Guided Fishing Trips

Matt Canter was born in High Point, North Carolina, and has been in love with anything that involves water and fish since kindergarten. He spent his youth fishing farm ponds in between family trips to the mountains and coast, where fishing tended to be the activity of choice. While attending Western Carolina University, Matt spent as much or more time on the rivers as he did in the classroom. After graduating, he immediately started guiding full-time for Brookings, and a few years later an opportunity to start managing the shop became available. After more than a decade of managing Brookings, Matt made a life long wish come true, and became majority owner in the business. When Matt is not at the shop or out guiding, he is probably spending time outdoors with his young family. They call Brevard, NC home and enjoy to camp, mountain bike, fish, hunt, and hike together.

Ben is originally from Asheville NC, but now lives here in Cashiers and guides for us full time at the shop. When he's not guiding you can usually find him exploring new streams in the area or chasing musky on the fly. As the weather gets colder he likely has his sights set south towards warmer climates. Whether it be Snook in Sanibel, Tarpon in Islamorada or Lowcountry Redfish. However its only a matter of time before he's back on his home waters here in Cashiers NC. Whether floating down the Tuck or wading up the Chattooga, Ben enjoys sharing new water and strategies with clients here in his backyard.

Tanner is a native of Sylva, NC and has been exposed to mountain outdoor life since he could crawl.  Whether your looking to chase native "specks" on a small stream, or connect with a big brown trout on a streamer, Tanner can get the job done!

Evan is a native of Cashiers, NC and has had a passion for fishing his entire life.  Whether you want to cast small dry flies for rising trout, or cast trout sized lures for mondo largemouth bass, Evan can do it all!

Jake is a senior at Western Carolina University studying Parks and Recreation Management. He hasn't been fly fishing long, but has spent every free moment exploring the local streams and rivers learning about the diverse ecosystems in the area. Fly fishing has quickly become a passion that Jake is eager to share with others and he plans to do just that here at Brookings. 

Savana grew up in Walhalla, South Carolina and is a Parks and Recreation graduate from Western Carolina University. She grew up trout fishing the Chauga and Chattooga river with her dad, but recently has grown a love for fly fishing. Savana has previously worked as a park ranger in the upstate of SC, but hopes to start a career in the fly fishing industry.

Hunter is originally from Wilkes County, NC, but is currently a senior at Western Carolina University where he is majoring in Natural Resource Conservation and Management. Hunter enjoys all the aspects of fly fishing but he truly enjoys exploring small mountain streams chasing wild trout but when not fishing for trout he can be found going after smallmouth bass in the rivers.

Originally from Georgia, I grew up fishing western North Carolina. I learned to fly fish in the western NC area at a young age alongside my father and honed my skills throughout my early adult years. My first experience ever fly fishing was on the local Tuckaseegee river. I attended college at UNC Wilmington on North Carolina’s coast where I earned a degree in environmental science but still managed to spend most of my time fishing marshes and creeks for redfish and bass. One of my favorite things about fly fishing here in Western NC is being able to target wild fish on small streams.

Chase Gray grew up in Walhalla, SC, and currently attends Western Carolina University. When he is not in class, he greatly enjoys spending time outside with his camera and fly rod. Other than fishing, Chase loves spending time with friends and family, and traveling around the states capturing photos.

Alex was raised in Charlotte, NC and is currently a resident of Sylva, NC. He spends most of his time during the spring, fall, and winter on the small trout streams of Western North Carolina, and his summers chasing bass on the fly all over the southeast. Regardless of what you want to do, he can get it done!

Roger Lowe was born in Waynesville, North Carolina, and has enjoyed fishing all his life. He started tying flies and fly fishing at a very early age. Roger had his own fly shop for twelve years and has been guiding twenty-five years. He offers wade trips and enjoys a day floating local rivers. Having been a fly tyer for forty years, Roger also offers fly tying instruction.

As a resident of Highlands, NC fly fishing is a part of daily life for Rhett. Rhett is a laid back kind of guy and a great fly fishing instructor. Along with with his fishing skills, he is also a highly accomplished wood-worker.

Daniel Smith was raised in King, North Carolina and began his love for fishing on farm ponds for bass and blue gill. He found his passion for trout fishing during his teenage years, which quickly turned into a passion for fly fishing. Daniel moved to the mountains of North Carolina 6 years ago to be closer to the best trout streams in NC.

Originally from Charleston, SC, Josh is a lifelong waterman, and has been fly fishing devotee for over 20 years. He lived, surfed, and fly fished in Iceland for two years, back before it was on the fly fishing map. Josh chased Redfish on the flats and Blue Marlin offshore before realizing his true passion- wrangling trout in Western NC and spreading the gospel of fly fishing.

