GUIDES

Meet the Guides

 

Mike Schultz

Mike Schultz is the Owner & Head Guide of Schultz Outfitters, a fly fishing guide service specializing in South Eastern Michigan warm-water angling, instruction, and destination travel. Over the past few steelhead seasons Mike has turned his attention to the Ohio Tributaries of Steelhead Alley. Mike guides these world class tributaries throughout the fall and spring runs through his partnership with Steelhead Alley Outfitters.

Born and raised in the Great State of Michigan, Mike has enjoyed the outdoors his entire life. During his early teenage years he developed an interest in fly-fishing. The majority of his free time quickly became consumed with fishing and tying. After graduating with a Business degree from Eastern Michigan University in 2004, he started guiding and working in the fly-fishing industry full time. He currently resides in Dexter, Michigan on the banks of the Huron River with his wife Allison. Logging 200+ days a year on the water annually, Mike has developed a vast knowledge of Midwestern waters and beyond.

His angling travels have taken him from Alaska to the Bahamas and many places in between. Over the past few years Mike has expanded his fly fishing travels to salt water destinations, making multiple trips to the Bahamas, Florida Keys, and Mexico in search of Bonefish, Tarpon, Roosterfish, and the elusive Permit. Mike has been an ORVIS Endorsed Guide since 2006, and is a member of the Scientific Anglers, Rainy’s Fly Company, and Ross Reels National Pro Staffs’. In 2010 Mike was honored to become a member of the Simms Fishing Products Ambassador program.

Primary watersheds:
Mar.-Apr. & Oct.-Dec.: Ohio’s Steelhead Alley including the Vermilion, Grand, and Conneaut rivers
May-October: Southeast Michigan warm water including the Huron, Shiawassee, Kalamazoo, and Flint rivers

Species:
Smallmouth, Steelhead, Carp, Pike, and Musky

Jay Daly

During a family trip to Maine in 1992, Jay had his first experience with a fly rod. Since then, he has never been without one. In the early 90′s he taught himself to dry fly fish for trout on the “Holy Waters” of the AuSable River. After a few seasons and more exploring, he found himself on the trophy waters below Mio where he learned more modern techniques chasing big browns. Every summer and winter, Jay would travel to Colorado with his dad where he was introduced to a whole new level of fly fishing. In 1999, Jay was uprooted from Ann Arbor and moved to Durango, Colorado where he was to attend High School. At age 16, Jay became one of the youngest Orvis endorsed guides in the country, fishing waters such as the Animas River, Los Pinos, Piedra, Gunnison, Dolores and the San Juan River in northern New Mexico. Under the tutelage of some of the finest guides in Colorado, Jay quickly gained new understanding of his target species, techniques, fly tying, and entomology.

Upon graduation from high school in 2003, Jay and a close troutbum friend moved to Bend, Oregon in search of new waters. There they found monster Brown Trout in small spring creeks, as well as the educated and aggressive “Red Side” Rainbow Trout in the Deschutes River. After 14 months, Jay moved back to Colorado to find work. After a short stay, Jay moved to Florida and then Michigan where he resides today chasing Steelhead and Smallmouth Bass every chance he gets. Saltwater fly-fishing is his new passion. He can be found on the beaches of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula chasing Roosterfish as well as stalking the flats of the Florida Keys in search of Bonefish, Tarpon, and Permit.

Eirik Vitso

Born in Trondheim, Norway, a passion for angling and the outdoors was not out of the ordinary. After moving to the United States when he was just a toddler, Eirik was raised in the Ann Arbor area and eventually graduated from Michigan Technological University in 2008.

With family ties bringing him to the AuSable River, Huron River, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and back to Norway for much of his life, Eirik was quick to fall in love with fly fishing.

Eirik has spent much of his life finding any and every water that he could fish with a fly from the small creeks and rivers in the Upper Peninsula for Trout, Salmon and Steelhead; the AuSable River for Trout, Steelhead, Bass and Pike; the Huron River for Steelhead, Bass and Pike; rivers and lakes in Norway for Trout and Grayling; and even the Sierra Nevada’s in California for Golden Trout, Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout and Cutthroat Trout.

