The 2024 season is upon us, and once again The Fly Fisher’s Place is the home shop for the best guides in Central Oregon. Highly skilled, and a lot of fun to fish with, FFP’s guides provide trusted, proven, and dedicated service to clients on the pristine alpine lakes and beautiful rivers of Sisters Country and beyond.
Here at the Fly Fisher’s Place, we pride ourselves on creating a fantastic guided fishing experience for our friends and clients of all skill levels. We are proud of our guides, proud of the excellent professional services they provide, and are excited to introduce them to you here, so that you might get to know them before you hit the waters for a great day of fishing.
FLY FISHING GUIDES OF THE FLY FISHER’S PLACE:
Jeff Perin
Jeff Perin is the long time owner of the Fly Fisher’s Place and Guide Service after taking over the business from Harry and Dee Teel in 1991.
Jeff has been guiding and teaching since 1989 and focuses his guided trips on East Lake, Paulina Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, Lava Lake, Hosmer Lake, Fall River and the Upper Deschutes.
Jeff started his guiding career on the Deschutes National Forest working for The Fly Box in Bend and now owns one of 7 USFS Special Use Permits, and he plans to finish his career on the same waters where it all began. He loves fishing more today than ever and loves to focus his time fishing on technical dry fly waters, lakes and a great Euro Nymphing riffle.
Instagram: @theflyfishersplace and @oregon_stillwater_jeff
Steve Erickson
Steve Erickson has been with the Fly Fisher’s Place well over 20 seasons and is one of the most trusted guides in Central Oregon. Steve guides most of the waters FFP offers, but specializes in float trips on the Lower Deschutes and McKenzie, and he is one of our top Stillwater guides who runs trips on East Lake, Paulina Lake, Crane Prairie and Hosmer Lake. Steve is also one of our main guides for the Multi-Day Camp team and is an expert in whitewater.
Instagram: @serickson5
Troy Leedy
Troy Leedy is one of our top guides and one of the most dedicated guides in the business. He is never too tired to go for another day on the water and has guided for 16 seasons with a smile.
Troy guides everywhere and is frequently seen rowing the McKenzie, the Lower Deschutes and Hoser Lake. Troy also guides the Upper Deschutes, Fall River, the Crooked River and East Lake. Troy is always out as part of our Overnight Camp Trip team on the Lower Deschutes and is a master on the oars.
Instagram: @orflybum
Tonn Cummins
Tonn Cummins is another of our favorite guides and like a Swiss Army Knife as he can do it all for
us. He has 4 years of experience as a guide after hanging up a career in the shipping-logistics
world, he brings a real mellow vibe to the trout world in which he now lives and excels at.
Tonn loves to float big rivers like the Lower Deschutes and the McKenzie, and is also one of our
main Camp Trip Guides. Tonn is also a trusted Lake Guide and is frequently guiding East Lake,
Paulina Lake, Crane Prairie and Hosmer Lake. Tonn shares a lot of the same Stillwater principles
as Jeff and utilizes Loch Style techniques and other modern approaches to the lakes.
Instagram: @tonnfishes
Ben Kittell
Ben Kittell is going on 15 years of guiding, mostly at FFP and is amongst a short list of the best
rowers we’ve ever floated a river with. Ben is also the Development and Communications
Manager for the Deschutes River Conservancy and guides less these days, but we still get him
down the Lower Deschutes and McKenzie Rivers for old friends and special guests and is part of
our Overnight Camp Trip team on the Lower Deschutes. A brilliant mind and a great teacher of
the skills to be a better angler.
Instagram: @rivrtime
Mike Dooley
Mike Dooley moved to Oregon last year from Montana and joined the FFP as a first year guide in
2023. He has picked up a lot of experience and is becoming one of our really trusted guides for
doing anything we need him to do. Mike guides the McKenzie and Lower Deschutes, walk &
wades on the Upper Deschutes, Crooked and Fall Rivers and is learning the Stillwater game on
Three Creek Lake. In 2024 we will be using Mike on Lower Deschutes Camp Trips as well, making
him another very valuable asset to the FFP team and a big part of the future of our business.
Instagram: @phd._.dooley
Eric Beckwith
Eric Beckwith is our “Chief of Security” at FFP. Part of that is his stature, and the other part of
that is his full /me job is as a Police Officer. He loves days on the river and is a fixture for us on
the McKenzie and Lower Deschutes float trips.
Instagram: @ericwb13
Sequoia Hoffstetter
Sequoia Hoffstetter came on board with us in 2023 and has worked as hard as anyone ever has
to get her skills up to be a really good guide for us. Sequoia is a patient and good teacher and
when not guiding on the Upper Deschutes, Crooked River or Fall River she is an awesome asset
for the FFP retail team and is beginning to teach casting lessons. She loves to fish and is a
regular on the Metolius and Three Creeks Lake on her days off.
Instagram: @sea_quoia
Mattias Holverson
Mattias Holverson had been a competitive angler for several seasons in his teen years and
started on the retail floor at FFP in 2022, and as a guide in 2023. His happy demeanor and
enthusiasm to catch a lot of fish coupled with his skills as a comp angler will surely prove to any
of his clients that you are going to have a great day. Mattias guides on the Lower Deschutes, Fall
River, Crooked River and Three Creeks and East Lakes. If you need a Euro Nymphing Lesson,
Mattias is your guy.
Instagram: @mattias.holverson
Drew Tracy
Drew Tracy is a retired Fire Captain who got on board with us after moving to Sisters and
thought it would just be a blast to work in the fly shop on weekends. One thing lead to another
and Drew is one of our trusted old guys (in a room full of “kids”) for the retail, and is a second year guide
going to the Crooked River and Lower Deschutes . A patient and kind guy who loves to
Euro Nymph, he has also become a very important part of the FFP team.
Instagram: @drewtracy61
Aaron Cousins
Aaron Cousins is joining the FFP guide team in 2024 after being an important part of our retail team. Aaron will focus on our Camp Trips and Lower Deschutes day trips, as well as North Santiam and Crooked River Walk & Wades. Aaron is one of the biggest Jack of all Trades we’ve ever met, from flying
helicopters to guiding mountain climbers and many many other skills, his approach to fishing is
fun and he is a deadly Euro Nympher you’ll be sure to learn a lot from. Instagram @troutdirty to
see some incredible facial contortions while holding nice fish. Aaron is a funny guy!
Instagram: @troutdirty
Shad Campbell
Shad Campbell is a full time Deschutes County Computer Geek and part time guide with 13
years of experience. We wish it were the reverse because he is a wonderful addition to our
guide team that is an expert in whitewater on big rivers like the Lower Deschutes and McKenzie,
but can guide anywhere we need him to be. Shad loves both trout and steelhead and is very
proficient with a spey rod.
Instagram: @shadcampbell
Gavin Christian
Gavin Christian rode his skateboard from Sisters High School to the shop to apply for a summer help position I advertised in 2018.
I knew Gavin already from the water, and from seeing him come in the shop with his family to get geared up to chase Bull Trout and Steelhead with his dad before he got his own car. Even as a kid I knew Gav was a fishy dude. The highest compliment in this world we live in.
Just like in his personal life where he excelled at Soccer and LaCrosse, he excels now getting his instrument rating as he becomes a pilot, and is a fly fishing guide I trust to give clients his best on every single trip.
Instagram @gavin_p_christian