Three Rivers Ranch Guide Staff (2024)

Cliff grew up in Bergenfield, NJ where, from the age of 5, he fished for anything he could. He taught himself to fly fish at age 12 and to tie flies shortly thereafter. That early obsession evolved into a lifelong passion—flyfishing for wild trout. He loved fishing the Beaverkill and Delaware River system and began fishing the Greater Yellowstone area in 1985. He started spending summers and guiding in Island Park in 1987 and has been with Three Rivers since 1989.

Cliff’s emphasis has always been on dry fly fishing. “There’s nothing like actually seeing the fish eat the fly. Because Three Rivers is licensed on a wide array of water we have the ability to provide excellent dry fly fishing opportunities throughout the season.” He’s also a patient instructor who enjoys teaching beginners as well as sharing the entire experience. “I’ve always enjoyed teaching others what I’ve learned about flyfishing. I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping someone connect with flyfishing or up their game. That connection extends to the entire experience, not just catching fish. There’s so much to appreciate about being in the places trout live. Insects, birds, animals, flowers, trees, scenery are all part of the experience.”

Cliff moved to Island Park in 1991 where he lives with his wife Lisa. In addition to guiding Cliff and Lisa tie flies professionally, raise English Setters, and travel extensively to hunt and fish every fall and winter.

Leslie has fished her entire life, growing up on a lake, spending her childhood summers fishing for Northern pike and walleye and discovered the thrill of fly fishing in 1984. She has spent many days guiding, fishing, and rowing here on our local rivers both before and after graduating from the Reel Women Guide School in 2001. Leslie is a Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF) Certified Casting Instructor.

During the colder months, Leslie loves to seek out saltwater flats and more trout, she has fished in Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and the Bahamas several times.

Leslie is an active member in the Idaho Falls Trout Unlimited Chapter – The Snake River Cutthroats, and for over 20 years, she leads the women’s program at Eastern Idaho’s Fly-fishing Expo. Her passion to share entomology,reading water, casting techniques and put you on fish is in her blood. When Leslie’s not on the river searching for trout, she can be found working on her freelance film and video business, producing, directing and editing videos for the fly fishing industry, including several instructional topics, fly casting, fly fishing techniques, knot tying and fly tying. Leslie is a true steward of conservation and loves to share her passion of fly fishing the waters of eastern Idaho.

Logan Martindale was born and raised in Ashton, Idaho. His dad taught him how to cast a fly rod in his back yard when he was 7 years old. Logan started fishing the Henry’s Fork at a very young age and it has a special place in his heart. He always wanted to be a fly fishing guide so after graduating from High School, Logan joined the Three Rivers Ranch guide roster when he was 18 years old, in 2013.

He says “We have some of the most incredible hatches here. One of my favorites is the green drake hatch in June. It provides some of the best dry fly fishing in the country with explosive takes. There’s nothing better than that.”

Although he doesn’t get to do it very often, his favorite fishing trips are the ones he takes with his wife, Megan and his dad, Todd. He says “they are two of the most fun and entertaining people to fish with. My wife is so interested in learning everything there is about fly fishing and my dad still gets excited about every single fish he catches no matter the size or species.”

Logan lives in Ashton with his wife Megan and their two dogs Martin and Mac.

TRR and Logan was featured in an episode of Epic Idaho, check it out.

Check Logan out in an episode of The New Fly Fisher

Hwy 20

Matt was born in Pocatello but raised in Boise. He has a business degree from BSU. His hobbies include hunting in the fall and skiing and snowmobiling in the off season.

Matt started fly fishing with his grandpa when he was 10 or 11. They mostly fished high mountain lakes.

His favorite water is, cold, clean and top secret!

Matt’s favorite species to chase is steelhead because of how difficult they are to find and catch. Which leads to his favorite trip of the year being the annual TRR guide steelhead trip to Washington.

His most memorable fishing moment was when he swung up my first steelhead. It was 5 or 6 years ago on the Grande Ronde in Oregon.

Matt lives in Driggs with his wife Kelsey and their adorable rescue Tilly.

Danny Lane was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. He claims he was an abysmal student from kindergarten through senior year. After high school, he worked a few landscape construction jobs and realized he hated doing what he hated doing, so Danny enrolled in college where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English with literature emphasis at Boise State University.

Danny started fly fishing when he was nine years old. He loves that even if you don’t have the most stylish waders, the nicest and newest rod, the most expensive boutique reel, or the prettiest cast on the river; the only thing that matters is what the fish think. His favorite water is the pond behind Camel’s Back Park in Boise, before they drained it 1996. Many bluegill fell victim to his fly in that pond.

Steelhead will always hold a special place for Danny (as is true for a lot of people). He loves the rhythm of steelheading; cast, step, cast, step lose yourself in the surroundings, and then, sometimes you get to meet a fish.

