Management Team - Guides - Kitchen Staff - Camp Staff

Meet the Guides
All Bristol Bay Lodge staff are CPR and First Aid certified. Members of the guide team are licensed with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and as a minimum must hold a Coast Guard issued Limited Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) Guide License on the Freshwaters and Rivers of Western Alaska. All employees are hand selected based on individual character and trained by Management and senior members of the staff. Safety in everything we do is Bristol Bay Lodge’s number one priority.

	Dan Claus - Pilot/Guide Dan turns 50 this year and has been a commercial pilot in the Alaska bush for the past 26 years, including 13 years at Bristol Bay Lodge. Between flights Dan combines the skills of guide and photographer, turning moments on the water into treasured memories. Dan enjoys the off-season with Kathy, his partner of 28 years. Together they operate a tree and shrub nursery in Idaho.
	Reuban Dunagan - Pilot/Guide Reuban has been a pilot for many years flying frequently out of Alaska as well as Key West. We are very pleased to have Reuben flying for us again this summer.
	Mark Echeverria - Guide Mark has worked for BBL for 4 years and the 2007 season will make number five. When not guiding at BBL Mark can be found working at his folks ranch or in the ski industry in California.
	Jim Welch - Guide Jim is from Colorado and is an avid fly fisherman. Jim has spent time traveling and fishing in and around New Zealand. He has spent time at Bristol Bay Lodge’s sister lodge Lake Rotoroa Lodge on New Zealand’s South Island and is currently guiding for Shackleton international in the Seychelles.
	Adam Josephson - Guide Adam is 21 years old and originally from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa where he majored in Sociology with a minor in Communications. At Luther College Adam was on the Dean’s list and was Capt. of the Swim team. He has been fishing for as long as he can remember and fly-fishing for the last 11 years.
	Garrett Blackburn - Guide Garret is a 21 year old from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He grew up hunting and fishing. He began learning to fly fish when he was ten years old during summers spent in south-central Wyoming near the North Platte and Encampment Rivers. He is currently a student in the Pre-Medical program at the University of Montana-Missoula.
	Forrest Smith - Guide Forrest was a member of the US junior fly-fishing team from 1998 to 2000. He started guiding on the White River in Arkansas at the age of 16. Prior to coming to guide for Bristol Bay Lodge Forrest worked on the Kanektok. He is an FFF certified fly casting instructor and really enjoys teaching beginners how to fly-fish. He is currently guiding in Chile.
	Nathan McDonough - Guide Nate is 21 years old and following in the footsteps of his father, Pat McDonough who spent 5 seasons guiding at Bristol Bay Lodge. Before coming to work for BBL Nate put in several seasons on the Kenai Peninsula. This will be Nate's fourth season at the lodge. Nate grew up hunting and fishing with his father. When he is not guiding in Alaska Nate can be found chasing deer, elk, and waterfowl, and guiding on his home waters- Central Washington's Yakima River. Nate is currently studying business at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.
	Ronnie Willis - Guide Ronnie is from Destin, Florida.  He is twenty-five years old and a graduate of the University of Mississippi .  He has spent his spare time since childhood chasing speckled trout and redfish on the flats of Northwest Florida.  He is an avid outdoorsman with hobbies ranging from hunting to camping.When Ronnie is not guiding for the lodge he can be found in Destin selling real estate for the family business and hunting the woods of the southern states.
	Ian Hourihan - Camp Hand/Apprentice Guide This will be Ian’s fourth season at BBL. He is from Eagle River, Alaska and is 17 years old. Ian is a fine young man with a strong work ethic. Ian is responsible for a number of tasks in and around the lodge and can always be found accomplishing his work with dogged determination and a smile. Ian’s interests include football, fishing, and snowboarding. Ian will soon be joining the guide team!