Matt Thornton is a fishing guide with a well rounded area he fishes and guides clients. From the Deschutes River, Alaska, the Oregon coast, and Belize, Matt chases fish all around the world!
Matt grew up fishing alongside his father, and he followed the wilderness when it called and began professionally guiding about 10 years ago. He takes pride in learning the water, the local techniques, and using that to his advantage. Matt is a charismatic and energetic guide who is eager to help anglers of all levels learn how to catch fish in their most desired waters.
Where are your home waters? / Is this different from where you guide now?
My home waters are the Deschutes river near Maupin, though I fish there less and less. This question is a bit tricky right now as I fish a lot of different water for a lot of different reasons. I spend a good amount of time Spey fishing for Steelhead on the Oregon coast.
The bulk of my guide work is in Alaska.
Where do you spend most of your time fishing/guiding?
I spend the most time guiding in Alaska. In the off season I fish in Belize, Oregon, Washington, Northern California and Idaho. I’m looking forward to opening up further opportunities in New Zealand.
What species of fish do you guide for?
Mainly, I guide trout, but other freshwater target species include King Salmon, Silver Salmon, Sockeye Salmon, Chum Salmon, Grayling, Char, Dolly Varden and Pike.
In the off season I host saltwater trips where the target species include Permit, Bones, Snook and Tarpon.
When guiding clients, are you walk-in fishing, fishing shorelines, fishing from a drift boat/jet boat/prop boat? What is your specific style?
We run the gambit.
We operate out of airplanes in Alaska, so there are no drift boats involved. We also jet boat, raft, and walk and wade.
I don’t have one specific way that I like to guide more than others. They are all different tools for helping us get on fish. That said, running a jet boat can be a real hoot.
When I’m in Oregon I raft and will occasionally find myself in a drift boat. In Belize we run small prop boats.
How long have you been professionally guiding?
I’m happily approaching my 8th season of guiding. I don’t really have plans to change my career. I love what I do and I want to do it wholeheartedly until my body won’t allow it any longer.
Who is your biggest inspiration or mentor?
Inspiration wise, I really like the work of Jensen Fly Fishing. Mentor wise I’d say Monty Becker was the best teacher I ever encountered. I got a chance to work with him in Alaska for a couple of years and he really showed me what it meant to be a guide. A lot about how to carry myself and what I ought to be paying attention to. I can’t say enough about his gracious and humble attitude, his outlook on life and the way he cares for everyone in his world.
What is your favorite part about guiding, the thing that keeps you coming back every day?
I truly believe in the power of being in wild spaces. I believe in the wilderness and her ability to challenge us and help us heal and grow. I love watching staunch old business men transform into big fish brained kids. It is pure joy to facilitate the connection of loved ones in these wild places.
What was your first fishing experience? / When did you begin fly fishing?
What a great question. I ask myself this often when guiding. My first trips were with my Dad on local lakes, trolling for trout. I remember not catching much, but being overjoyed when we did. I remember constant tangles in my Zebco spinning rig, PB&J lunch, being cold and kinda annoying by my type A father. We started fly fishing together when I was ten.
We moved to Salem Oregon and I cut my teeth on the Santiam river. My dad was a mountaineer from New Zealand. He was big on stealth. A lot of praying to the trout gods in those days… It wasn’t until later in life that I knew what a tight loop was. Entomology was a loss to us. Just a couple of new jacks getting skunked unless there was a feeding frenzy. Still, it was the only time I got to see him in total flow, completely immersed in what he was doing, not trying to be anything special and just happy.
Most embarrassing thing to happen while guiding a trip? (For you or a guest)
I lucked out with a very gracious guest. The guest is the head of heart surgery in his state. He travels the globe and performs free surgerys in third world countries. He’s basically a Mother Theresa type character. My boss had warned me that this was one of his favorite guests and that he had been with him for over twenty years, and he warned me to “take extra good care of him.”
The night before we were going to fly out, the guest came to me with some questions about his line and reels. He wanted to know if I had a setup he could use, but he also said he would bring his own setup.
