Firehole Ambassadors
Tie well. Fish hard. Share what you know.
Firehole Ambassadors are tyers and anglers who care about the details: at the vise, on the water, and in the communities around them.
They aren't here because of follower counts. They're here because they tie with Firehole, know the craft, and have something worth sharing.
Meet the Firehole Team
Firehole Pro Team
Jeff Smecker
Firehole Pro Team
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
A school principal and the voice behind TroutStrike.com, Jeff Smecker brings a teacher's analytical eye to tightline nymphing on Central PA limestone and the Upper Delaware.
Meet Jeff
Freddy Block
Firehole Pro Team
Vernon, New Jersey
A northern New Jersey tyer and photographer who fishes the Catskills, Freddy Block ties everything from soft hackles to Matuka streamers, with one goal: stay inspired, and inspire others.
Meet Freddy
Tom Costa
Firehole Pro Team
Murrysville, Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania tyer who wade-fishes Southwest Montana each year, Tom Costa specializes in jig-style Euro nymphs and streamers, Frenchies, Blowtorches, and Perdigons built for function first.
Meet Tom
Peter Steen
Firehole Pro Team
Cottonwood Heights, Utah
A Utah tyer of dries, small nymphs, and stillwater patterns, Peter Steen fishes high-elevation water for trout and grayling, and has completed the Utah Cutthroat Slam 14 times.
Meet Peter
Bailee Ross
Firehole Pro Team
Wanganui, New Zealand
A New Zealand tyer drawn in by the detail behind effective flies, Bailee Ross designs euro nymphs and dries for freestone-river trout, and going barbless is central to how he fishes.
Meet BaileeFirehole Ambassadors
Dylan Gonzales
Firehole Ambassador
Los Lunas, New Mexico
Raised fishing the San Juan with his dad, Dylan Gonzales is a New Mexico tyer and Signature Fly Designer known for small tailwater patterns and midges, including his 1 O'clock Midge.
Meet Dylan
Chris Williamson
Firehole Ambassador
Puyallup, Washington
A Washington tyer and self-described bug nerd, Chris Williamson builds stoneflies, heavy nymphs, and foam adults for his home water, and mentors foster kids through the Mayfly Project.
Meet Chris
Bryceten Forrester
Firehole Ambassador
Williamsburg, Pennsylvania
A 25-year-old tyer from southcentral Pennsylvania, Bryceten Forrester specializes in euro-style nymphs and chases wild trout on limestone streams, freestone, and bluelines.
Meet Bryceten
Brighton Cleaver
Firehole Ambassador
Provo, Utah
A commercial tyer who guides the upper Kenai in Alaska, Brighton Cleaver ties tungsten nymphs, big streamers, and spey intruders. Nobody, he says, makes a buggier matte bead than Firehole.
Meet Brighton
André Aspling
Firehole Ambassador
Sweden
A Swedish tyer who fishes fast rivers for trout and grayling, André Aspling focuses on practical, fishable patterns: caddis, dries, emergers, nymphs and small streamers.
Meet André
Mike Cline
Firehole Ambassador
Bozeman, Montana
A Bozeman tyer with a lifetime at the vise, Mike Cline gives away thousands of flies a year to his Trout Unlimited chapter, FFI shows, and anglers he meets stream-side.
Meet Mike
Mathieu Desbiens
Firehole Ambassador
Montreal, Quebec
A Montreal Euro-nymphing specialist and 2018 Canadian Fly Fishing Championships competitor, Mathieu Desbiens teaches fly-tying clinics and on-river workshops in Quebec.
Meet Mathieu
Kyler Fear
Firehole Ambassador
Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
A Western North Carolina guide who cut his teeth on the Wisconsin Driftless, Kyler Fear chases native brook trout in the blueline streams of Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.
Meet Kyler
John Sandoval
Firehole Ambassador
Austin, Texas
An Austin tyer who chases river bass on the Lower Colorado and trout on the Guadalupe, John Sandoval builds streamers around dubbing loops and his own dubbing blends.
Meet John
Adrian Aguirre
Firehole Ambassador
League City, Texas
A League City fly angler and owner of Upstream Fly Co., Adrian Aguirre ties for Texas bass, panfish and cichlids, and for trout on the Guadalupe.
Meet Adrian
Jarid Church
Firehole Ambassador
Statesville, North Carolina
Raised in the North Carolina mountains and tying for more than 20 years, Jarid Church focuses on nymphs and Euro patterns for trout across Western NC, Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Meet Jarid
Will Arrant
Firehole Ambassador
Blairsville, Georgia
A public information officer for wildfire and hurricane response teams, Will Arrant teaches fly tying one on one and helps run Fly Tyers for Beginners on Facebook.
Meet Will
Dale Burrier
Firehole Ambassador
Rogue River, Oregon
A Rogue River, Oregon tyer with 60 years at the vise, Dale Burrier ties traditional hair-and-hackle nymphs, steelhead intruders and beaded Euro flies, and helps teach tying for Project Healing Waters.
Meet Dale
Larry Holt
Firehole Ambassador
Craig, Colorado
A Craig, Colorado tyer with two original patterns featured in Fly Tyer magazine, Larry Holt ties Pheasant Tail variations and experimental nymphs for trout, and ties only barbless.
Meet Larry
Luke Pfeffer
Firehole Ambassador
Rochester, Minnesota
A full-time guide and shop manager at Root River Rod Co., Luke Pfeffer guides the Minnesota Driftless for trout, smallmouth, pike and musky, and ties buggy nymphs, foam poppers and big streamers.