Danny’s favorite fly fishing memory was when his daughter Emerson took her time in the womb. His wife and him tried everything to get her to come out. His wife would walk laps at the park across the street from their house trying to coax her out. One night they went dancing, still no luck. The next day they went fishing. They told the shuttle drivers to run ours first just in case. His wife caught a 22-inch rainbow on a hopper. She went into labor an hour after we got the boat out of the water.

Danny lives in Saint Anthony with his wife Lauren, two daughters Emerson and Juniper and two dogs Bug and Saint.

Mike Christensen was born, raised and educated (kindergarten through bachelors degree) in Rexburg, Idaho. He was introduced to the fly fishing religion at 11-years-old by his father. Mike feels that like any denomination, fly fishing is best understood by a fellow sufferer. While Mike’s formal learning came by way of East Idaho public schools and BYU-Idaho, his practical education was earned on the Henry’s Fork, South Fork, and Teton River. Often, he would show up to his college classes still in his waders and felt soles.

In 2007 Mike married the love of his then 22 year life, Megan, who was just 18 at the time. She has learned to tolerate Mike’s fervor for fishing and even enjoys a fishing trip with him occasionally. Mike and Megan adore their two kids.

Mike started guiding for Three Rivers Ranch in 2014 and at this point it appears they are gonna keep him around.

Mike is currently a part-time guide with TRR.

Troy has been a guide for Three River Ranch since 2014. Troy was born and raised in Blackfoot, Idaho.

He began fly fishing to spend time on the rivers with his family and friends, his passion for fly fishing brought him to Three Rivers Ranch, where he completed guide school to learn all aspects of fly fishing and rowing.

He has fished various rivers through out Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. ‘’ I love the camaraderie at the ranch and the priceless friendships.’’ He enjoys fishing, skiing, and biking with family and friends.

Troy is one of TRR’s part-time guides.

Chase was born in California and raised in Utah amongst the Rocky Mountains.He earned his bachelor’s degree from BYU of Idaho in Recreation Management. Chase started fishing recently in 2012, but since then he has put in a ton of time on the rivers and lakes around Southeast Idaho. When Chase has a day off from guiding you can most likely find him taking his water master to some wild fishy place or doing some nighttime mouse fishing.

Chase’s favorite species of trout to get after with a fly rod is brown trout, which he currently holds the Idaho record for. He enjoys fishing the main stem of the Snake River but really any water he can find himself on, he has a good time.

His most memorable fishing moment came a few years ago while fishing some of his favorite water with one of his good friends. They were having an epic day catching lots of big fish. That alone made it an unforgettable day. Then unexpectedly he hooked into something really big that at first, he thought was a rock. For a while he tried to get it loose, then realizing it was a big fish he began to lose his mind. As he fought it for a while, he finally got its head up to where they could see it. It was a huge brown. Upon landing it they taped it at 30″. It was the biggest fish Chase has ever seen let alone caught.

What Chase loves most about fly fishing is the state of mind you’re in when you’re fishing. It’s as if nothing else matters but what’s in front of you. And catching fish is very rewarding. His go to fly when nothing else seems to be working is a purple haze.

Chase’s favorite trip he takes is one he makes every year to Pyramid Lake in Nevada. He really enjoys it because of its simple approach and the time he has to sit there and process his thoughts. And if you wait long enough a really big fish will swim by and take your fly.

In the off season you can find Chase up in the mountains snowboarding or mountain biking. Chase lives in Ashton, Idaho.

Andy is an Idaho native, born and raised in Boise where his love of the outdoors started at a young age. From the time he could walk he was exploring the creeks and mountains near his family cabin. Though high school baseball became his main focus, gaining a scholarship to play baseball at a collegiate level. After playing community college baseball, Andy attended the University of Idaho where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fisheries Resources. A short career with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game lead to a decision to pursue guiding.

Tony was born and raised in Boise, Idaho. He studied photojournalism at the University of Idaho and worked as a photographer for media companies for several years.

Tony started fishing about 6 years ago, it was shortly before TRR Outfitters fly shop in Eagle, ID opened. Tony lived just down the road at the time so he learned a lot from our team and got most of his equipment for tying and fishing there. It didn’t take long before Tony enrolled into Guide School at Three Rivers Ranch.

It was Guide School that led to Tony’s favorite fly fishing trip so far. He hadn’t really explored water more than 2 or 3 hours from home, so seeing what Eastern Idaho had to offer and how much fishable water there is kind of blew his mind. He says he “likes how it all came full circle from learning all of my basics from this company to now being a guide for them.”

It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite Idaho water, because they are all unique and special but for Tony the South Fork of the Snake with it’s never ending scenery is hard to beat.