Trevor grew up in South Carolina, but has thoroughly covered ALL of the Carolinas fly fishing for fresh and saltwater species with equal passion for both.  He is also an avid big game hunter, chasing many species on DIY backcountry trips with his bow.

Raised in Hickory, NC Preston spent nearly all of his free time growing up skiing in the high country around Blowing Rock, NC and learned to tie flies from David Hise, a master fly tyer and fly designer, at an early age. He moved to the Cashiers area 6 years ago and has been pursuing trout with a fly rod in hand nearly every day since. His specialties are big river nymphing and dry fly fishing for trout from drift boats, as well as casting instructing.

Korey was raised in South Carolina, but found his passion for the mountains while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Since then, he’s been fly fishing backcountry waters all over the Carolinas. He also enjoys traveling, trying to fish, hike, and hunt his way across as many wild places as possible.

Jack Mincey was born and raised in Cullowhee, North Carolina, next to the Tuckasegee River where he caught his first trout. As a child he fished the lakes and streams in Western North Carolina. At the age of eight he started fly fishing for pan fish in the local lakes with his father. This progressed into fishing the local trout streams with a fly by the age of twelve. Jack has fished every mile of many of the streams in Western North Carolina and has been guiding the local waters for more than twenty-three years. Over the last few years he has specialized in fishing the Tuckasegee River with clients.

Marc Laurin Marc was born and raised in Palm Beach County, Florida. If he wasn’t in school, he was chasing snook and anything else with gills and fins at the local bridges, jetties, and spillways. At age 11, he started spending the summers in WNC with extended family. This is where his passion for fly fishing began. He continued the tradition of coming to North Carolina with his children to share with them his love of the mountains. Marc is now fortunate to spend the winter guiding the flats of Sarasota and Charlotte harbors in hunt of snook, redfish and tarpon, and the summer guiding the many creeks and rivers of Jackson County and the Smoky Mountains.

Fisher is a local to the Cashiers area. He has grown up fishing all the streams and rivers wnc has to offer. Fisher has a wealth of knowledge of all aspects of fly fishing and is eager to teach what he knows. Anything from small mountain brook trout to chasing tarpon on the fly.

Tyler is a native of Mountain Rest, SC and learned to fly fish when he was 11 years old with a guide out of Brookings many years ago!  His passion for the sport has only grown over the years, and has now come back to Brookings as a guide to share his knowledge of the local area with others thirsty to learn.

Jim is a native of Jackson County, and fly fishing is a family tradition. His father taught him and his brothers, Jack and Bill, how to fly fish when they were young boys. His dad would take them camping on the White Water River just about every summer weekend. This is where Jim fell in love fly fishing the wild mountain streams. His son Mitch is keeping this family tradition going, he is also a fly fishing guide. There are not very many streams in the Cashiers area Jim hasn’t fished. The White Water River, Caney Fork, Thompson River, Chattooga River, Tuckaseigee River and Big Creek are streams he is very familiar with. Jim is also familiar with several of the streams in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park where he spends a lot of time riding his horse and fishing. He started guiding around 1985 part time, and has always enjoyed taking people fishing as well as showing them this beautiful area. Jim retired from Duke Energy last year with 41 years, and now has plenty of time to do something he really loves, and that is take people fishing. Jim lives with his wife Frances in Cullowhee N.C.

Eddie McCrady was born in Atlanta, GA, and has been fishing the western North Carolina mountains since he was little. After graduating from UVa and fishing the surrounding Shenandoah Valley, Eddie moved to Victor, Idaho and worked for WorldCast Anglers. He currently lives in Atlanta and guides part time for Brookings.

Simons Welter grew up in Statesville, NC, and is currently living in Spartanburg, SC. She graduated from Clemson University in 1988, is happily married and the mother of two grown children.

Simons spends all of her spare time on the rivers of North Carolina and upstate South Carolina, with a special love of fishing small streams for native brook trout on dry flies.

She has been guiding, mentoring and teaching fly fishing for the past 11 years, including working with Becoming an Outdoors Woman, Casting for Recovery and Casting Carolinas.

Simons has fished in a dozen states, numerous foreign countries and is a member of Mountain Bridge Trout Unlimited.

Travis is a native of Waynesville, NC and has spent nearly all of his life fly fishing.  With his extensive career in education, he is one of the best instructors in the area for beginners pursuing the sport of fly fishing.