Pete grew up fishing with both of his parents in the lakes of Washington and on family trips to Alaska and British Columbia. The combination of time on the water, instruction from parents and professional guides, coupled with his innate love of fishing and learning resulted in producing a passionate and skilled young angler. 

Pete graduated from the University of Oregon, while dividing time between his studies and exploring the rivers around Eugene. After college, Pete realized, “[I] needed to be fishing.”

As with most people who fish for a living, Pete tells a lot of stories about past employment which prompt the question, How did you set that up?  For example, Pete’s time in Jackson Hole was spent guiding fishing trips in the summer and teaching people to ski in the winter. He then decided to start wintering in Florida and fishing the tropical waters when the west was too cold. He also guided trips in Alaska and around the west…. and was flown to the Caribbean from time to time to work as a host for a fishing resort. 

Pete found that as much as he loved spending time outdoors fishing and skiing, he loved teaching people how to do those things just as much. He went back to graduate school to become a teacher. His classroom is decorated with plenty of fly fishing paraphernalia and has a view of the Boise River, but Pete is quick to insist that his ninth grade literature students do more than chat about fishing all day (although there is some of that sprinkled in as well).

Throughout Pete’s career, he has fished all over the world with Team USA, guided trips all over the western United States, Alaska, Florida and the Caribbean, authored numerous article published in various fly fishing publications, and has made numerous appearances on the ESPN networks, the Outdoor Channel, Versus and ABC Sports. After a decade of competing for Team USA, four top-25 finishes at the World Fly Fishing Championships, a gold medal from the Great Outdoor Games, and the 2008 US National Team championship, Pete has established himself as one of the best competitive anglers in the western United States. He still gets plenty of time on the water, designs rods and other fishing equipment, and is the father of two future anglers.

www.flyfishingteamusa.com