Well, somehow things got mixed up, and because it was a long hike that day, I left my spare reel at home. I will never make that mistake again. As we approached the water, our bush plane soaring overhead, with no way to contact them again, the guest asked if I had the reel he had requested me to bring. I just about puked as I felt my heart sink. I told him I thought we had settled on him bringing his own. We had a huge problem. A ten hour hike and a fly rod with no reel.
I ran all up and down the banks of that river trying to borrow any piece of gear I could to save the day. At the end of it, they had all done the same thing I did, lightened their packs by taking their spares out. I felt horrible. Literally, I cried myself to sleep that night.
The guest was so gracious, kind and understanding. He spent the day taking pictures, and the other guest I was guiding shared his set up. The two of them would take turns taking pictures of each other and the bears. The two guests formed a great bond from that incident and continue to fish together today.
Each year, when he gets off the plane the first thing he asks is if I have a spare reel. We both light up in smiles and laughter. It could have gone way worse, but I lucked out. The surgeon gave me a lesson on how to be gracious that day. I hope I can embody even a fraction of his attitude when I am challenged by life’s many quirks.
Best day on the water with clients, tell us about it.
Wow, now that’s a tough question. I have had so many incredible days with warm hearted fun loving folks.
Fishing with President Carter was pretty neat. Every year my buddy’s Evan and Lee Johnson come out and make me laugh so hard I cry. They display levels of thoughtfulness and kindness that I find myself aspiring to keep up with.
I can’t say a definitive best, but a trip that I often recount doing was a multi day float with a father and son, Casey and George. They had had a rough go of it between each other. Casey was an addict who had just gotten out of rehab. George was a career politician, and according to Casey, a workaholic and neglectful father. When we started the trip they called each other by their first names. We floated and camped for five days, and on the third, I learned that it was George’s 68th birthday. I wish I had known because I would have brought at least a cupcake or something. But, I happened to notice that George really enjoyed the fun size Milky Ways.
We were bead fishing that day, We probably stuck 80 fish between the two of them. I’d say our average size trout was 24”. They were so fired up!
We got back to camp, I made dinner and I kicked into improvisation mode. I dug out one of the last mini Milky Ways, took a Dorito, and held it on the end, lit it, and Casey and I sang Happy Birthday to George. His eyes welled up with tears, I could see he felt really loved and cherished. I felt the two of them, and really the three of us, had just shared a true bonding moment. The three of us even stayed up a little late and reveled in the days events, and the beauty of that place.
A few years later, I flew across the country and fished their home water with them. We still talk from time to time. It’s those little moments that I really guide for. They help me wake up in the morning, even when it’s tough. I want to pay that level of attention, that I notice how to serve people just right, how to serve a moment that will change lives.
Do you think that conservation plays a role in guiding? Why or why not. Ion
From an early age I was taught conservation. It is now as much a part of my fishing as landing a fish. I’m involved with local and regional conservation groups. Shout out to Save Bristol Bay and Trout Unlimited!
I see the decline of fisheries first hand. I see the effects we have on these places both in the sport and in day to day life. I can not emphasize enough how important it is to care for fish and our fellow man. A lot of people can show up and play on the water. But not everyone shows up in a way that is harmonious and allows for further enjoyment for all beings. I have to admit, there have been times in my life when this has been less of a priority. As I have matured I’ve realized, I have never once regretted taking an action towards conservation preservation or cleaning these places.
I believe it’s of importance now and for future generations. No one wants to fish in a place where there are no fish or the animals are sick or the air is polluted. We all want the same thing, natural untouched beauty. From no trace camping, hunting and fishing, to activism in a political sphere, I want to support our wild spaces.
Dream fishing trip?
Let’s go to Mongolia and Chase Taimen. Or Maybe New Zealand, where my dad fished as a kid. I’ve never been, and he’s working harder now than ever, so we don’t fish together any more. I’d pay a small fortune to go see that place with him. I’d love to see the place that got him into fly fishing enough to pass it onto me.
What is it that draws you to fly fishing?
I love being on the water. It’s pure magic out there. I love the sense of honoring my fathers tradition, the people I meet through the sport, and unlocking the code on a particular day, fish, or spot. I love the mystery and solving it, and being so focused on fish that nothing else matters. There ‘s so much to this question. I really love learning about entomology, hydrology, geography and everything else that makes a good fishing trip a great one. From the vise to the water, to the people, and to the places, fly fishing has me hooked.