After nearly 15 years of fly fishing, Eirik joined Schultz Outfitters guide staff. He is also a regular contributor to the Steelhead Alley Fly Tying Blog and serves on the Board of Directors for the Ann Arbor Chapter of Trout Unlimited where he continues to share his passion and knowledge of the sport.

Eirik currently lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan and guides for Schultz Outfitters and owns and operates Vitso Images, a photography and design business.

Chris Hatcher

Chris Hatcher has been fly fishing and tying flies since 1996.  Having an affinity for stubborn trout, he fishes year round on the AuSable, Pere Marquette and Manistee Rivers.  The aquatic insect hatches in Northern Michigan keep him occupied from April through September.  Along with stream trout and steelhead, he also enjoys the Great Lakes beaches for lake run trout, carp on the flats, blitzing smallmouth on Lake St. Claire, Atlantic Salmon fishing on the St. Marys, and just about anything that can be taken on the fly.

Chris has been an FFF certified casting instructor since 2005.

Greg Senyo

Greg Senyo grew up along the banks of the fabled Elk Creek in Girard Pennsylvania. An avid fly fisher and fly tier on Lake Erie Tributaries for Steelhead since childhood, Greg has dedicated the past 20 years to perfecting his fly fishing and tying techniques while fishing and guiding tributaries most anglers today call Steelhead Alley.

Greg is the owner and operator of Steelhead Alley Outfitters, which is an all-inclusive educational fly fishing guide service on Lake Erie Tributaries. Along with a dedicated staff of seasoned professionals, Steelhead Alley Outfitters has become notorious for the level of service they provide to their guests in all phases of fly fishing and fly tying.

Greg is also actively working with Orvis and Hareline Dubbin Inc. on new product development of fly tying materials, and testing of the latest fly fishing tackle. Greg is a contract tier for the Orvis Company, winning the prestigious Fly Tier of the Year award in 2008, and was recently named as the Great Lakes Region of the United States Professional Tier for Eumer Tube Fly Company. Many of Greg’s patterns have been featured in fly fishing books and magazine articles, and have helped lead the way to a new age of Great Lakes tube fly and pattern design.

Greg’s many other activities include fly fishing around the country, writing for several outdoor and sporting publications, participating in regional fly fishing charity events, fundraisers, and youth organizations. Greg is also dedicated to winning the fight to establish and retain public fishing areas on his Steelhead Alley home waters, and is working with several organizations to ensure a fly fishing future for generations of new anglers.

Greg also serves his community, where he is the Sergeant for the Village of Wayne Police Department in Wood County, Ohio. Greg is the department field training officer, and certified instructor for the states Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs campaign. This state program was designed to help steer at risk children away from drug abuse.

Captain Brian Meszaros

Captain Brian has been guiding, writing, and conducting seminars on Lake St. Clair fly fishing since 1992. After serving with the 7th Group Special Forces and retiring from professional firefighting, Capt. Brian became the original fly fishing guide on Lake St. Clair through his company, Great Lakes Fly Fishing. Being an innovator in the sport, he was one of the first in the country to pursue Musky on the fly. He is the developer of the “St. Clair Slam” and “Super Slam” techniques and was recently honored as 1 of the top 100 fly fishing destinations in the world by American Angler Magazine. He has guided his clients to 6 IGFA world records and 100’s of Michigan Master Angler Awards.

Capt. Brian is considered an expert on warm water fisheries and regularly demonstrates his signature fly patterns at shows all across the Midwest. He has also appeared in many fly fishing periodicals and television shows, including the popular Muskie on The Fly book. Most recently, Capt. Brian assisted the Scott Fly Rod company in designing the industries first ever Musky fly rod.

Captain Brian is a USCG licensed Captain, a FFF Endorsed Guide, and on the Pro Staff of companies such as Evinrude, Starcraft, Scott Fly Rods, Scientific Anglers, Ross Reels, Patagonia and Simms.