Oh, you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been asked the by clients – half-joking, half-dead-serious – “So, when are you planning to get a real job?” Yes, even after knowing I’ve been at this for nearly a dozen years across the globe, guiding people to some of the best fisheries in the world. My initial reaction used to be giving them the “are-you-kidding-me” glare, taking a deep breath, and launching into a speech about how this isn’t just a job—it’s a lifestyle, a philosophy, blah blah blah...

Then one day, I decided to flip the script. “What exactly do you mean by a real job?” I’d ask, just to see what kind of “real” these folks were talking about. The answers were as predictable as you’d imagine: “You know, dreading the alarm in the morning, sitting under fluorescent lights for eight hours, collecting a steady paycheck, and then heading home like a hamster off its wheel.” Oh, sure, I could nod along. “Yep, I do my eight hours too… and yes, sometimes my boss is a tyrant,”. “But no thanks, I’ll pass on trading in my months off each year. I’d rather get paid to chase fish around the world!”

Every so often, though, I’d get some answers that hit a little too close to home. “What happens when you’re 50, and your body can’t handle rowing, poling, and wading up to your waist for 200 days a year anymore? Aren’t you worried about burning out? What about a family? Retirement?” Those were the moments that got the gears turning. What could I do differently? How could I keep doing what I love without running myself into the ground? What’s the magic formula for balancing guiding and traveling without one making me sick of the other? And where does starting a family fit into all this?

Flash forward to one changeover day in Chile, where I was guiding for King salmon. It was that time of the week when one group of guests heads out, and the next crew of eager anglers rolls in. We’d just wrapped up a lunch under the big tent, the sun shining, and everyone started pulling out their tackle. Picture a fly shop suddenly exploding onto the table—rods, reels, lines, leaders, and, naturally, flies. Now, guides typically don’t put much stock in the flies clients bring along—too big, too flashy, too light, or, worst of all, tied on the wrong hook. But these guys… oh man, their flies were something else. Wrong colors, wrong sizes, wrong everything. Like showing up to a gunfight with a butter knife. When I asked if they’d caught Kings on those flies before, the answer was, of course, “Nope, the agent recommended them.” Great. There goes my fly box...

Same story, different country. Guiding for Atlantic salmon, people would show up with gear that hadn’t been relevant since the turn of the century—windcutters and long belly spey lines, completely oblivious to the fact that line design had evolved and could’ve made their lives so much easier. One day, I read the pre-trip the agent had sent them—it hadn’t been updated in eight years! Seriously?

And let’s not even get into the clients who show up barely able to walk, ready to brave the jungle, or the anglers expecting to catch Atlantic salmon on hitch flies in September because someone told them it was a thing. Or the ones who didn’t know that alcohol, flies, or transfers weren’t included in the package... The list goes on.

That’s how the Fly Wide project was born—out of a need to save anglers from themselves. It’s about matching the right angler with the right fishery, using the real-world knowledge I’ve picked up over the years, along with a little help from some top-notch guiding friends around the globe. We’re talking no secrets, no hidden fees, just seamless, non-cost guidance through a catalog of handpicked destinations. Whether it’s all-inclusive lodges worldwide or custom road trips through Patagonia and the Caribbean, we’ve got it covered. You’ll get up-to-date pre-trip info, premium guides’ fly selections, and even some sweet discounts on gear once you decide where you want to toss your fly next.

Because let’s face it: life’s too short for the wrong tackle.