Kerry Almond Co-Owner, Head Guide
Kerry Almond, Head Guide and Co-Owner hails from Pocatello Idaho. Raised in a family who embraced the great outdoors where fly fishing and hunting were a big part of his upbringing. Even in his teenage years, Kerry was always happiest on the water where he displayed a natural talent for reading water and finding fish in any condition.
Kerry moved to the West Yellowstone area and began his guiding career at the world famous Bud Lilly’s Trout Shop. Since then, he has been guiding in Idaho, SW Montana and Yellowstone National Park and is a highly regarded guide with a very loyal following. He is known for his excitement, patience and ability to teach.
A day on the water with Kerry is one full of laughs, educational conversation, and FUN. He loves to spend days with beginners and teaching them the fundamentals of fly fishing, especially with dry flies when possible. Kerry runs a lot of trips with youngsters and families.
Tony Nichols Co-Owner, Guide
Guide/Co-owner of Yellowstone Fly Shop , Tony was raised in Southern Iowa where he fell in love with the trout streams of the Driftless Area in Northeast Iowa and Southwest Wisconsin. Tony picked up fly fishing at a very young age. His quest for Large and Smallmouth Bass with a spinning rod quickly turned into the ultimate challenge when he picked up an old fly rod of his dad’s in the garage. You could say he was hooked from the very beginning as he has never really fished for anything without some type of fly rod be it single or double handed ever since.
Since these early days, he has fly fished all over North America, from chasing steelhead in B.C., giant Brown Trout on the White River in Northern Arkansas to all things trout throughout the West. He has learned from some of the best anglers in the world along the way. Wether it’s chasing Cutthroat in and around Yellowstone National Park or wary Rainbows of the Henry’s Fork and Madison rivers to the endless backcountry options that offer lots of solitude.
It’s these waters that he has spent the last 30 years exploring and sharing with others. An avid outdoorsman and fitness junkie, there is nothing that brings him more joy than watching clients hook-up on their first trout and watch as the fire for the sport gets ignited in them and they begin to discuss their next trip back.
Chandler Hill, Guide
Chandler Hill is a native Texan who took up fly fishing with his father at a young age. While attending the University of Tennessee, Chandler would often slip away from the books to fish in the Smoky Mountains, where he found a passion for alpine streams. Following school, he spent nearly a decade on the West Coast working in the yacht racing industry. This provided many opportunities to explore the fisheries of the Eastern Sierra, and Northern California Mountains.
After a few trips to Montana, Chandler decided to step into the fly fishing industry. This will be his second season as a full time guide. Fishing with Chandler, you can expect a lighthearted and fun, yet scientific approach. Chandler describes himself as a "trout nerd" and loves sharing his passion for conservation and the outdoors. In the offseason, you can catch him tying flies, or racing sailboats in Southern California.
Dave Hardy, Guide
Dave takes great pride in his specialty: helping families embark on amazing adventures! He spent many years as a guide on the Green River in Utah and grew up in Alaska, where he chased King and Red salmon across the Kenai Peninsula. His most excellent catch is a wonderful wife and raising eight children.
Dave has been a teacher for over 15 years and enjoys teaching guests the techniques of fly fishing, watching them discover fulfillment and satisfaction in the sport. In addition to guiding, Dave teaches Gyotaku, fish printing classes, in Yellowstone (fish-360.com) and creates handcrafted wood fly boxes."
Jesse James, Guide
Jesse James was born in Colorado, but claims Idaho as his home. Out of high school, he joined the Army and served for 4 years at Fort Carson. After getting discharged, he and his wife moved to Island Park, ID. Jesse will often be found outside, whether it is fishing, hunting, hiking, or exploring the trails in the area on his motorcycle.
While this is Jesse's first year guiding, he has been fishing for the majority of his life. He attended Sweetwater Guide School in Montana in the fall of 2024. He enjoys sharing his hobbies with others and looks forward to taking clients out on the water.