Matt Evans is the owner and head guide for The Catawba Angler. He was born and raised in Old Fort, North Carolina. His "native" instincts for finding trout and smallmouth in Western North Carolina are second to none. As a full time fishing guide, Matt spends over 250 days on the water and is always in tune with the ever changing river conditions. Matt was fortunate enough to work for Three Rivers Ranch in Warm River, Idaho which is the only Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Lodge on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River. His experience on this selective tailwater fishery advanced his skill level as a guide to better serve his clients here in western North Carolina. Matt actively volunteers his free time to Mended Fly Fishing which is a nonprofit group that shares the love of christ with fatherless children through excellent guided fly fishing trips. Matt is a Wilderness First Responder and is CPR certified by American Red Cross. Matt holds his swift water rescue certificate from Sierra Rescue International. None of Matt’s accomplishments would be possible without his savior, Jesus Christ. He runs every guide trip at the highest possible standard not to make himself look good, but to glorify Christ.

Kelsey Minish provides all of our Lake James fishing charters. He is a local who has spent the last 20 years chasing Lake James smallmouth. He is a competitive tournament angler with many good finishes under his belt, including a top 10 finish in the recent Carolina Bass Challenge at Lake James. He has put several people on their personal best largemouth and smallmouth on Lake James and will work harder than any other guide to make sure your trip is a success. When Kelsey isn’t fishing he runs his own plumbing company. If you’re looking to fish Lake James then there isn’t a better guide to do it than Kelsey.

Jason Wilson is a native to the mountains of North Carolina and has been apart of The Catawba Angler since 2018. He is a expert fly tyer and is always on the hunt for the biggest fish in the river. He is an easy going guide that will go above and beyond the industry standards to make sure his clients have the best fishing experience possible. Jason’s is a true professional and it shows on every guided trip. When clients book a two boat trip Jason is the one who will be running the second boat.

Kyle Hood is our newest addition to our guide staff and brings years of fly fishing experience to our company. He is a native to North Carolina and has grew up fishing the local creeks and rivers in western North Carolina and East Tennessee. He specializes in small stream wade fishing and floating the local rivers for trout. When Kyle isn’t guiding you will still find him on the water. He always stays one step ahead of the fish.

** Our guides are true professionals on and off the water and we make it a priority to provide the best fly fishing or fishing experience in western North Carolina. On our days off we fish the creeks and rivers we guide on to provide the best trip possible no matter the conditions. We understand clients are paying hard earned money to go fishing with us and we will treat you with respect, be patient, and do everything we know to do to put you on fish. Our guides are team players and know that being successful on the water is a team effort between us and the clients. We celebrate the small wins and help cheer you up when the big one gets away. Guiding isn’t a side job for us it’s our livelihood.**