Dave Brown: Fly Fishing and Wingshooting

Dave was introduced to the world of fly fishing at a young age. “I had an uncle in Northern Ontario that loved to fish, and I would go up there and spend the summer with him and his family. I think I was 12 years old, and it really opened my eyes to trout fishing. When I got back to Southern Ontario, a couple of buddies and I were fishing a creek. I saw a guy get out of a car and walk upstream with a fly rod, and I just thought, ‘I want to be that guy.” 

Dave’s journey to being “that guy” has taken some twists and turns. “I was in the Canadian Army for seven years and spent five of those years as a paratrooper, but fly fishing and the outdoors have always been a part of my DNA. When I got out of the military, I tried guiding, and it was a rough road getting going. I had to get a day job, but I was still fishing my face off. I started selling cars, but my phone kept ringing with people wanting to book trips. So I’d take the summers off and guide and come back to the car lot in the offseason. Eventually, the business became full time.” Today, Dave guides year-round, traveling up and down the continent to put outdoor enthusiasts on trout, waterfowl, and upland birds. 

Dave Brown Outfitters has been in business for 25 years and has run more than 12,500 guided trips – and Dave shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. “I move around a lot these days. In the summers, I go back and forth between Montana and Alberta, wherever I’m needed. In the fall, we're busy with bird hunts in Montana and Saskatchewan. In the winter, it's all quail hunts in Arizona.” Dave has established a trusted roster of guides in each of these locations, and he takes great pride in the guides that he works with. “We’ve got guides that have worked with us for 20 years. We’ve got one guide whose son works for us now. So it’s generational – I’ve become ‘Uncle Dave.’” 

Dave Brown Outfitters runs trips on eight major rivers and countless small streams across Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. No matter where you fish with Dave, his approach to fly fishing is all about focusing on what’s fun. “I like streamer fishing because it’s aggressive,” explains Dave. “You're hoping and praying every time you cast that a monster brown trout is going to come out and eat your fly. When I can get clients throwing streamers, casting comfortably, and getting to see the chases, it’s a lot of fun. Same with dry fly fishing, throwing caddis, PMDs, or hoppers at rising fish, it really keeps your head in the game when it’s visually exciting.” Dave guides on some of the world’s premier trout waters, and he’s all about making each trip more enthralling than the last. Catching trophy browns and bows with Dave is truly a can’t-miss opportunity. 

Whether you’re an avid upland hunter or can’t tell a quail from a pheasant, getting out with Dave Brown is the perfect way to experience the sport. The diversity of upland bird species that Dave targets is impressive: “Arizona is unique because we have three species of quail that we can hunt. There aren’t many places in the country where you can find Mearn’s, Gamble’s, and scaled quail in the numbers we have. In Montana we hunt huns, sharp-tails, pheasants, and sage grouse. We focus primarily on pheasant hunting because it’s really good. We also have exceptional waterfowling in Saskatchewan. We're located right on the staging area for the Central Flyway, so we get all kinds of really cool Northern birds coming down from the Arctic.” If you find yourself in Saskatchewan, Dave does plenty of upland hunting in the beautiful Canadian province, where expansive habitats and low hunting pressure make for unforgettable trips. 

Whether you catch Dave in the States or up in the Great White North, time spent outdoors with him is time well spent. You can listen to our full conversation with Dave Brown on The AnyCreek Podcast.