Guides + Instructors
Lance & Kirsten Gray
We have more than 50 years of combined experience in fly fishing.
Lance started fly fishing with his father and brother Lincoln at age 7. In his teens, he began tying flies commercially for shops around Northern California. At 17, he went to work at Powell's Fly Shop in Chico, where he worked in the fly shop and built rods. He guided Powell’s, conducted fly-tying and fly-fishing schools, and traveled.
In 1993, Lance and Kirsten started Saltwater Innovations, a company that manufactured and distributed products for saltwater fly fishing. Lance’s Crystal Popper, Gray’s Billfish Fly, the KO Charlie line, and the Raghead Crabs are all Saltwater Innovations products. Kirsten worked behind the scenes, handling the day-to-day operations and running the company's manufacturing floor.
In 2003, they launched Lance Gray & Company, a full-service outfitter offering guided trips, fly-fishing tours, workshops, and a travel agency.
Lance conducts presentations at fly clubs and fly-fishing shows. While volunteering with veterans, Kirsten and Lance support local groups like Cub Scouts and 4H.
Lance is a signature tier for Aqua Flies. Lance and Kirsten are pro staff members for Sage, RIO, Simms, Fishpond, Yeti, Sitka, Outcast, Galvan Fly Reels, Knives of Alaska, and Umpqua Feather Merchants. Lance is a featured writer, with articles published in Angling Trade Magazine, California Fly Fisher, Fly Fishermen, and American Fly Fishing.
Lance is a columnist. His column “The Foraging Angler” is published bi-monthly in the California Fly Fisher Magazine.
Kirsten is a fantastic photographer. Her images have been published in many fly-fishing/outdoor periodicals, such as Fly Fishermen and California Fly Fisher, and on websites throughout the fly-fishing industry.
A passion for the sport of fly-fishing, vast knowledge, easy-going teaching style, and zany wit make Tim a really fun fishin’ buddy.
Tim Fox
Tim & I are lifelong friends. We worked together at Powell’s in the late 80’s and early 90’s. He then ventured off to work at the original California Fly Shop that was in Fairfield, CA, in the 90s. He is the former manager of The Fly Shop in Redding, CA., until he retired and became a fulltime guide.
A genuinely brilliant fly tier, fly fisher and hunter, these passions are exceeded only by his love for his family.
Kirsten and I are privileged and very excited to announce that Tim Fox has joined our team of guides—he is a great fit in our fly family.