John Bond

I grew up in Massachusetts fly fishing with my parents right next to the Farmington River and would go on family vacations to Penn’s Creek every year for the famous green drake hatch. Even back then we were using Scientific angler lines and rods. I still have my mothers 1970s scientific angler rod which is one of the first graphite rods ever made. After moving to Montana in 2010 and being completely addicted to Fly fishing I found myself having trouble finding other people to fish with and I got to the point where I didn’t need to be the one catching all the fish. Just so happened that one of my best friends was the owner of Yellowstone Angler in Livingston Montana and he (James Anderson)gave me a shot at being a guide. One of my specialties being streamer fishing I am encouraging my clients to try something new my first season, my first three weeks guiding, one of my clients hooked into and landed a heavy 25 inch brown trout on the Yellowstone The first time they had ever Flyfished. That sealed the deal for my career as a fishing guide. Hands-down my favorite job I ever had, but it’s not easy, hard work, long days and having to be in high spirits with a good attitude isn’t for everybody. Coming across as competitive people confuse that with my passion which is looking for big fish and teaching people something new and also thinking outside of the box as far as techniques go while fishing out of the boat. Don’t get me wrong I’m a little competitive but it’s all in good fun and my passion for Fly fishing and showing people a good time while looking for big fish definitely outweighs my competitive side. I truly love trying to get clients into a bigger fish or the fish in their life while fishing with me. Trophy trout hunting is in my blood and what drives me and gets me up in the morning. I love a good dry fly hatch and hooking into smaller fish on lighter Tippet, but hooking into a big ass brown trout on a streamer is like riding a roller coaster and I’m kind of addicted to getting the meat sweats if you know what I mean.

Home water- Yellowstone River Montana and surrounding ecosystem & The Rena river in Norway and surrounding ecosystem.
2 to 3 lines I use the most-
Number 1,
sonar titan sink tip, sink 6.  This line, so much to say about it. It is super versatile in that it gives me the ability to break through the water column and still is able to mend the line giving me the option of letting it drop down to the next level or keeping it shallow while swinging or stripping the fly. Give me the fly the ability to hover when needed or sink down when necessary. Loads and casts  with ease.  Super durable, can take a licking and keeps on ticking.  With the sink tip at 12 feet long and the rest of the line floating it is extremely versatile and isn’t over bearing for those long days on the water while still doing its job with exquisite  performance.Number 2,
Amplitude Infinity. This line holds up to its name, too infinity and beyond. A regular in my daily quiver, using this both for dry fly and nymphs. The Amplitude Infinity is like the energizer bunny, it just keeps performing even at the end of the season.  If you stay up on basic maintenance you will rarely see cracks and even after a  multiple days in Yellowstone national Park with clients stepping on on the line repeatedly it doesn’t show the battle scars you would expect.  going with the camo is a no brainer when trying to be stealthy. Every advantage you can get has been built into this design and out performs the competition day after day. From throwing sexy loops and delivering pinpoint accuracy while sheddingwater so your cast doesn’t blow up the bucket with a waterlogged ruckus. This line rocks, it’s a no brainer and worth every penny.

Number 3,
Sink 25 cold. This line is always at the ready either on a separate spool or on a completely separate rig. The cold sink loads like a bullet and cast like a rocket launcher. For those streamer fishing days when they eat it. When swinging, hovering or slow strips are not needed and the fish are chasing, not shy and ready to eat the meat. The cold sink as I like to call it cuts through water like a katana, quickly and easily. When stripping the flies as soon as it hits the water is on or getting down to the next level is the place to be, the cold sink is the one.  Great for big water, tail waters like the Missouri or the White and I even use it on the flat waters of lakes and ponds for my streamer needs.  Always to be trusted and never underestimated for it’s durability and casting performance.
When did I know I wanted to make Flyfishing my career,I was 15 years old. After many years of going on family flyfishing vacations with my mom and dad all over the East Coast we were on Pence Creek in Pennsylvania. This was a special year with a special green drake hatch. The bugs were big and coming off in extraordinarily large numbers. I found myself standing in the river after a full, the sun was long gone and everyone else had already left. It was pitch black and I was casting to the sound of rising fish. These gigantic green drakes were covering my body and crawling into all the places you don’t want them to. It was awesome. I remember that being the moment, knowing these were experiences that made me feel alive. The Adventure of exploring, crawling around rivers. Discovering the beauty and life the water’s hold. Only feeling satisfied while in the deep trance of focus and awareness standing in the river brings. That family fishing trip ruined me.
If I could spend the day with any one person who would it be-
My father. He gave me the gift of the fly and always encouraged me to follow my path to the river as a career. He passed on abruptly, before before we could make things right with all the fish that got the best of him. But as they say, This is the way.
On the rocks or straight-
The rocks, always good to keep a cool when drinking the fire water.
One piece of advice for my younger self-
Spend the money and go on more guided trips to learn as much as you can.
What’s in the cooler-
Fried chicken,
watermelon,
Bag-O-salad,
Polar seltzer‘s
And maybe a liquid victory dance for when we find a real one.
What I am doing when I’m not fish-
Family time with my beautiful wife-two daughters and doggy.
Fishing research and tying flies.
Seinfeld.
Where would you most like to fish-
Tierra del Fuego for some of those mega brown trout with my single hand 7or8 wt GLoomis Asquith. OR
The Sautso beat in the Alta river in Norway. There are more 40 to 50 pound Atlantic salmon caught in the stretch than anywhere else in the world. Pretty much a big salty brown trout that survived the ocean.
Stealth or bright lines-
Stealth! I grew up watching ninja movies.
Two truths and one lie.-
I can pull one of the best Chris Farley impersonations you’ve ever seen.My middle name is Angus, i’ve got a T-bone steak tattoo on my elbow, I am the son of a butcher and I was also a butcher for 15 years.

The movie kickboxer with Jean-Claude Van Damme was made to pay homage of my Time and Life in Thailand as a young man.
Craziest experience on the water-
The time I took one of my biggest childhood heroes Fishing. Michael Keaton, the Original/Best Batman, Beetlejuice and Birdman. Amazingly cool guy who is fishy.

Advisor