The Guides

At Fins & Feathers, we recognize the fact that at the end of the trip, the most important factor in your enjoyment is the quality of our guides. We hire only experienced and patient professionals that enjoy their jobs which always makes for a great experience for our guests.

Fins & Feathers is the 2010 Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Outfitter of the Year. This unique recognition is based on customer feedback regarding our service both in the fly shop and on the stream. There are dozens and dozens of fantastic Orvis Endorsed operations around the country and we are truly honored to have been recognized as the best of the best!

Below is a brief autobiography of our guides for the 2011 season. Send us an e-mail if you have any questions or would like to request a specific guide. Typically, we try to match the guides with the clients based on a variety of information we collect while booking the trip.

Toby Swank - Toby is the owner/outfitter (Lic #9603) of Fins & Feathers and has been fishing the waters of southwest Montana for 20 years. Fly fishing for trout is his true passion and spends well over 200 days a year chasing fish in cold water. He grew up in Texas fishing for largemouths and pretty much anything that could be caught on a Zara Spook! Fly fishing has been a part of Toby's life for nearly 30 years and he enjoys teaching others just as much as fishing on his own. He graduated from Montana State University in 1995 with a BS in Biology and is now married with 2 boys and 2 dogs. Check out his blog.

Rick Weisend - Rick is the head guide for our Missoula operation and guides extensively around Bozeman as well. He has a degree in Fisheries Biology from Humboldt State University and is one of the best fly tyers you'll ever meet. Rick is one of the most easy going and knowledgeable fly fishing guides that you'll ever meet. His original fly patterns can be found in the shop and in the Orvis catalog. Rick lives near Missoula with his wife, dog and cat. He continues to guide repeat clients in and around Bozeman and focuses on the Missoula area with both repeat and new clients.

Paul Neuman - Paul is a Bozeman native and has been fishing the rivers of Southwest Montana since he was old enough to walk. He is a ski instructor in Big Sky during the winter and has traveled extensively through Europe. As a longtime member of our "core guide" staff, Paul has a solid listof repeat customers that continues to grow every year. He's a great guy on and off the river so we always know that our clients will have a great time wherever they end up fishing.

Ben Jantzen - Ben moved to the Gallatin Valley over twelve years ago from Connecticut and has been fishing the surrounding waters avidly ever since. As a member of core staff of guides, Ben has a well established reputation among our clients as being easy going and an expert instructor. When he's not fishing around here, he's usually chasing some sort of mammal around the mountains with a bow. Ben is always great on the river, regardless of an angler's skill level and works hard to make sure that everyone has a great experience.

Charlie Napoli – Charlie has been living in Bozeman for fourteen years, and has been fishing the waters of Southwest Montana ever since. He is the fly shop manager, and one of our core guides during the fishing season. He grew up in Pennsylvania and started fishing the trout streams there when he was just three years old. Charlie spent a few years guiding in Alaska for trout, grayling and salmon before becoming a guide in Montana. Always patient and persistent, Charlie has a gift for finding fish while making clients feel comfortable regardless of their skill levels. Charlie is married with 1 dog and lives here in Bozeman.