Guide Profiles

Kirk has been fly fishing for 20 years, and guiding for 12 years. His favorite places to fly fish are Rocky Mountain National Park, specifically Forest Canyon and the Big Thompson River below Lake Estes. Kirk also guides backpacking and llama pack trips. His favorite fishing buddies are his kids, Luke and Addy.

Gary, Kirk’s Dad, began fly fishing with Kirk 20 years ago, and has been guiding at Kirks for 12 years as well. His favorite place to fish in RMNP is Lake Louise, and his favorite guided trips are horseback trips and llama pack trips. He is often referred to as the “llama whisperer” by clients, and most days in the summer can be found trekking in llamas with clients to high mountain lakes. In his off time he enjoys playing with his grandkids at his home he and his wife, Vicki share in Estes Park. Grandma Vicki watches Luke and Addy just about every day in the summer while Mom, Dad and Grandpa are busy with the shop!

Darren has been guiding with Kirks Mountain Adventures for 8 years now. When not on the water with clients you can find him helping customers in the shop at Kirks. He lives in Lyons, Colorado with his wife of 27 years. Darren is also an accomplished artist, he paints his favorite subject, trout, in watercolor and oil paintings. Fly fishing with clients in Rocky Mountain National Park and showing people the beautiful wild trout found there is one of the favorite parts of his summer. Darren guides backpack and llama pack trips into RMNP as well as guiding fly fishing trips.

Mike has been guiding for Kirks for 9 years and is not only a resident, year-round fly fishing guide on the Big Thompson River and in RMNP, but also guides most of our Longs Peak trips, as well as snowshoeing trips, overnight backpacking trips, llama trips and trips over the Divide. Mike’s speciality is trips over the Divide via Boulder Grand Pass, fishing Thunder Lake and Lake Verna on the way, and hiking to and fishing pristine high mountain lakes. He is also an avid climber and can be found hanging off the rock when he is not fishing.

Ryan is originally from Atlanta, GA, and moved to Colorado in 1996 to attend college at Western State University in Gunnison, CO. That’s where Ryan started fly fishing seriously. He moved back to Atlanta after college for a few years and picked up saltwater fly fishing. It wasn’t long after a few years of city living he knew he had to get back to Colorad0 and do what he loves. Ryan loves to see the excitement and joy it brings to people catching fish on the fly in one of the most beautiful places in the country. Clients love his simple and laid back way if teaching. When he’s not guiding or fishing with friends you can find him climbing or skiing.

Jerry has 25 years of fly fishing experience guiding the Rocky Mountain Region waters. His passion is to have the client have a memorable experience on the water, a memory that always will be embedded in their mind, and to introduce novice or seasoned fishers to techniques that will reward them with success when they return solo to the river. As a guide, he not only guarantees catching fish, but to entertain the client for a memory that will last a lifetime. His approach; Be safe, have fun, relax, be patient, and build confidence. This approach will have success in hooking and landing fish all while experiencing the “WOW FACTOR”! When not guiding or tying flies you can find Jerry fishing waters in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

Christopher caught his first fish at age two and never looked back.  Growing up in Wisconsin meant a lot of fishing for Christopher. Family vacations all revolved around fishing and he followed his father to the water every chance he got.  Living on Wisconsin lakes made access easy and the sport never grew old for Christopher. Moving to Colorado in 2001, he sought to expand on his fly fishing, including tail-waters, creeks, lakes, warm water systems and high mountain adventure; he loves it all. Fishing with either kids or adults, he believes nothing is better than fishing, except sharing the experience. And with 200 days a year spent on the water he has some sharing to do!

Duane has been a fly fisherman, horseman and avid outdoorsman all his life, having grown up in Wyoming ranch country. He has spent years fishing throughout the Rocky Mountains and across Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Montana and Idaho. He lives year round in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, and has been professionally guiding in Rocky Mountain National Park for the past five years. Duane has guided all major streams, rivers and lakes on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountain National Park, as well as hiked nearly every trail and backcountry area. Duane feels equally at home in a river as he does on horseback, and loves to combine the two with overnight backcountry trips into the National Park. He enjoys introducing novice fisherman to fly fishing, and takes pride in watching students and friends grow into accomplished fly fisherman and women. DuaneSimmons.com

Ryan has been guiding for Kirks since the beginning, and in the summer can be found on the Big Thompson or in RMNP. He also enjoys fly fishing all over Colorado in his free time. When he is not busy in the summer, he is a high school teacher and wrestling coach in Loveland, CO, where he lives with his wife, Karen and their German Shorthair, Benna.

Rick is a Fort Collins native who has been guiding with Kirk’s for over three years now. In addition to showing clients the beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park and the Big Thompson Canyon, Rick has spent several seasons in Alaska, where he has guided clients on salmon, dolly varden, and rainbow trout. Along with guiding, Rick is an accomplished fly tier who enjoys tying streamers to be used for chasing big fish. Because he is a Colorado native, Rick provides a wealth of local fishing knowledge to clients. Along with helping clients catch fish in Estes Park, Rick is a great resource for different fisheries across the state.

Andrew grew up in Texas, but became one of the shop’s first clients when he started taking trips to Colorado with his dad around 2002. Since then, he has become one of the shop’s most reliable guides, dedicating his time, energy, and energetic personality to helping clients not only have fun on the water but create lifelong memories. Andrew is one of our main float trip guides and can be heard hollering up and down the river whenever his clients hook a fish. In the off-season, he loves spending extra time with his wife and taking trips to fish at Pyramid Lake in Nevada to fish for huge cutthroat.

John’s passion for fly fishing was first stoked on the streams of Pennsylvania while he was studying at Penn State University. Immediately following graduation, John moved to Colorado and quickly became one of the shops most versatile guides due to his love for the backcountry. During the peak summer months, he will likely be found guiding overnight backpacking trips or llama pack trips for several days at a time to remote lakes in RMNP to fish for cutthroat trout. In the winter, John enjoys backcountry skiing, and has worked at several resorts in both Colorado and Utah. For several years, a goal of his has been to ski at least one day during every month of the year.

Liam can be found with a smile on his face 365 days out of the year, and considers fishing and skiing his two biggest passions. Liam has worked with Kirks Fly Shop for over three years, having guided wade trips, overnight backpacking trips, and float trips. Seeing clients catch big brown trout on Colorado River float trips is one of his favorite parts of guiding, but he also enjoys guiding the small streams of RMNP for native brook and cutthroat trout. Liam graduated from Colorado College in Colorado Springs and works ski patrol during the winter. No matter the trip, Liam loves showing clients a good time and cracking jokes while out on the water.

“Downstream Dave” started with Kirk’s in 2016 and has guided several hundred trips since then. David loves working with first-time fly fishers and seeing the excitement they experience when they land their first trout on a fly rod. David is an expert when it comes to fishing dries and dry-droppers in the Big Thompson Canyon, and can show clients some of the best public water surrounding Estes Park. Aside from fishing, David enjoys hanging out with his dog “Hatch” and hunting deer, elk, and pheasant with friends.

Stephen G is a Colorado native and has been fishing for years. “Fly fishing and guiding are two of my favorite things to do. They may seem like the same thing to some people, but each comes with its own set of challenges and goals. I’m thankful for all the time I get to spend on the water and for all the memories that are made doing so!”