  |
|
Todd Clark |
||
 | Todd has been guiding on the Bow and Southern Alberta waters for over a decade. Todd's attitude is as upbeat as it is infectious. With Todd having fun is first and foremost, everything else comes after that. Todd's the perfect match for the beginner fly fisher as his positive attitude is matched by his patience and knowledge base.
Todd also has an uncanny ability to put his guests on fish. It seems whenever you see Todd one or both of his guests have a fish on. Its always a joy to see Todd on the water as one can usually hear laughter coming from his boat, as Todd's follows his belief that it has to be fun. After all if you can't have fun fly fishing when can you... |
|
Mike Venhuis |
||
|
Mike Venhuis joined O.F.F. before the 2009 season. When Mike first came to Josh about the possibility of guiding it was impossible to overlook the enthusiasm he had for guiding. Mike's dedication and willingness to spend his days O.F.F. on the water absorbing the subtleties of our fisheries made it difficult to overlook Mike. Mike started fishing when he was three years old. His dad, who enjoyed fishing mountain streams, introduced him to the sport. Seventeen years later, Mike's favorite fishing is walk and wade fishing on the mountain streams, but each day on he spends on the bow makes it harder and harder to leave it. Mike grew to love fly fishing because of its challenging, yet relaxing and peaceful nature. Mike worked extremely hard for our clients and 2009 marked not simply his first year of guiding but his first in what we're sure will be many more years to come. Mike's enthusiasm and willingness to work hard for our clients ensure that any guest will be sure to enjoy their day O.F.F. |  |
|