OUR GUIDES
Jeff Dean Owner/Guide
Jeff was born and raised in Texas and moved to the Boone area with his wife in 2012. He was a firefighter/ paramedic in Dallas, TX as well as in Boone, where he became Fire Captain. After 14 years in fire and rescue service, he decided to pursue one of his other passions; fly fishing. He grew up hunting and fishing with his father, grandparents and siblings. He learned to appreciate and respect the outdoors after many years of spending his free time exploring, hunting and fishing.
In 2012, Steve Michel, owner of Watauga River Anglers (changed to Watauga River Fly Shop), gave Jeff the opportunity to guide on his off days from the fire department. He had been fly fishing for years, but spending countless days on the water guiding, really helped Jeff learn and appreciate the art of fly fishing. He purchased the business in January of 2016, which continues to grow and evolve today!
Bradley Burchette/Guide
Brad is from Greensboro, NC and grew up an avid outdoorsman. Like many others, when he came to the High Country to attend App State, he saw the opportunity for some awesome fly fishing. Brad lived and breathed fly fishing and once he graduated App State, Brad went all in with the sport. Brad soon realized he wanted to guide and show others how great fly fishing can be.
Brad has mastered the art of putting anybody and everybody on fish. He knows the local streams like the back of his right hand and the East TN tailwaters like the back of his left hand. Whether you want to do a small stream wade trip or sight fish for large browns floating on the Watauga tailwaters, Brad has you covered.
Dustin Kemp/Guide
Dustin was born and raised in Lenoir, North Carolina. He has always had a passion for the mountains and being outdoors whether it be fishing, camping or hiking. Fishing the banks of the river started at a young age due to his father. Dustin realized his passion of fly fishing 15 years ago and has been “hooked” ever since.
After fifteen years of retail service, he made the leap of making his passion into his career and he has not looked back. When he is not guiding, you can find Dustin on the water (wading or floating), tying his own custom flies, or researching the different techniques of fly fishing and entomology. Dustin devotes
himself 100% to his fly-fishing passion. Some may say he is addicted to the sport! Dustin takes pride in his ability to put clients on fish regardless of their ability. The thing he loves most about guiding is being able to pass his knowledge on to someone else. Dustin makes it a priority to tailor to his client’s needs
whether it is a focus on casting, reading water or just spending a day on the water.
