GUIDE SERVICES
Our guides at Fly Fishing Specialties are comprised of patient, hard-working professionals, dedicated to showing customers an enjoyable day on the water. Group trips and other custom outings are available upon request. If you are new to the sport or just looking to improve you fishing skills, there are on-stream clinics and spey casting classes available through the shop as well.
CAPT. TOBY UPPINGHOUSE
Toby is a lifelong angler from Northern California and guides the Trinity River, Sacramento River, Feather River, Yuba River, American River, and California Delta. With a passion for sharing his expertise, Toby enjoys guiding clients of all ages and experience levels.
CAPT. BRYCE TEDFORD
Guiding since 1997, Bryce has explored rivers and lakes in various locations, from Oregon to Argentina. With over 20 years of experience, Bryce moved to California in 2010 and now specializes in bass fishing in the Delta.
CAPT. CHUCK RAGAN
Capt. Chuck Ragan guides the Yuba River, Sacramento River striped bass, and spotted bass in the foothill lakes. Chuck is committed to escaping crowds for wild fishing spots and supports Cast Hope's mission of introducing kids to fishing and environmental conservation. Always positive, he delights in sharing knowledge and passing on the joy of fishing.
BRIAN CLEMENS
Brian was born/raised in Upstate NY where fishing was passed down through generations and some of his earliest memories are fishing with his family.
At 17, he joined the United States Air Force, became a U2 Aircraft Mechanic and stationed at Beale AFB, CA. After separating, he stayed in California and picked up his first fly rod in 2005. Since then, his fishy endeavors include waters in California, Oregon, Nevada, Mexico, New York, Hawaii and Alaska.
Brian started guiding in 2009, enjoys chasing all creatures that swim and guides the Yuba, Feather, Trinity, Lower Sac, Lower Klamath, American and CA Coastal Rivers.His guiding philosophy is he's a teacher first, a guide second, and in doing so you will become a more skillful angler with his guidance. While Brian teaches/guides/fishes all facets of fly/conventional fishing, he’s acquired a special affliction for chasing steelhead on the swing. In doing so, he's become very talented in demystifying the spey cast, gear, dos/don’ts and the art of swinging.
Each day on the water reminds him of 16th century Japanese saying Ichi-go Ichi-e. This proverb describes the concept of being present in all moments and treating each moment as a unique experience, enjoying it to the fullest before its lost forever.
Let's build those special memories together.
CAPT. ANDY GUIBORD
Andy is a bonded and insured guide with a Captain’s license, and he enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge of fly fishing with his clients. He guides on the rivers and delta of the Sacramento Valley, specializing in steelhead, stripers, bass, and shad. Over the years, Andy has had the pleasure of introducing many anglers, both young and old, to these wonderful species. He is also a skilled instructor, having taught many students the art of fly tying and casting single and two-handed rods.
CAPT. BEN THOMPSON
Ben Thompson was born in Northern California and grew up in the country catching bass and bluegill on farm ponds with conventional tackle. As a teenager he dove headfirst into the world of fly fishing and never looked back. He started spending a lot of time on the local rivers chasing trout, steelhead, shad and stripers. As his passion grew he began to travel in search of different fish in different places, and at age 19 spent an entire summer in Montana living out of his car, throwing dry flies at trout every day. He enjoys chasing different species in different places and continues to travel in search of fish.
Now in his thirties, Ben is a full time fly fishing guide on the Lower Feather, Lower Sacramento and Lower Yuba rivers. The diversity of these fisheries keeps things interesting, while keeping on top of each of them is manageable. A very passionate individual, he has a strong work ethic and a desire to always put people on fish while having a great time doing so. That being said he wants to find out the clients goals at the beginning of the day and achieve them, whether they want to focus on learning, or if they want to catch as many fish as possible, or if they want to just have a laid back chill day, he can tailor make each trip accordingly.
