Pros

Ron grew up in Portland, OR fishing the rivers of Central Oregon with his grandfather and father.  When he was 5 years old he caught his first fish on a fly in the Metolius River and hasn't stopped fishing since.  He started tying flies and working in the industry at 16, at Kaufmann's Streamborn under Randall's tutelage and went on to work summers at a fly shop on the Metolius before heading off to Wash U in St Louis for college.  He started guiding in '91 on the Madison and then headed over the pass in '92 to guide for Mike Lawson on the Henry's Fork, where he remained through 2002.  There he had the opportunity to learn from some of the best guides in the business and an amazing array of local anglers.  It was during this time that Ron had an offer to guide in Patagonia and in '96 spent his first winter in Argentina.  He's been guiding and outfitting double seasons ever since, building an outfitting business with his Argentine wife Vanessa, called Chocolate Lab Expeditions, based in San Martin de los Andes.  In 2005 they moved to Ennis, MT in preparation for their children, Benito and Olivia, to start school and to be closer to the Madison and Missouri rivers.

 

Ron is a patient guide who transmits his passion for flyfishing to his clients everyday on the water- from beginners to experienced anglers alike.  He loves the technical dry fly fishing on the Missouri, sight fishing on the Madison, and developing new flies and tactics for chasing the monster browns of Patagonia.  The unique experience of exploring unknown waters in the corners of Patagonia has proved to be one of the most rewarding in his fishing career. 

 

Often together with his wife Vanessa, Ron has travelled extensively giving presentations on fishing Patagonia from the Golden Gate Casting Club to the Anglers; Club in New York City.

 

Ron and CLE were featured in the movie "Rise" by Confluence Films, and multiple times in the Angling Report, including a feature article in the October 2012 issue.  Ron was twice covered by Columbia Country's "Fishing The West", and Flyfishing and Tying Journal's Spring 2011 Guide Profile, various articles in Trout & Salmon, Gamefisher, Flyfishing & Tying, and others.  He is a member of the RO Pro-Staff as well and in 2004 with much help from Vanessa, they started the Argentina branch of RO Drift Boats, bringing locally made drift boats to Patagonia.

"We fish such diverse waters, conditions, and techniques over the course of 2 seasons in 2 countries that you need an extensive arsenal of quality rods.  Scott rods offer the performance- both the muscle to punch a mouse pattern under a bush on the far side of a Patagonia mountain stream and the smooth flex to stack slack to trout sipping spinners on the Missouri.  To do this, combined with great aesthetics & constant research, all from a company here in the rockies!  It's an honor to be on the Scott pro-staff."