Best and worst places you have guided clients?
I’ll never tell you my best place! Ha-ha. My career in Alaska has been epic. Belize doesn’t suck either. My least favorite place to guide was on a small lake that was basically a trout pond. We would use anything to hook these poor fish. We were raking in the cash but the ethics were lame. I only lasted 3 weeks there. I’m not proud of it.
What is a tip or trick that you teach guests often?
I pretty much try to teach guests everything I can right from the beginning. Some people aren’t willing to learn, and that’s ok, I don’t mind doing it all, but most folks who fish with a guide want to learn.
Before we even get the rod out, I ask, “want to learn how to rig up a rod” and we start there. I love teaching about how to read water, why the fish are there in each run, and troubleshooting a guest’s cast.
Maybe the tip or “trick” I teach the most is to remain calm when snagged and pull the fly out the opposite way that it went in.
What is one tip you would give someone when they are trying to find a fishing guide for a trip?
Word of mouth is king in this business. Even if you just go to the local fly shop, they can at least get a feel for who you are and what you want. Best is to get out on the water with people and ask around. That or, give me a call!
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become a fishing guide?
I would say, be ready to give 110% regardless of the money or prestige. Be willing to start at the bottom, even working as a camp hand. I had to clean plenty of wag buckets my first few seasons. I was ripped off, overworked and underpaid. But, I got my chops and experience and now I’m a vet.
What is your favorite fly to use on the water, not necessarily the best, but your favorite? Also, what is your go-to guide fly?
Mouseing is a lot of fun! The fly I use depends on where I am and what species of fish I am chasing.
I’m a dry fly nut, and I love to swing for steelhead.
My go to guide fly, or the one I use the most is a bead. It’s s the most accurate representation of the most abundant food source in Alaska… The salmon egg.
Favorite piece of gear you could not live without, and why?
I’ve learned to love my Buff. I thought they were silly when I first started seeing folks wearing them on the river. I thought, why is that guy dressed like a ninja? Then I started working around jet boats and airplanes in the intense sun and wind. I wear mine every day, and if I ever forget it I’m bummed.
Let’s talk about tippet: Fluoro or Mono? Why?
That’s all situational. Typically fluoro for trout, but if they are giant, I use a hybrid of the two so there is some shock absorption. In salt, I use nylon based super hard mono and occasionally tie in a fluoro tippet when I want the fly to sink faster, or the bottom is really abrasive.
Do you prefer a specific rod manufacturer over others? Why?
Again, this is situational. I lean towards R.L. Winston, but I also love some of my Reddington gear.
It just depends on what I’m doing that day. Wearing jorts and casting a cheap rod with an Altoids tin as my fly box can be extremely satisfying… Especially if I’m crushing fish downstream from a guy wearing $5000 worth of gear.
That said, there are days when I’m the guy with the classy equipment and I’m glad that I have it. I know I wouldn’t catch as many fish if I didn’t. Spring creeks often require greater technical prowess and gear.
What about waders… What brand are you rocking, and why?
In the past, I wore a lot of Simms stuff, but I just switched to Patagonia.
Not only do I agree with a lot of the ethics that company embodies, but Patagonia makes great durable waders that I know I can trust.
I beat the snot out of my waders in Alaska. Durability is king.
What are you listening to on the way to the river?
I’d say my go to is hardcore. Bands like Inclination, Have Heart, Comeback Kid, ect. I also listen to podcasts. Human interest stuff like Unknowing, or Hidden Brain. Also sometimes out there in the sticks, a guy just wants to listen to some country, so I rock some Garth Brooks or Tyler Childers, maybe some Colter Wall.
How can people connect with you? (Retail store, online store, social media handles, etc)
You can give me a call anytime at (907) 602-6759
Instagram: @the_wilderness_calling
Facebook: @dryflyonly
Email: ta503da@gmail.com
Any parting thoughts you’d like us to add?
It’s my true privilege and honor to enjoy these wild spaces with so many lovely guests. I can say without a doubt, I would not be here today without the good work of mother nature. I live to facilitate that work for everyone who is open to it.
