Our Awesome Guides
Josh McSkimming
Josh grew up in Fernie and knows all the “fishable” water in the Elk Valley which makes him an excellent fly fishing guide! Josh started working for Kootenay Fly Shop & Guiding Company when he was 13 years old. Now our head guide, Josh has many loyal clients that return on an annual basis. With a decade of guiding experience under his belt, it’s no wonder clients come back for a day on the water with him.
Josh is an avid angler and enjoys the art of fly fishing. If he’s not out guiding, he will most definitely be on the water with his Border Collie, Senna and friends searching for the next big catch.
Spencer Schey
Spencer has been guiding trips on many streams and rivers between Fernie and Alberta. He spent his early years of fly fishing on the Bow River in his hometown of Calgary but felt the need to get a little closer to the mountains and made the move to Fernie where he’s been thriving ever since.
Spencer’s love of the sport is pure and his commitment to his clients deep. He is definitely one of the most competent and effective guides in the Elk Valley and we are fortunate that Spencer is one of our guides.
Mark Feldberg
Born in England, but a grateful and proud to be living in Canada, Mark believes his angling success is fueled by his desire to be outdoors and his passion to catch fish. He has had the pleasure of fly fishing internationally, but he finds the water in the Kootenays to be some of the best in the world. This was a strong contributing factor in his decision to relocate his family and make Fernie his home.
Through Mark’s love of fishing, he dedicated his education and career around the resource and became a Fisheries Technician, an owner of a commercial fishing operation, and has now found himself guiding–which is where he feels he truly belongs. As a former competitive angler he fished in several national events and represented Team Canada in international competition. His multifaceted experience in angling and fisheries plays a significant role in his success as a guide. Mark’s professional approach and competitive spirit lends to his ability to locate fish in some of the most challenging conditions.
When he is not fishing, Mark can be found spending time with his family, biking, hiking, snowmobiling, skiing, hunting or relaxing at the local coffee shop. Mark is a firm believer of the tug being the drug and the inspiration for many anglers. As a result, he has always been a numbers guy, but will never pass up on an opportunity to hunt big fish.
Tyler Fortin
Hailing from Winnipeg Manitoba, Tyler came to Fernie for a ski season 9 years ago, and soon fell in love with the Elk Valley. Tyler transitioned quickly from pike and walleye to our local cutthroat trout. His passion for fishing, combined with a close network of fishy friends has allowed him to gain an intimate knowledge of our local waters. Tyler also works as an elementary school teacher and enjoys sharing his passion for the outdoors with his students, who are probably sick of hearing about his hunting and fishing stories by now. Tyler is unofficially endorsed by Busch Light.
Alex Soukoroff
Alex’s witty personality and great customer service skills make him the best shop clerk that one could ask for (aka, shop rat). His love for fly fishing has already landed him many big fish. I mean he has already landed the fish of a lifetime in almost all species of trout by the ripe age of 14. Being born and raised in Fernie, Alex’s knowledge of the area is excellent and his enthusiasm and knowledge for fly tying is evident when you see his huge Bull Trout flies.
After working in the shop for a number of years, Alex now guides others, taking them to his secret fishing locations.
Jon Muir
“Jonny Bravo” has been guiding for almost 20 years! He is an excellent oarsman and his creative reads for spots make for a really enjoyable day of angling. Combine that with his raw and off the wall sense of humor and you might find yourself having one of the most memorable angling experiences of your life. He is always willing to provide instruction/abuse when requested.
Jon is a man of many talents. An accomplished guitar player, a total stick when it comes to angling, a former bottleslinging, trick wielding bartender and detailed wood worker. Jon is one of those people that excels at his hobbies and interests. Always laughing, Jonny is the complete guiding package.
On top of all this there is no one guide who can lay claim to eating as much mustard on the river as him. We once witnessed Jon spend his last $5 on a jar of Dijon. That’s the kind of commitment Jon puts down for the things he loves and he may love guiding as much as the mustard…..
Gord Silverthorne
In 1995 Gord opened Kootenay Fly Shop & Guiding Company in Fernie, British Columbia. After being owner and head guide for many successful years, Gord has retired to spend more time with his lovely wife and family. Still living in Fernie, he has agreed to continue guiding for us once in awhile over the summer. If you frequent the shop, you may see him adding fly tying materials to add to his collection. Gord’s addiction to the sport of fishing started while growing up in Northern Alberta as he was surrounded by excellent lakes and rivers that provided Northern Pike, Walleye, Perch, Whitefish and native Athabasca strain Rainbow Trout. What a legacy!
Dillon Eades
Dillon picked up his first fly rod when he was fourteen and now at the age of 23, he continues to pursue this passion that consumes most of his time. He has been involved with the fly fishing community for several years now, working for Fish Tales Flyshop located in Calgary as well as spending the previous season guiding salmon and steelhead out on the coast of BC.
Growing up in Calgary, Dillon has had the pleasure of experiencing a wide variety of fish species that has allowed him to grow his skill set as an angler. During the off-season he attends school at the Alberta University of The Arts for photography and design, all while juggling his passion for skiing when he can find the time.
Our Shop Staff
Cosma Davis
Although Cosma grew up on the North Oregon Coast and Central California Coast, she’s happy to be living in the Rocky Mountains surrounded by incredible lakes and streams. Like lots of people, she originally came for the ski season. But before summer was even close to arriving in the Elk Valley, she knew she wanted to be a full-timer in Fernie.
New to the fly fishing world, Cosma is learning more everyday. She loves making clients and customers feel welcome in the fly shop–whether newbies like herself or experienced anglers. When everyone heads to the river and town quiets down, Cosma turns her attention to managing the shop retail and updating Kootenay Fly Shop’s social media, website, and online store.