photo courtesy John Valk

Meet the Pro-staff

Grindstone Angling and Outfitters offers the best pro-staff in south central Ontario for both Guiding and Instruction.

Our pro-staff guides know the local waters spending hundreds of days each year on rivers like the Saugeen and Grand where we fish and are recognized as leading experts in the field. Whether it's floating for steelhead or browns during the early season or matching a masked hatch for a large wary trout, our professional guides can tailor the day to meet your needs. From the novice caster to the seasoned pro we always strive to make your day in the field the very best our rivers have to offer.

Grindstones pro-staff instructors are FFF certified or are achieving that level of certification by the Federation of Fly Fishers, ensuring the highest level of qualified instruction is available for our clients. Each instructor has met the FFF requirements for enhancing the overall level of instruction in fly casting, including instructor knowledge, casting proficiency, and teaching ability.



			IN Memoriam Ted had the skills developed from fly casting for a great many years and was very well known among the fly fishers of southern Ontario and the bordering U.S. His classic cane rods are legendary throughout North America's fly fishing community and are owned by leading personalities such as John Gierach and A.K. Best. Ted's experiences included teaching the Mohawk College Introduction to Fly Fishing classes and organizing the Grand River Cane Rod Builders gathering. Ted had fished virtually all over North America and can teach you any casting or other technique needed to catch fish. Ted was also a member of the G. Loomis Prostaff Team.

			Owner of Grindstone Angling, head river guide and outfitter. John has been fly fishing and guiding for more than 30 years and can teach you anything from the beginner levels of casting to advanced stages of double hauling for distance or the right presentation to fool any wary trout or steelhead. He spends over 200 days a year on the water and can work any casting situation to produce a positive outcome for his clients or students. John is also a professional licensed guide in British Columbia and Alberta and chases trout and migratory species all over Canada. In 2001 he was a member of the championship casting team for the Paul Young sporting flies event in Michigan.

			Rob grew up on the east coast of Canada, a descendant of a few generations of fly fishers, and spent his younger years with fly rod in hand in the pursuit of Atlantic salmon. All this heritage and experience is apparent in his teaching and guiding skills. Rob has been teaching for a few years and his students' positive achievements are the rewards he strives for in his casting classes or in his on-the-river instruction. Rob can take the beginner and make them an accomplished angler or caster with a great understanding of how they are going to further develop their skills.

			Dave, an aquatic biologist has spent the last 10 years studying and consulting to the health and development of many of our diverse Ontario waterways. His extensive experience analysing river systems provides valuable insight into the pursuit of the many migratory and resident fish species found in Ontario. For many years Dave has developed his skills with a fly rod on countless Ontario Rivers and as far away as the Yukon and California. His insight and experience with aquatic biology, ecology and other aspects of the natural environment will enrich your experience and success with the diverse species we pursue.

			Keith has been involved with the fly fishing community of Ontario for a great many years. His fly fishing takes him from the cold water rivers of the Hudson Bay watershed to the flats and saltwater of Florida. Keith has fly fished for everything from bonefish to Atlantic salmon and is also an FFF certified instructor. With this experience, he has the perfect credentials to run a full service fly shop. No question, from either the beginner or the experienced veteran on any fly fishing topic, goes unanswered. Regardless if it's about a destination or equipment Keith has the expertise to handle all of your fly fishing requirements.

			John's forty years of fly fishing and fly tying experience are apparent with a look in the fly cabinet at the shop. Not only does he tie many of the flies for our guides and customers but many of the patterns are his own creation. These patterns were designed to match the hatch better than the standard patterns. To his credit the largest trout of each of the past three guiding seasons were caught on John's flies. John has been teaching the introductory courses at the shop since it opened and has a great number of accomplished tiers to his credit. His meticulous attention to detail and patient manner make John an excellent instructor and fly tier, not to mention his fly fishing skills.


	Subscribe to Grindstone's e-newsletter : :