Pros

Bio

  Kurt grew up fishing bass and trout with his dad in Northern Colorado, and began experimenting with flyfishing in his early twenties.   At the time, he was working in the booming snowboard industry in Colorado, and became aquatinted with Frank Smethurst, who was managing a snowboard shop during the winters and working as a fly fishing guide on the remote rivers of Southwest Colorado during the summer months.

 On a warm spring day, Frank and Kurt went fly fishing after a legendary snowboarding session together, and this single day, set him on a path of adventure that would take him around the globe and eventually lead him to his guiding position with Vail Valley Anglers in Edwards, Colorado.  Many years of working a winter sports job meant lots of time off during the summers that was spent exploring the many wonderful rivers, tributaries and lakes throughout the West.

From as far away as New Zealand, Hawaii, to the Mississippi Delta and from the pristine beaches of Baja Mexico, Kurt has developed an extensive knowledge of many exotic fly rod species like Redfish, Permit, Tarpon, Bonefish and the elusive Roosterfish from the beach.  The many guides and anglers that he has encountered along the way have become the visible fabric of his fly fishing knowledge and experience. 

The Global recon for angling destinations led him to his passion for photography.  Capturing the exotic locations on film would become a secondary life pursuit and lead him to many photography projects for both the snow sports and fly fishing industries alike.  Intimate knowledge of these activities would provide Kurt with a visible and unique perspective with his work catching the eye of Jim Bartschi, current tribal leader of the Scott Fly Rod Company.

  From the start, Scott Fly Rods have been the rods of choice for Olesek. "I have had other fly rods, but I just feel more confident throwing my Scott”.  Scott is legendary for designing fly rods that meet the specific needs of any angler.  "In Colorado, for floating or wade fishing, it really comes down to feel, line control and effective presentations”. That's the sweet spot where Scott Fly Rods prevail. 

 Though he still uses the vintage Scott G series in his daily quiver, his guiding rods of choice are, Radians for trout and other freshwater species, the F2 fiberglass series for small streams in the backcountry, and the Meridians for all heavy freshwater and saltwater fishing.  Scott Fly Rods are the choice of obsessive anglers throughout the world!