Tony feels lucky to have found guiding as his job. He has always liked helping people learn new things and fly fishing is one that he feels he can transfer what he knows to someone. He says “it’s pretty entertaining to watch someone start the day not knowing how to cast and then watch how excited they get when they reel in their first one.

I’m excited to see what the upcoming seasons have in store and the friends I make along the way.”

In the off-season Tony lives in Boise, Idaho and you can find him tying flies, snowboarding and mountain biking.

Mark was born and raised in Western Idaho. His great great grandfather built the first ferry across the Snake River at Given’s hot springs. Marc’s grandfather had a ranch near the Triangle area near Jordan Valley and they spent their summer vacation as well as spud harvest at the ranch working and sorting cattle. Marc is 5th. generation.

Marc caught his first fish on a fly rod when he was 5 years old at Warm Lake. He had on his swim team speedo! He has been a certified casting instructor since 1995.

His favorite water to fish includes British Columbia, Iceland and Norway. Marc has been fortunate and has had a few favorite fly-fishing trips. Most recent would be the Ongivinuk in the Togiak Wilderness. He flew in, was dropped off, and then floated about 60 miles to their pick up zone. Did not see another person, other than his group members, in 5 days of incredible fishing. They caught 20″ grayling, rainbow and leopard rainbow trout, dolly varden, artic char, silver and chum salmon. Saw 16 grizzlies.

Marc’s favorite species to chase is definitely Steel. The cast of a two-handed rod is much more interesting as well as challenging. His most memorable fly-fishing memory was when he caught his first 40″, 20lb. steel head on a dry fly. Also, a 35.5 lb. Atlantic salmon on the Alta river in Norway.

Marc loves the solitude and the sound of the river about fly fishing. When he is not guiding you will find him fishing, bird hunting, downhill and cross-country skiing or mountain biking. His favorite piece of fly gear is his Winston 13′ 3″ 7 wt. He has landed several memorable fish with it. It was a retirement gift from a good friend of his.

Dwayne was born & raised in Eastern Washington (Wenatchee & Yakima). He graduated from Washington State University in 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Range Management.

Dwayne started fly fishing in1990 when his Father bought him an Eagle Claw fly rod. His favorite piece of water is definitely the Henry’s Fork because you can chase Rainbows & Browns of significant size! His most memorable fly fishing moment was a multi-day float trip in Alaska with his daughter…He had set his fly rod down in the raft, with the fly hanging out of the boat and in the water… when a large rainbow or chum salmon hit the fly, shot his fly rod out of the boat and is forever laying in the bottom of Clear Creek somewhere near Talkeetna, Alaska.

Dwayne truly loves rowing boats and watching people catch fish, more than he likes fishing for himself. It is also a sport that allows you to completely disconnect from all the noise of the world when on the river.

His favorite piece of fly gear are Hatch Reels. They are simple and bomb proof. When Dwayne is not on the river you will find him in the back country, hunting, hiking and of course fly fishing.

Born and raised on the Gold Coast, Jackson hails from Stamford, CT, and spent summers in Narragansett, RI where he fished offshore for shark, tuna, and striped bass from the time he could hold a fishing rod.

As a competitive athlete who grew up playing baseball and football, Jackson’s competitive drive has translated into his love for fishing and guiding. Countless trips to southeastern ID visiting family and fishing the South Fork and Henry’s Fork with his dad and uncles made his move out west in 2018 a no-contest decision.

Jackson is passionate about “throwing foam and streamers right to the banks and watching fish come up and chop ‘em” with his trademark smile and permanent Costas tan. This love for fly fishing is infectious – just ask his friends or his beloved pup, Lani, who you’ll find him floating with any free minute of the season. When he’s not on the river, Jackson enjoys golfing, snowboarding at Targhee, and taking advantage of all the beauty Idaho has to offer.

Trent was born and raised in Boise, ID where he inherited a strong love for the outdoors and exploring nature. Growing up if Trent wasn’t playing baseball, snowboarding, biking, or swimming at the Boise River with friends, he was fishing. Upon graduating high school and entering college his passion for fly fishing took shape and he knew he wanted to enter the fly fishing industry. Working for Three Rivers Ranch is a dream come true.

Trent has fished in Argentina for trophy trout, and his most recent travels brought him to fish saltwater in Sri Lanka. His favorite fisheries include Eastern Idaho’s Henry’s Fork, South Fork of the Snake, and Teton River. Other notables include Pyramid lake, Henry’s Lake, Grande Ronde River, Salmon River, Boise River, and the Owyhee River. He hopes to continue traveling the world in search of exotic and large fish until the day he dies.

When He’s not on the water Trent enjoys listening to live music with good friends, picking morel mushrooms, backpacking, and camping.

Trent lives in Boise, ID in the off season and works at the Eagle TRR location.