Meet the Guides

Nathaniel “Than” Axtell is our Director of Fly Fishing Programs. Than has been chasing trout in the mountains of WNC for 32 years – since he was eight years old. A graduate of Northwestern University, Than toiled in the newspaper profession for a decade before he came to his senses. He is currently the Trout Editor of Fish & Fly magazine (based in Seattle) and has written about our sport for Eastern Flyfishing, Fly Rod & Reel, and Mountain Traditions, among others. Than has been a full-time fly fishing guide for seven years, running float trips on the Tuckasegee, Catawba and Tennessee tailwaters in addition to local walk-and-wade trips. His skill for getting people into fish, even under tough conditions, is legendary. Than is the past president of the French Broad Fly Fishers and a former board member of the Western NC Alliance. His passion for wild trout and wild places has led him to explore many backcountry areas here and across North America, from Bristol Bay, Alaska to Goose Bay, Labrador. If you want to learn some new water or improve your nymphing techniques, Than is your man!

 

Guide Wayne Hooper knows the streams and rivers of Transylvania County better than anyone around here. As a life-long county resident, Wayne has fished virtually every mile of trout water in these parts, starting when he was just 6 years old. He started fly fishing in earnest 20 years ago, learning the sport at the knee of some of the area’s great old-timey mountain fishermen: Lee Howell, Grady Owen, Wesley Young and Al Rogers, among others. Wayne loves dry fly fishing the most, he says, “because I love to coax them to come to the surface, even when there’s not a hatch coming off.” He has traveled widely in search of trout, including backcountry areas of Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington, and Michigan. When he’s not tying his bombproof flies or managing McNeeley’s Store in Cashiers, Wayne and his wife Jennifer keep plenty busy raising their four kids, the eldest 18 and the youngest 6. Known for his easygoing nature, Wayne is a joy to spend the day with.

Guide Woody Platt might look familiar to anglers with a penchant for bluegrass music. As the lead singer and guitarist for the Steep Canyon Rangers, Woody has traveled the nation playing bluegrass and, in between gigs, wetting a line in some of our country’s finest blue ribbon trout streams. A lifelong angler, Woody began guiding after finishing high school in Brevard at age 18 and was full-time on the river every summer when home from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he studied business and environmental studies. Woody and some friends started the Steep Canyon Rangers while in college. The group has gone on to earn national recognition with their chart-topping release “One Dime at a Time,” followed by an International Bluegrass Music Association “Emerging Artists of the Year” Award. They are featured on the Grand Ol’ Opry several times each year. Woody is available most weekdays, between gigging. His “fish sense” and great people skills make him a favorite among our repeat clients.

 

 

Guide Freddie Raines is no stranger to the streams of Western North Carolina; he’s been fishing them with a fly since the age of 13, and guiding on them for 10 years. The Asheville native has worked for Curtis Wright Outfitters and the Highland Hiker, among others. When he’s not delivering packages for his full-time employer, United Parcel Service, Freddie spends much of his free time guiding, spending quality time with his wife and 2-year-old daughter, and haunting the Watauga River in east Tennessee, his favorite place to fish. Half-jokingly, Freddie likes to tell clients he has just two rules: “#1, hook the guide and walk home. #2, remember why you’re here.” His outgoing nature and patient, unflappable personality are just two of the reasons that Freddie is one of our most sought-after guides.

Guide Samuel Aiken is a 23-year-old Transylvania County native who has been hunting and fishing these mountains since he was just a little tyke. He began fly fishing at the age of 14 and started tying his own flies a year later. “Let me tell you, there is nothing more exciting and rewarding than when you catch a fish on a fly you took the time to make,” he says. After graduating from Rosman High School in 2003, Sam enrolled in the Sweetwater Guide School in Livingston, Montana, which conducts its hands-on training on the Yellowstone River. He graduated top of his class, and was even featured in a Field & Stream magazine story called “So You Want To Be A Guide.” After graduation, he worked for a season at Kulik Lodge in Alaska and then returned to his home mountains, where he ran trips for Davidson River Outfitters in Pisgah Forest. We’re excited to have Sam on our team. With his local knowledge, politeness, and perpetual smile, any client will enjoy a day on the water with Sam.