Jeff McKenna has had a passion for fishing from an early age. Spurred on by his father and grandfather, his formative years on the water were educational and memorable. When the opportunity for Jeff came to own his own fly rod - nothing has been the same since!
Originally from the midwest, Jeff graduated with a bachelor's degree in Forestry Resource Management from West Virginia University. It was during those years in his undergrad education setting that his respect and fondness for the water were discovered.
Coupled with his love of fly fishing, rivers, and a passion for the outdoors, Colorado was calling Jeff. He relocated to Grand Junction in 2003 and his fishing and river/water passions have continued to grow. In his Boulder Boat Works drift boat, Jeff gives clients a guided fly fishing experience in low or high waters. He owns and operates Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing as a guide and outfitter, specializing in guiding on the Colorado River, Gunnison River, Roaring Fork River, and loves hitting some special still water areas, too!
Married with two sons, Jeff enjoys spending time with his family on and off the water, mountain biking, hosting travel, attending concerts, and sipping whiskey.
Tyler Morris was born and raised on the western slope of Colorado. He grew up running around chasing everything with fins, feathers, or fur, and fishing was an obsession since he could literally walk. His mom still likes to tell the story of when he would 'fish' the neighborhood ditch, even though there were no fish.
When Tyler was about eight years old his grandmother took him to the Frying Pan River where he tried every lure in his tackle box with no luck in catching a fish. After quite some time, he marched back to his grandmother's car and told her there are no fish in this secret spot and she laughed and pointed to a couple of older gentlemen who were catching fish on every cast. It was at that very moment he realized what he had to do.
Fast forward nearly thirty years, Tyler lives in East Orchard Mesa with his wife, son, and their four dogs. After a long career in the stone industry, Tyler decided to take his passion for fly fishing to the next level. After a shadow trip in 2017 with Jeff McKenna, Tyler really started pursuing the guide life and hasn't looked back.
Tyler enjoys every fishing opportunity on the western slope, from the still waters on the Grand Mesa to the flowing waters of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. Tyler has also started hosting a trip to his wife’s home country of Panama. His favorite part of guiding is the opportunity to share truly awesome experiences with people - new faces or familiar ones, nothing compares to the victory of a big fish! Tyler looks forward to many more years of working with Jeff and the others at Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing.
Colt Wing was born and raised along the Texas Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi. He spent most of his youth fishing the rivers, lakes, bays, and gulf. Here he chased after an array of species that the area had to offer including Perch, Bluegill, Bass, Red Fish, Speckled Trout, and other saltwater varieties.
Fly fishing wasn’t popular in that part of Texas at the time, but he developed an interest while watching Sunday morning fishing shows. His grandma bought him his first fly rod at the young age of 9. This started his pursuit of anything that he could coax into taking a fly, from the goldfish in the family pond to Bluegill in the creek. At age 11 he began spending his spring breaks fly fishing the Guadalupe River, the state’s only trout fishery. As the saltwater scene began surfacing in the area, he focused his efforts toward the larger salt species that resided right there in his backyard. As he’s aged, his fishing adventures have taken him to many new places such as Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. In fact, he came to Western Colorado on a vacation in 2011 and never went home.
Most weekends you will find him on the river, creek, or one of the many lakes on the Western Slope with his wife Cheree. During the winter months, Colt can be spotted in his wife’s hometown of Grand Lake, Colorado, where he was introduced to ice fishing and dove into the sport headfirst. With over 30 years of fishing stories to tell as well as a touch of knowledge, you’re sure to have a great day out on the river, lake, or even the ice.
Isaiah Smith was born and raised in Missouri. While growing up, he was very fond of the outdoors and was either fishing for catfish, fishing for bass, or playing on the football field.
A love for the outdoors and his college football career led him to attend Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction. During his time at CMU, Isaiah’s passion for fly fishing was emerging. He was introduced to the Colorado River, learned the ins and outs of it, and became fascinated with catching trout on the fly.
Isaiah’s most cherished days are spent on the river, surrounded by good company and good vibes. Isaiah is eternally grateful to have the opportunity to work on the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers and live in western Colorado — living and fly fishing his best life!
Jacob Carpenter was born and raised in Western Colorado and started fishing as soon as he could walk. His father would place a rod on his hand and he would disappear for hours exploring up creeks or along the banks of the Colorado River or high mountain lakes. Today, much to the annoyance of his lovely wife and forgiving children, Jacob packs a fly rod for every family trip and will stop to toss a fly in any body of water that might contain a fish! He has wandered the shores of Alaska and fly-fished from a kayak in the Florida Keys. Jacob has even managed to catch a Grand Slam of Bass Species in the irrigation ditches of the Rio Grande in the heart of New Mexico.
