Marty’s background:
Born and raised in Oregon, Marty grew up on the banks of the Sandy River; With his dad as tutor, Marty landed his first steelhead at the age of five. His dad continued to hone and shape [perhaps unknowingly] Marty’s future by taking him fishing, seemingly every day, and instilling in him the instincts and techniques for pursuing steelhead. Much of his fly-fishing inspiration came from devouring books written by notable and insightful naturalists such as Roderick Haig-Brown and Bill McMillan and Trey Combs.
While still a young stripling in the 1990s, Steve Kruse took Marty under his wing and taught him the art of Spey casting. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that all these elements now manifest themselves as Marty’s unbounded enthusiasm for guiding. Backed up by over 2 decades of professional experience in the “field”— his style is almost missionary zeal for teaching others and sharing in the pure joy of rivers.
Marty is a top ambassador for Grundens and Airflo
Mia’s Background:
Mia’s passion for fish and rivers started at an early age. She grew up in Tennessee where her parents would take the family hiking, fishing and camping outdoors in the Smoky Mountains.
Fly fishing caught her attention in 1996 as a past time from snowboarding. In 2003, she started her guiding career on the John Day River with the purchase of Little Creek Outfitters. Mia soon became efficient at casting both a single and double hand rod and went on to becoming a 3 time world champion spey caster. She is now recognized as one of the top women casters in the industry and has used her skills to raise over $18,000 for Casting for Recovery.
When she isn’t on the river, or being a mother, she is hiking the desert with her dog, hunting upland game birds or working to engage more women in the sport of fly-fishing through her company Juniper River Adventures.
Mia is a board Member for the Oregon State Marine Board and a member of the John Day/Snake River Resource Advisory Board
Mia is also a top ambassador for Grundens, Gloomis and Airflo
Client quotes –
“Little Creek Outfitters offers a rare combination of circumstances: a spectacular wild and scenic river, remarkable wildlife diversity, surface steelhead action and a “camp” organization that compels return visits.”
-R. Labbe
“Style treads heavily over substance; our sport is fast becoming just another “industry”, like real estate or jogging shoes. Every time I fish with you guys I’m reminded that it doesn’t have to be that way. You’re commitment to quality of sport over explosive growth keeps me coming back.”
-K. Francis