Certified Casting Instructor

Any fin is possible with Brett

“My favorite trips are teaching-themed. I like to share my passion with people, and watch them develop their own interest and self-sufficiency. Standing in a river alone can be all the therapy anyone really needs these days.”

Email Brett

Brett Wilson grew up on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. He graduated with an English degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he learned to cast a fly rod at Lake Superior Steelhead, and spent a lot of weekends chasing pike in the Boundary Waters Wilderness. He said, “I pretty much embody every Minnesota stereotype there is–I am a blond-haired, blue-eyed, Lutheran-raised Norwegian…and yes, I’ve eaten lutefisk.” Brett felt the tug of the west from the Midwest, though.

The mountains, the space, and the nature called to him and he answered. “I was in search of a place where I could fish, hunt birds, and snowboard right in my backyard. Ketchum is the best location I’ve found for immediate access to these passions so far,” Brett said. He loves introducing guests to the place he has come to call home. His favorite trip to date was marrying two of his clients in Silver Creek….in float tubes.

Guiding Style

Teacher.

Fun Facts about Brett

    • He owns and operates a business that creates and manufactures products for waterfowl hunting, called Blackwing.
    • He was a wildland firefighter on an Alaskan Hot Shot crew for three years.
    • The perfect end to a day on the river is a cold beer on Lefty’s deck.
    • His first fishing memory is of standing next to his father as he cast spoons for pike off a dock on Lake Minnetonka. “I tried to emulate his cast by reaching in his tackle box and throwing a bulky handful of lures into the lake. I then took an involuntary swim…it’s a wonder I love fishing so much.”
    • Brett’s favorite ‘fly’ is “anything that sinks in a hurry.”
    • When he’s not fly fishing, Brett can be found chasing birds with his lab-setter mix named Emma Jane, bow hunting elk, backcountry snowboarding, ice fishing, mountain biking, writing stories for hunting/fishing publications, playing guitar, or trying to invent the next big gadget to hit the waterfowl hunting scene.
    • He loves dark beer and cheap whiskey.
What folks say about fishing with Brett

“Best day ever fishing with Brett! We're looking forward to the next time...and it will definitely be with him! Thanks for a great day and great memories”

Julie and Brian Gallagher

“I've fished with Brent a few days during the last few years so he knew exactly what to do to mix things up: float on the Salmon. Brent has a very good sense of what I like and what I am capable of and strikes a nice balance balance letting me do my thing while showing me new techniques and programs, like the Salmon drift. I've even come around and am now cool catching the native whitefish. Since I fished dries and streamers, I only hooked one. I treated it with love and respect sending it off with a kiss. We had a great day. Brett's work on the oars was impressive. ”

Randy Renick

“Second season with Brent. Getting really close to Richie’s talent.”

William Swaney

“Brett is great ! We’ve been fishing with him many years.”

Lori Ransohoff

“Fishing was pretty tough going, but the guides were great.”

Robert Schmidt

“As always, Brett provides an all around outstanding experience to include not only a great fishing experience, but great information about the area, the fish, the entomology, etc. Brett is also a great instructor for newer anglers offering tips and techniques that not only catch fish, but truly engage the client to improve techniques and success on the river.”

Eric Sellas

“Brett Wilson did a great job we had a blast. He is a hard worker and very knowledgeable guide.”

Brett Bayless

“Excellent trip. Our 14 year old beginner caught a 10 lb steelhead in the first hour. Great experience. Brett is a knowledgeable, patient guide and treated us all very well.”

Scott Chamberlain

“Brett Wilson has guided for us several times and he is very knowledgeable, fun …. a perfect trip.”

Mark Nickerson

“For the past several years we’ve always wanted to fish with Brett Wilson, for too many reasons to list here. He’s just a joy to be with.”

Anonymous

“Mike and Brett are great! Knowledgeable and considerate. We will fish with both again! Mike and Brett were great. We will continue to request their expertise and guidance. All positives for them!”

Anonymous

“The beauty of the river, catching my first rainbow trout, Brett's enthusiasm and concern/care for the environment.”

Anonomyous

“The highlight of our trip was catching the biggest and most fish we’ve ever caught on a Silver Creek trip. But they are all great trips. Brett Wilson did great, our 2nd trip with him and he couldn’t have been more helpful, patient, and effective.”

John Boydston

“Yes. We discussed water conditions and why we were fishing lower Big Wood. It turned out to be great call. Was asked if I was good with float tubes. He gave me good run down of what to expect biggest highlight was Brett made decision to try something different due to water conditions and it paid off. I could have caught 1/4 the fish and would have been good day considering what I had read about conditions”

PC

“Brian Richter and Bret Wilson were our guide team for our four-person group. Great guides. Very professional and fun to be with. Five pound rainbow takes the daily prize!”

Ron Wilhite

“I enjoyed the entire day. Learned a lot, caught a lot of fish. Brett quickly assessed my level of experience and tailored our day to it. He was always very encouraging.”

Anonymous

“Brett is par excellence.”

Anonymous

“Fished two days with Brett Wilson and really enjoyed the experience. First day in Silver creek was really slow. Second day in Canyon below Magic was really fun. Great guy, great teacher, great guide. Super patient with my 16 year old son. He’s a keeper- Brett that is.”

Kevin Schneider

“My son and I have fished with Brett Wilson three or four times in the past. He is just awesome and we look forward to our trips with him. We do recommend Brett to anyone who is going to Ketchum to fish.”

Anonymous

“My son and I have fished with Brett Wilson three or four times in the past. He is just awesome and we look forward to our trips with him. We do recommend Brett to anyone who is going to Ketchum to fish.”

Russell Coleman

“Great trip, but very pricey for a 1/2 day excursion. Brett was phenomenal. He picked us up at our lodge and scheduled the fishing time to coordinate with a river kayak trip that we had later in the afternoon. He was extremely patient with us, imparted his fishing knowledge on to us, was a great teacher of the fly fishing technique, was very caring to make sure I didn't slip and fall on the rocks at the bottom of the river, and overall showed my son Eric and i a fantastic time. You have quite the guide in Brett, and I would encourage you to utilize him with your customers as much as possible.”

Scott Silverman

“Thanks to Brett’s skill and encouragement, in the final moments of fishing I managed to land a splendid rainbow from Silver Creek, and, as an absolute Hemingway fanatic (and occasional family friend), I can hardly contain my admiration and pleasure.”

Tom Markey

“We enjoyed the knowledge Brett Shared with us about the Wood River. We have a vacation home in the area and he taught us how to fish the spots that were convenient.”

Travis Magamoll

“He was fantastic. Really good teaching and made us feel like we were experts. We caught a ton of fish and had a great time.”

Kim Sorenson

“Brett was very knowledgeable, so friendly, and an all-around great guide! We had a blast with him and would love to fish with him again.”

Anonymous

“I had a fantastic time with Brett Wilson. What a great teacher. This was my first time fly fishing and he taught me the basics and showed me the casts and gear I needed. He explained the fishing environment at Silver Creek and its history. On my second cast I caught a nice rainbow trout and it got better from there. I caught about a dozen rainbow and brown trout. And to cap off a great day, I caught a 22" brown trout! What a great day on Silver Creek with a great guide. I would highly recommend Brett to everyone and plan on booking more trips with Brett.”

Scott Chamberlain

“Very helpful, nice to talk to, great guide, will use again.”

Daniel Horne

“Brett was a true professional. He took us to some great spots and his knowledge about the fish, wildlife, and plants in the area was incredible. Really a great experience.”

John Warner