Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing was founded by Jeff and Rebecca McKenna in 2022.
Jeff has had a passion for fishing from an early age. Spurred on by his father and grandfather, his formative years on the water were educational and memorable. When the opportunity for Jeff came to own his own fly rod - nothing has been the same since!
Originally from the midwest, Jeff graduated with a bachelor's degree in Forestry Resource Management from West Virginia University. It was during those years in his undergrad education setting that his respect and fondness for the water were discovered.
Coupled with his love of fly fishing, rivers, and a passion for the outdoors, Colorado was calling Jeff. He relocated to Grand Junction in 2003 and his fishing and river/water passions have continued to grow. In his Boulder Boat Works drift boat, Jeff gives clients a guided fly fishing experience in low or high waters. He owns and operates Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing as a guide and outfitter, specializing in guiding on the Colorado River, the Gunnison River, the Roaring Fork River, the Grand Mesa and loves hitting some special still water areas, too!
Married with two sons, Jeff enjoys spending time with his family on and off the water, mountain biking, hosting travel, attending concerts, and sipping whiskey.
Tyler Morris was born and raised on the western slope of Colorado. He grew up running around chasing everything with fins, feathers, or fur, and fishing was an obsession since he could literally walk. His mom still likes to tell the story of when he would 'fish' the neighborhood ditch, even though there were no fish.
When Tyler was about eight years old his grandmother took him to the Frying Pan River where he tried every lure in his tackle box with no luck in catching a fish. After quite some time, he marched back to his grandmother's car and told her there are no fish in this secret spot and she laughed and pointed to a couple of older gentlemen who were catching fish on every cast. It was at that very moment he realized what he had to do.
Fast forward nearly thirty years, Tyler lives in East Orchard Mesa with his wife, son, daughter, and their four dogs. After a long career in the stone industry, Tyler decided to take his passion for fly fishing to the next level. After a shadow trip in 2017 with Jeff McKenna, Tyler really started pursuing the guide life and hasn't looked back.
Tyler enjoys every fishing opportunity on the western slope, from the still waters on the Grand Mesa to the flowing waters of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. Tyler has also started hosting a trip to his wife’s home country of Panama. His favorite part of guiding is the opportunity to share truly awesome experiences with people - new faces or familiar ones, nothing compares to the victory of a big fish! Tyler looks forward to many more years of working with Jeff and the others at Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing.
Colt Wing was born and raised along the Texas Gulf Coast near Corpus Christi. He spent most of his youth fishing the rivers, lakes, bays, and gulf. Here he chased after an array of species that the area had to offer including Perch, Bluegill, Bass, Red Fish, Speckled Trout, and other saltwater varieties.
Fly fishing wasn’t popular in that part of Texas at the time, but he developed an interest while watching Sunday morning fishing shows. His grandma bought him his first fly rod at the young age of 9. This started his pursuit of anything that he could coax into taking a fly, from the goldfish in the family pond to Bluegill in the creek. At age 11 he began spending his spring breaks fly fishing the Guadalupe River, the state’s only trout fishery. As the saltwater scene began surfacing in the area, he focused his efforts toward the larger salt species that resided right there in his backyard. As he’s aged, his fishing adventures have taken him to many new places such as Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. In fact, he came to Western Colorado on a vacation in 2011 and never went home.
Most weekends you will find him on the river, creek, or one of the many lakes on the Western Slope with his wife Cheree. During the winter months, Colt can be spotted in his wife’s hometown of Grand Lake, Colorado, where he was introduced to ice fishing and dove into the sport headfirst. With over 30 years of fishing stories to tell as well as a touch of knowledge, you’re sure to have a great day out on the river, lake, or even the ice.
Jacob Carpenter was born and raised in Western Colorado and started fishing as soon as he could walk. His father would place a rod on his hand and he would disappear for hours exploring up creeks or along the banks of the Colorado River or high mountain lakes. Today, much to the annoyance of his lovely wife and forgiving children, Jacob packs a fly rod for every family trip and will stop to toss a fly in any body of water that might contain a fish! He has wandered the shores of Alaska and fly-fished from a kayak in the Florida Keys. Jacob has even managed to catch a Grand Slam of Bass Species in the irrigation ditches of the Rio Grande in the heart of New Mexico.
On the river, fellow guides call him Carpy, a nickname his wife asserts she came up with first. Carpy is well known for his exuberance and skill at stalking and catching carp along the river system in the Grand Valley. Jacob loves fishing the high mountain lakes and streams and the upper reaches of the Colorado to the warm water fishery of the lower Colorado, he’s fished it all and is always happy to take a client out for an adventure with Colorado West Slope Fly Fishing!
Jacob is also an official American Carp Society guide - find his bio here.
