As soon as we heard a customer in our shop refer to Doug as “that really friendly guy I just met outside”, we knew that Red’s had found the right guy to head up our instructional class program.  Being a good instructor is composed of equal parts knowledge, communication, ability, experience, patience, and class.  Doug is a rare and special individual that happens to possess all of these in equal portions.  He is a great guide and focuses on teaching anglers new skills and communicating to them the “why” and the “how” of fishing and fish behavior.  He is arguably the best Spey caster on staff and constantly helps groom the stroke of our younger staff members.   He has traveled the globe in pursuit of adventure and fishing.  Whether it is chartering his own sail boat across the Pacific Ocean, hunting Octopus at night in snorkel gear, or just swinging for Kings on the Kanektok in Alaska… Doug has nearly done it all.

At age three, Doug got his first lesson in fly fishing from his Dad on the Pend Oreille River near his hometown of Newport, WA. After graduating from high school in California, his thirst for discovery spanned seven years and across five continents landing him in Hawaii, his home for the next 17 years. In 1976, Doug completed his graduate degree in marine biology and experiential marine education from the University of Hawaii. With a passion for sharing the secrets of the marine world, he founded Trek Hawaii, the state’s first eco-tour company, and over the next 12 years led learning adventures throughout the Islands for thousands of enthusiastic participants, from grade school kids to globe-trotting retirees.  In 1987, Doug moved to Seattle where for the next 20 years he continued his love for the natural world by creating natural history cruise itineraries worldwide for several exploration-style cruise companies. In 1989, while researching one such itinerary in British Columbia, Doug was re-introduced to fly fishing by Stillwater legend, Brian Chan. From his first Kamloops rainbow, he was hooked!

Three years ago, Doug left his “day job” and began working with Red’s to create: the most exciting and comprehensive fly fishing learning & travel program in the business: from the hands-on 1-day RFS School, an introduction to fly fishing to week-long fishing/learning adventures to fly fishing’s most sought after destinations.

When he’s not teaching at Red’s or guiding on the Yakima, you might find Doug backpacking in the Cascades, rafting the Deschutes, snowshoeing with his wife Lois and their pooch, Henry, or fine-tuning his spey cast on the Wenatchee River behind their new home near Leavenworth just outside the small town of Plain.