Meet The Team

Ed LeViness

Co-Owner

Ed's fishing story started at 8 years old when he wandered down to a canal near his house in Florida, threw a line in, and pulled out a bass. That was it. He was hooked, and he's been chasing fish ever since.

A move to Pennsylvania kept him on the water through his teens and early adulthood. When he landed in Colorado, fly fishing was the natural next chapter. Something about standing in a cold Western river, reading the water and casting to rising trout, turned a hobby into a genuine passion. Fly tying followed fast. Ed would spend hours at the vise, refining patterns for whatever he was about to chase next. It turns out he was pretty good at it.

A few years in, the machine shop that made his favorite fly tying vise asked Ed if he'd sell their vises to fellow anglers. He said yes without hesitation, and that small moment turned into the foundation of the shop. Over the years, the vise table grew into rod racks, reel cases, wader walls, and one of the most respected fly shops on the Western Slope. Along the way, Ed built lifelong friendships with anglers who now travel from all over the country to fish with his team.

What Ed loves most is the conversation. Helping a first-timer pick their first rod. Talking through reel options with someone upgrading to a trip of a lifetime. Steering a seasoned angler toward the fly that's actually working on the Gunnison this week. If you walk in with a question, Ed will give you a real answer.

His most memorable fishing day so far? A 30-inch rainbow on the Kenai River in Alaska. Ask him about it. He'll tell you the whole story.

Michelle Bangert

Co-Owner

Michelle's enjoyment of fishing started at a young age when she would troll for bass and walleye with her dad and grandpa in Nebraska and Kansas. She can remember spending an entire day sitting in the boat waiting for a bite. When not fishing in a boat, Michelle enjoyed fishing at her parents nearby bass pond. When Michelle moved to Colorado, fly fishing was on the list of activities to try in the mountains. Michelle found her time on the river to be peaceful and reminiscent of her childhood. She enjoyed being outdoors and refining her casting and setting skills. She began participating in women’s fly fishing clinics and found other newcomers that enjoyed fly fishing as much as she did. Michelle became a promoter for newcomers in fly fishing and joined the shop in 2016. Michelle's most memorable fishing adventure was in North Park, Colorado where she caught 24-inch brown trout.

Brandon VanNooten

Shop Manager / Guide / Scott Pro

Brandon was born and raised in Montrose, Colorado, and spent the first decade of his life running the banks of the Uncompahgre River. Born into a fly fishing family, he grew up chasing trout on the Gunnison, San Miguel, Dolores, and pretty much every other river and lake within driving distance. Fishing came naturally. The industry was the obvious next step.

Straight out of high school, Brandon joined the Ed's Fly Shop team. He's since earned his business degree from Western Colorado University, where he probably logged more river hours than library hours, and stepped into running a lot of the shop's daily operations. From managing the floor to coordinating guide trips to helping customers dial in the right gear, Brandon keeps the whole thing moving.

As a certified Scott Pro, Brandon knows fly rods inside and out. Come in with a question about action, line weight, or what rod fits your casting style, and he'll get you on the water with exactly what you need. He's also a trusted guide on our team, with deep local knowledge of the rivers he grew up on.

When he's not in the shop or on the water, you'll find him somewhere in the woods doing what he loves. Fishing, hunting, or just being outside. It's a short list of things that keep him indoors.

Robert "Kato" Kato

Head Guide

Kato grew up in Japan, where he picked up fishing mostly because he wasn't very good at video games. He started out chasing carp, catfish, and other bottom feeders in the rivers next to the rice fields near his home. When bass fishing swept across Japan in the 1990s, he made the jump to artificial lures and never looked back.

In 1996, Kato relocated to Colorado Springs to live with his father. His love for fishing carried right over, and he quickly found trout streams all over the area. The transition from warm water to cold mountain rivers opened a new chapter: fly fishing, and soon after, fly tying. After years of searching for the right path, he landed on guiding. He loves being outside and sharing his passion for fishing and everything else the river has to offer.

Today, Kato chases summer in both hemispheres. From spring through fall, he guides multi-day trips through the Gunnison Gorge. When the seasons flip, he heads south to Patagonia, where he works as a float guide on some of the most legendary trout water in the world.

On the oars, Kato is in his element. He lives for rowing clients into position to launch big dries against the bank and drift dry-dropper rigs through fast, fishy riffles. And if you ever get the chance to spend a few days with him in the canyon, be ready: he's going to cook you something awesome.

Jacob Ramirez

Gorge and Lower Gunnison Guide

Jacob started fishing at 6 years old on the Guadalupe River in Central Texas. By 15, he had picked up a fly rod, and that changed everything. What started as a hobby quickly became the thing that shaped his life.

In 2016, Jacob left Texas for Colorado, looking for bigger water and bigger country. It didn't take long to find both. The rivers and landscapes of the state pulled him in fast, and the Western Slope pulled him the rest of the way. The Gunnison Gorge in particular had him the moment he saw it. He's called this corner of Colorado home ever since.

Jacob started guiding in 2021, turning years of passion into a career. He's drawn to float fishing, rafts, and drift boats, and the deeper water and big canyon country of the Gorge is where he's happiest. Whether it's a multi-day trip through the Gorge or a full-day float on the Lower Gunnison, Jacob brings the energy that makes a good day on the water into a great one.

For Jacob, guiding isn't just about catching fish. It's about teaching the craft, reading the river together, and helping someone feel the connection to wild places that he's felt his whole life. Book a trip with him and you'll see what drew him west in the first place.

Hannah Montes

Social Media

Hannah runs social media for Ed's Fly Shop, blending her love for the outdoors with her eye for content. Camera in hand, she's the one capturing the moments most people only get to experience in person. Hero shots of brown trout on the bank. A misty morning on the Gunnison. The quiet details of the fly fishing world that make people want to get out on the water.

For Hannah, the job is the perfect fit. It keeps her in the natural world she loves while giving her space to create. Whether she's out shooting landscapes, documenting a guide trip, or telling the story of a new piece of gear, her goal is the same: pull people into the experience, and inspire someone new to pick up a rod.