JON HUBBARD
Jon Hubbard fell in love with fly fishing at age 13 in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Self-taught from the ground up (YouTube didn't exist yet!), he put in a lot of time on the water to learn California's unique fisheries, their seasons and bugs from the Trinity on down to the Owens and everything in between. Jon is first and foremost a steelhead and trout bum, but enjoys striper fishing, top water bass and dabbling in the salt. After almost 30 years on the water, Jon has caught enough steelhead and trout for a lifetime and is happier now getting folks out on the river to experience the joy and adventure of a day spent fly fishing on our local waters.
CAPT. PATRICK MACKENZIE
Captain Patrick MacKenzie has been a licensed captain and fly fishing guide for 8 years, specializing in targeting striped bass in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born and raised in Sonoma, California, Patrick discovered fly fishing shortly after high school. What started as a way to explore the outdoors quickly evolved into a deeper connection with nature, allowing him to interact with and appreciate the natural world without taking from it.
With a rich history of fly fishing in San Francisco Bay and its tributaries, Patrick is proud to carry on that tradition by guiding others in their pursuit of striped bass. His passion for the sport and dedication to sharing it with others makes every day on the water a new and exciting experience.
Captain Patrick looks forward to sharing his knowledge and love of fly fishing with those who join him on this journey.
RYAN WILLIAMS
Ryan is best known for starting up the float n fly technique for bass on the fly rod in 2014. He's also known for winning with his fly rod, the 178 boat Wild West BT Tournament on Lake Shasta in 2021. In this tournament, Ryan competed against just about all the best pro bass anglers in Northern CA. This was the first time in US history a fly angler won a major bass tournament. Before the big tournament win, Ryan spent countless hours fishing and guiding for bass on the fly rod on Lake Oroville. His dedication and generosity with information over the years has put many public Northern CA lakes on the map, as now being considered legitimate fly fishing destinations.
Ryan also guides full time during the Fall for steelhead on the Feather River. Living in Oroville CA, this is his local home water. Along with Lake Oroville for bass for the rest of the year. You can also find Ryan at times chasing largemouth on Thermalito Afterbay and Clear Lake, along with Lake Berryessa for all bass species as well.
STAN JORGENSEN
Stan, a Northern California native, grew up immersed in the valley tailwaters, where he developed an intimate knowledge of the region's rivers. Currently, he guides on the lower American, Yuba, and Feather Rivers, and also pursues big browns on the upper stretches of the American River.
Introduced to the art of fly fishing by his father at a young age, Stan's passion for the sport was ignited early on. Venturing across Northern California and the Sierras, he honed his skills, often pedaling down to the American River with his father's rod in tow to chase steelhead whenever the opportunity arose.
A versatile angler, Stan is skilled at tackling a variety of species and environments, whether it's pursuing stripers on the American, steelhead on the Feather, trout on the Yuba, or throwing streamers on the upper forks of the American River for browns.
CAPT. HOGAN BROWN
Growing up on the Lower Yuba River as an only child with a bug collection and a passion for catching fish using imitations of those bugs didn’t make Hogan the coolest kid around. Fortunately, he got over it and persevered, eventually choosing to row a drift boat and guide the Lower Yuba rather than live in the woods, bitter and resentful.
Now living in Chico, CA, Hogan guides for anything that swims—from trout to striped bass, carp to steelhead. Whether he's in a drift boat or poling a mud flat for carp, he feels right at home. Guiding the Lower Yuba River, Feather River, and Lower Sacramento River for stripers, trout, steelhead, shad, carp, and bass has made Hogan one of the most versatile and experienced guides in Northern California.
530 OUTFITTERS
The 530 Outfitter’s Co-op was created to bring together some of the most talented, hard-working guides to further a common purpose: to share a passion for fly fishing and the stewardship of nature with like-minded anglers.
Don’t let the name fool ya, 530 Outfitters was born with the idea of keeping it organic and classy. A true co-op where guides can pursue their careers by sharing their passions with clients. As tides rise, so shall our boats. It’s about our community and how we can better serve it around fly fishing. It’s about understanding our guests' needs and providing the best experiences. Keeping it simple and fun everyday.