Fly Fishing Guide Staff

Kirk Bien

Gary Bien

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 Christiansen

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 Caldwell

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.

Andrew Davis

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 family and taking trips to Pyramid Lake in Nevada to fish for huge cutthroat.

Jerry Lehtinen

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 Weber

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 Simmons

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.

John Carey

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 Baldridge

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.

David Dance

“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 Galambos

Tyler Smith

Tyler is originally from Georgia where he grew up Fly Fishing in the North Georgia mountains. He moved to Colorado after graduating college and began guiding. Tyler loves guiding in Rocky Mountain National Park and on the Big Thompson River. Euro nymphing and streamer fishing are two of his favorite methods to target trout. Tyler employs a laid back approach to the sport of fly fishing and enjoys sharing his love of fishing with all skill levels. When not guiding or fishing he can be found big game hunting or spending time in the outdoors.

Kirks Flyshop is proud to offer the most knowledgeable fly fishing guides in the Rocky Mountains. We take pride in getting our clients onto the fish. Whether it is one of our private water excursions or a fly fishing lesson we have your covered. So don't spend another year wishing you were on the water, contact us today!

Does Fly Line and Rod Weight Matter?

September 5, 2023

Fly fishing gear is distinctly different than conventional tackle and many beginners who come into our Colorado fly shop commonly ask the question “Does line and rod weight matter?“. The short answer is “Yes!”. Picking the right line and rod for the type of fishing you plan to…

Benefits of an Overnight Float Fishing Trip

July 19, 2023

Our overnight float fishing trips provide a unique opportunity to disconnect from the daily grind and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the river. This adventure allows you to catch wild brown and rainbow trout while enjoying the serene surroundings and camping under the stars. The upper…

The Best Time to Fly Fish Estes Park

June 20, 2023

There are many reasons to fly fish Estes Park year-round. But the different seasons bring different approaches and every angler seeks different things out of fly fishing in Colorado. From fly fishing tailwaters in the winter to Rocky Mountain National Park fly fishing in high mountain lakes and…

Fly Fishing Guide Staff

RECENT POSTS

Does Fly Line and Rod Weight Matter?

Benefits of an Overnight Float Fishing Trip

The Best Time to Fly Fish Estes Park

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER