Fishing Guide Jobs in Montrose

Now hiring: Gunnison Gorge and Lower Gunnison fishing guide with rowing skills

Ed's Fly Shop is looking for a fishing guide who can both row and fish the Gunnison Gorge and run Lower Gunnison day trips. Rowing skills are not optional on this water, and neither is knowing where the fish are. We're a full service fly shop on Main Street in Montrose, and we've guided the Gorge, the Lower Gunnison, and the Uncompahgre since 2010. Our crew is small, the water is close, and the fishing is as good as it gets in Colorado. If you can put a raft where it needs to be in Class III water and put clients on fish once you're there, we'd like to talk.

The job

Our Gorge trip is three days and two nights inside the Gunnison Gorge Wilderness. You'll hike in on the Chukar Trail, row an oar rig through Class III whitewater with clients aboard, fish hard between the rapids, set up camp, cook, and get everyone out the bottom smiling. The rest of the calendar is Lower Gunnison full day float trips: launch in the morning, row and fish through the canyon below the Gorge, and have clients back in town for dinner. There is also walk wade work on the Uncompahgre when the schedule calls for it. This is a seasonal position, paid per trip, running spring through fall. Most of the work is April through October, with the Gorge busiest from late spring into fall.

Who fits here

We keep it fun. Nobody on this crew is trying to be the best guide in the valley, we're just trying to give people the best day on the river they've had, and laugh a lot doing it. We are not into egos. The guides who do well here are humble, quick to help, easy to be around at the boat ramp and at camp, and just as happy netting a first fish for a kid as they are sight casting to a big brown. If you need to be the hero of every story, this isn't the place. If you want to work hard, fish hard, and have a good time with good people, keep reading.

What you need

  • Solid oar rig skills in Class III whitewater. You'll be rowing the Gorge with paying guests, and there is no walking that river.
  • Registered as a guide under a Colorado river outfitter license, or able to register under ours before your first trip.
  • Current First Aid and CPR. Colorado requires it for every guide on a regulated trip.
  • Real fly fishing skill on freestone and tailwater trout. Nymphing, dries, streamers, and the patience to teach all three to a beginner.
  • Comfortable running a camp: cooking for a group, keeping a clean kitchen, packing out everything you packed in.
  • Great customer service. Our clients range from first timers to lifelong anglers, and every one of them should get off the water feeling like they had the best guide on the river.
  • Works well with other guides. Gorge trips run with more than one boat, and camp goes smoother when everyone pulls together, shares the work, and backs each other up. Humble, no ego, no drama.
  • Clean driving record and the ability to pull a trailer.

Nice to have

  • Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder
  • Time on the Gunnison Gorge specifically, or similar wilderness multi day floats
  • Swiftwater rescue training
  • A guide school or oar certification course under your belt

What you get

Per trip pay plus tips, pro deals on gear from the brands we carry, a shop discount, and a crew that fishes together when the calendar allows and actually likes each other. You'll guide some of the best trout water in the West, all within an hour of the shop, with two reel makers in town and a valley full of anglers who know the difference.

How to apply

Email ed@edsflyshop.com with your resume and a few lines about your rowing and guiding experience. Tell us what water you've rowed, what boats you've run, and where you've guided. Photos or video of you on the sticks help. Prefer to talk in person? Stop by the shop at 432 E Main St in Montrose or call 970-964-9991 and ask for Ed.

Other openings

We're always glad to hear from experienced fly shop staff. If you know the gear, tie flies, or can help a walk in customer pick the right rod, send a note to the same email and tell us what you do best.