Jake Thornburg’s guiding philosophy revolves around creating memorable outdoor experiences that go beyond the catch. For him, it's about the moments spent by the river, the camaraderie, and the thrill of learning something new.
After discovering the escapism and tranquillity of fly fishing during his college years on the Front Range, Jake has spent the last 10 years investing in becoming a knowledgeable and reliable guide. Wholeheartedly immersed himself in fly fishing, making it a lifestyle more than a hobby. Most recently, Jake spent the summer of 2023 as a Fly Fishing Guide at the 4UR Ranch in Creede, Colorado. This experience revealed his true passion: teaching others the intricacies of fly fishing and sharing the joys it brings.
Over the years Jake has refined and honed his skills on coveted trout waters across the state of Colorado and beyond. He has wrangled fish in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, New York, and Mexico. He enjoys chasing both warm and cold water species. Jake hopes to continue to travel, learn and adapt to catching fish in North and South American opportunities.
Raised on Colorado’s Western Slope, Jake Thornburg grew up with the Grand Valley as his backyard. As a result, he enjoys fly fishing, camping, off-roading, boating with friends, spending time with family, enjoying the outdoors and has always had a curious and adventurous heart.
Pete Ashman is considered a Western Slope native as he was raised in Grand Junction (born in Albuquerque, NM) and has been fly fishing here since the mid 1990’s. Pete is a child of the west and his love of the outdoors and water started at an early age and has grown over the years. He spent his childhood digging up dinosaur and fish fossils in the badlands of Colorado and Wyoming.
Pete has a love for the natural world and his approach to guiding is, “Safety first, then fun, then fish.” With 25 years in the aquatic safety industry under his belt, he’s got the safety part dialed. When he's not fishing, you can find Pete being a sous chef, heading up the biology exhibits at the Grand Junction Eureka! McConnell Science Museum, fly tying and fly designing, spending time with his wife, Miranda, and their dogs and cat, listening to music, reading, paleontology, hunting, painting, and continuously learning.
Al Sanchez was born and raised in San Antonia, Texas. He began fishing for fresh and saltwater species at an early age and began a passion for fishing that eventually brought him to the waters in Colorado. Al has lived in Colorado since 2007.
Once introduced to the headwaters above tree line and the tail waters along the front range and the western slope, Al was “hooked”. Since 2014, Al has been sharing his passion through guided fly fishing instruction.
When Al is not guiding, you can find him fishing the backcountry or one of our many tailwaters throughout our beautiful state of Colorado.
Al teaches casting, traditional western style dry fly / dry-dropper rigs, western and european (Czech) nymph techniques, and stripping/swinging streamers.
Nick LaToof is a 5th generation Texan and grew up in the piney woods of Northeast Texas. It was there that his love of fishing started. He spent countless summer days chasing largemouth bass, bream, and catfish in small ponds on conventional tackle.
Nick would take a hiatus from fishing during college days as his main focus was football and earning a degree in exercise science. After graduation, he moved to Nashville, Tenn., to continue his work as a personal trainer / strength and conditioning coach. The fitness world would eventually take him to Southern California where he worked as a traveling sales rep. However, the hustle and bustle of that life left Nick feeling a bit empty so he decided to leave SoCal in pursuit of something else.
Upon landing in Western Colorado, Nick knew he wanted to get back outdoors and follow his passion of fishing. He picked up a fly rod and his life would forever be changed. In 2021, Nick went to the Big Horn River in Montana and took the SweetWater Guide School, where he began his journey to becoming a guide. Later that year, he took Jeff’s rowing certification course and started his guiding journey.
Nick loves to chase trout but also enjoys fishing for bass, pike, and carp. He also makes a pilgrimage down to the Texas coast to chase red fish.
Richard Schildbach was born and raised in northeast Georgia. At a young age, his father passed away which led his mom to take him and his brother adventuring in the great outdoors. While exploring, Richard became curious about fly fishing. Kind anglers would answer his questions and often give him flies - but he still had little understanding of fly fishing.
His passion for fly fishing grew and was able to attend a state-wide trout camp sponsored by his local TU chapter. Soon, he was addicted to the sport and was found wading in the rivers of Appalachia.
Richard moved to Florida to attend college and his love of fishing continued to grow. He fished the inlets of the Everglades to the Flats of Islamorada and everywhere in between.
A freak accident led Richard to the hospital where he spent weeks. During that time, he decided to change the course of his career and life. He moved to Grand Junction, where he loves exploring and fly fishing in Western Colorado.
CWSFF made Richard’s dreams come true - to teach and share the love of fly fishing with others. He couldn’t be happier to be part of the team!
JEFF McKENNA
Owner and Founder
Guide and Outfitter
