Wayne Eng is a competent, patient, and resourceful flyfishing guide and teacher. He is willing and able to work with all skill levels, from beginner to expert.

Wayne has made working with beginners a specialty. Wayne's relaxed and patient teaching style makes him a very good choice, even if you've never flyfished before! Fishermen at all levels of experience can benefit from an outing with Wayne. If you've been hesitant to work with a guide because you feel your skills might not meet the guide's expectations, you can put those concerns aside. Wayne's clients feel comfortable regardless of their abilities at the beginning of the day. And, they develop abilities beyond their expectations in the course of the day.

Like other guides, Wayne will show you carefully selected spots and the most effective techniques on the world famous trout waters of the Upper Sacramento River (Wayne's home water), and the McCloud River.

But, well beyond the typical experience of guide as fish locator and fly chooser, Wayne can teach techniques and approaches that will help you be more purposeful and clear in your approach to fishing the river, regardless of your current skill level. Wayne likes to say that his job is to help people catch fish by design, not by accident. Basic skills he teaches include proper rigging for conditions, reading the water to know where to find fish and how to present a fly to them, and playing and landing large trout in all types of moving water, including proper fish handling leading to safe and successful release of your catch.

In short, if you're completely satisfied with your skills and only want a guide to point to spots on the river and tie on the right fly, you don't need Wayne's special talents. But if, regardless of your current skill level, you want to get better, book a day with Wayne.

Read more about Wayne's approach and philosophy of flyfishing below, if you wish.

Wayne sums up his approach to flyfishing moving water with the term "streamsmithing", which means properly reading the water to understand where the fish must be, and what and how to present to them to induce a take. The result is that you catch fish by intent, not by dumb luck. Obviously, your catch rate goes up dramatically. This is clear to anyone who has fished a section of stream with Wayne when he is not guiding, and seen him take fish after fish while they fail to induce a strike. Wayne is modest about this ability, but clear as to what knowledge and variables make it possible.

"Reading" the water means understanding the movement of the water through the river, at different speeds and around and over obstacles, interpreting the hydrodynamics which affect where the fish will take food, and what the presentation challenges will be. Are the fish looking up or down? Will we use dries or nymphs, and if nymphs, how deep in the water column? Wayne excels at these skills, and teaches them well.

Even experienced flyfishers can become stuck deciding whether to change tactics or location. Wayne will help identify the conditions that dictate the need for change.

Finally, for Wayne, flyfishing is not just work: it is also fun and spiritual. The "Zen" of flyfishing is that the flyfisher is put intensely into the moment, using all their senses and skills to be effective. The future rolls at us from upriver, presenting new challenges, but the spot we occupy on the river is firmly planted in the here-and-now. Wayne hopes we don't lose sight of the enjoyment and magic of flyfishing, even as we boost our skills to new levels.

Spend a day or more with Wayne. You'll see the river and the sport of flyfishing in a new way!