Owner / Guide
At the age of 2, I captured my first Bluegill in Southern Michigan. Since then, I have never stopped looking into waters for fish. I have been guiding anglers and training guides on the Kenai River since 1989. I came up to Alaska from Wisconsin. After an internship with an adventure tourism company , I earned my degree in Recreation Administration. Following several seasons of guiding, I put my degree to work.
From the 1994 season through May of 2000, I served as the Fishing Program Director for a fishing lodge in Cooper Landing. My experience managing and guiding guests at the lodge provided an in-depth education in the sportfishing services business.
Guiding anglers and spending as much time as possible in wild Alaska have always been my true desires. During the fall of 1998, I bid on a limited-use permit through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. My bid was successful, and I was issued a permit in the spring of 1999. With the fishing season at hand, I felt it only fair to see the summer through in my lodge manager role. The year 2000 marked the beginning of Mystic Waters.
My years of guiding on the Kenai have taught me the techniques necessary to make your fishing experience educational and productive. You can expect top-notch service and 100% effort on every trip. I love sharing the Kenai River and surrounding waters with my guests. Making your angling dreams come true is my goal.
I leaned to fish with conventional tackle, but soon developed into a passionate fly-fisherman. Mystic Waters welcomes both experienced and novice anglers. We can customize your fishing trip whether your choice is fly-fishing, spinning, backtrolling or backbouncing. If you are interested in learning to fly-fish, do not be intimidated. It is fun and you can learn to catch fish in a very short time.
My wife Erin is supportive in my choice of profession. She also likes to fly- fish for trout and wrestle big Kings. She has whipped 50lb+ Kings in minutes, much to the amazement of some very salty fishermen. We share a wonderful daughter named Keeli, who caught a 20# King Salmon at the age of 4. Keeli's favorite fish are the Kenai's Rainbows although she thinks Dolly Varden are also pretty. Keeli has been known to out-fish more seasoned anglers much to my amusement. Our newest family member is our son Kyle. At birth on January 25, 2000, he weighed in at 10lb., 12.5oz. Keeli nicknamed him "trout". I call him a "trophy" and I look forward to his first fishing trip.
telleen@gvii.net