On the river, fellow guides call him Carpy, a nickname his wife asserts she came up with first. Carpy is well known for his exuberance and skill at stalking and catching carp along the river system in the Grand Valley. Jacob loves fishing the high mountain lakes and streams and the upper reaches of the Colorado to the warm water fishery of the lower Colorado, he’s fished it all and is always happy to take a client out for an adventure with Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing!
Nick LaToof was born and raised in Northeast Texas. He grew up an athlete playing football, baseball, golf, and tennis. He was a two-sport collegiate athlete, playing football and golf, which took him to Tennessee and North Carolina. Nick eventually found his way out west and took a liking to the Western Slope of Colorado. Grand Junction has served as Nick's "basecamp" for the better part of the past five years.
Nick spends his winter chasing snow with his splitboard and has logged descents off of peaks in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and even Alaska! He's in the process of becoming an AMGA Ski Guide and continuing to build his backcountry resume. When the temperatures rise and the snow melts, Nick turns his attentions to the lakes and rivers.
You can find Nick chasing all types of species, but his favorites are bass, redfish, and trout. He'll go to lengths to find them, too! He's always up for an adventure, whether it's a 5-mile hike to a high alpine lake or a nice, easy float down the mighty Colorado, he'd be happy to show you the way.
When Nick's not fishing or splitboarding, he can be found on the golf course, hiking, camping, reading, and writing. But, you can be sure, he's thinking about fishing and/or splitboarding. His travels have given him the opportunity to meet many great people and he couldn't be happier to be working beside Jeff and Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing.
Jake Thornburg’s guiding philosophy revolves around creating memorable outdoor experiences that go beyond the catch. For him, it's about the moments spent by the river, the camaraderie, and the thrill of learning something new.
After discovering the escapism and tranquillity of fly fishing during his college years on the Front Range, Jake has spent the last 10 years investing in becoming a knowledgeable and reliable guide. Wholeheartedly immersed himself in fly fishing, making it a lifestyle more than a hobby. Most recently, Jake spent the summer of 2023 as a Fly Fishing Guide at the 4UR Ranch in Creede, Colorado. This experience revealed his true passion: teaching others the intricacies of fly fishing and sharing the joys it brings.
Over the years Jake has refined and honed his skills on coveted trout waters across the state of Colorado and beyond. He has wrangled fish in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New York, and Mexico. He enjoys chasing both warm and cold water species. Jake hopes to continue to travel, learn and adapt to catching fish in North and South American opportunities.
Raised on Colorado’s Western Slope, Jake Thornburg grew up with the Grand Valley as his backyard. As a result, he enjoys fly fishing, camping, off-roading, boating with friends, spending time with family, enjoying the outdoors and has always had a curious and adventurous heart.
Richard Schildbach was born and raised in northeast Georgia. At a young age, his father passed away which led his mom to take him and his brother adventuring in the great outdoors. While exploring, Richard became curious about fly fishing. Kind anglers would answer his questions and often give him flies - but he still had little understanding of fly fishing.
His passion for fly fishing grew and was able to attend a state-wide trout camp sponsored by his local TU chapter. Soon, he was addicted to the sport and was found wading in the rivers of Appalachia.
Richard moved to Florida to attend college and his love of fishing continued to grow. He fished the inlets of the Everglades to the Flats of Islamorada and everywhere in between.
A freak accident led Richard to the hospital where he spent weeks. During that time, he decided to change the course of his career and life. He and his girlfriend, Kate, moved to Grand Junction, where they love exploring and fly fishing in Western Colorado.
CWSFF made Richard’s dreams come true - to teach and share the love of fly fishing with others. He couldn’t be happier to be part of the team!
Adam Parrett was born in southern Mississippi, where his love for fishing began with his grandfather catching stocked catfish in the family pond. After moving to middle Georgia at a young age, he cut his teeth fishing the muddy waters of middle Georgia running johnboats in the Oconee River fishing for brim, bass, and catfish where his passion grew even bigger.
Camping and fishing trips with his father to the Blue Ridge Mountains grew his love for trout fishing throughout his school years. After school, Adam traveled and did odd jobs for a few years before meeting his lovely wife, Heather. They moved to Colorado together in 2010. Montrose presented many fishing opportunities, he picked up fly fishing shortly after the move. It began with a short 3wt fly rod and chasing brookies and rainbows in small creeks. Then, moved to tying his own flies, and exploring new waters around Western Colorado.
In the summer months, you can find Adam and his dog, Lucy, in a boat or walking the waters of the Gunnison River and surrounding areas. In the winter, you can find him teaching his son how to ski on the local mountains, or ice fish with his family on the Grand Mesa or at Blue Mesa Reservoir.
With all of these experiences under his belt, Adam enjoys sharing his knowledge, positive attitude, and willingness to learn with new and old friends along the way. With great adventures in the future, Adam is happy to share the river and lakes with Jeff and all the guides at Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing.
JEFF McKENNA
Owner and Founder
Guide and Outfitter