Meet Luke
Shane Shubert
Firehole Ambassador
Roanoke, Virginia
A Roanoke, Virginia tyer with more than 30 years at the vise, Shane Shubert chases wild brook trout on blue-line streams, ties traditional patterns, and leads the Roanoke/New River Valleys program of Project Healing Waters.
Meet Shane
Alfonso Fulgenzi
Firehole Ambassador
Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
A fly fishing guide and commercial tyer at the southern tip of Patagonia, Alfonso Fulgenzi ties articulated streamers and small bugs for the sea-run brown trout of Tierra del Fuego's Río Grande.
Meet Alfonso
Todd Birchby
Firehole Ambassador
Denver, Colorado
A professional guide for 30 years and a commercial tyer for Denver-area fly shops, Todd Birchby ties parachutes that ride low and stay easy to see for clients on Wyoming's Little Snake River.
Meet Todd
B.J. West
Firehole Ambassador
Hartsville, Tennessee
Owner and guide at Living Waters Fly Guiding, B.J. West ties heavy, CDC-collared nymphs for the brown and rainbow trout of Tennessee's tailwaters, including his own St. Olive Sow.
Meet B.J.
Heimir Guðmundsson
Firehole Ambassador
Mosfellsbær, Iceland
Founder of Nymphing Iceland, the country's only dedicated Euro nymphing store, Heimir Guðmundsson chases big Arctic char, brown trout and Atlantic salmon, and ties traditional Icelandic salmon flies taught to him by the masters.
Meet Heimir
Scott Fisher
Firehole Ambassador
Washington, New Jersey
Raised two hours from the Catskill rivers, Scott Fisher ties Catskill-style dry flies and North Country spiders that keep the heart of the historic patterns, and guides out of South Branch Outfitters in Califon, New Jersey.
Meet ScottA Community of Tyers
The Firehole Ambassador Program brings together fly tyers, anglers, guides, educators and creators who genuinely use Firehole and want to help grow the craft.
Nobody who has ever asked to join this program led with what they would get out of it. They asked to be part of something. That is the only reason the program is worth running.
There are two levels: Firehole Ambassador and the Firehole Pro Team. Everyone starts in the same place. Use the products, know the products, and represent Firehole well. The Pro Team is a small group we invite over time.
The Pro Team is not something you apply for.
How the program works
Ambassadors get a starter kit and a monthly email from us with Firehole news and a tying challenge. They send us their work, and we feature it, with their name, across our website, social and emails.
Pro Team members work with us more closely on product development, testing and content, and take part in our affiliate program.
Firehole Ambassador
The starting point.
For tyers, anglers and creators who genuinely use Firehole and want to be part of the community around it.
- A starter kit built around what you actually tie
- A monthly email with Firehole news and a tying challenge
- Early access to new products, and chances to test them
- Features on the Firehole website, social and emails
- Consideration for the Firehole Pro Team
Firehole Pro Team
By invitation.
A small, curated group of tyers we work with more closely: people who bring strong ideas, meaningful influence and something distinctive to the Firehole community.
- A place in our affiliate program, with your own link
- Priority product seeding and early access to everything new
- A say in what we build next
- Priority features across Firehole content
- Direct work with Firehole on product development, testing, content and other projects
Pro Team membership is by invitation. Pro Team members represent Firehole exclusively for hooks and beads.
Who Makes a Good Firehole Ambassador?
We're not counting followers.
We're looking for people who:
- Tie and fish regularly.
- Actually use Firehole products.
- Share useful, interesting or inspiring work.
- Participate in the fly tying or fly fishing community.
- Help other people learn.
- Give us honest product feedback.
- Represent the sport, and Firehole, well.
You don't need a huge audience. You do need something worthwhile to contribute.
No Posting Quotas. No Scripts.
We don't need another person holding up a pack of hooks because a brand told them to.
We want people who already tie, fish, teach, photograph, write, film and participate in this community.
Use Firehole when it makes sense. Talk about it when you have something worth saying. Tell us when we get something right, and when we don't.
How We Stay in Touch
Not everyone lives on social media, so email is home base. Every month, ambassadors get an email from us with Firehole news, what's coming next, and that month's tying challenge.
Ambassadors email us their photos, videos and recipes, and we feature our favorites with their name and handle.
Say It Plainly
When you post about Firehole, make it clear you're part of the program. Something like:
I tie on Firehole hooks and I'm a Firehole Ambassador. #FireholeAmbassador
Pro Team members who share an affiliate link say it's theirs and that they earn a commission on it. The customer's price is the same either way.
The Road to the Pro Team
Every relationship starts somewhere.
New members join Firehole as Ambassadors. Over time, we pay attention to how you use the products, the quality of what you share, how you contribute to the community, and how you represent the brand.
Ambassadors who build an exceptional relationship with Firehole may be invited to join the Firehole Pro Team.
There is no follower threshold and no sales number that gets you there.
Think You Belong Here?
Tell us a little about yourself, what you tie, where you fish, how you're involved in the community, and why you'd like to work with Firehole.
We're less interested in the size of your audience than what you do with it.
Fill out the application below.
Applications are reviewed regularly. Pro Team membership is by invitation only.
Tie, guide or teach for a living? Our Professional Discount Program is an industry discount for qualified professionals. It's a separate program from the Ambassador Program and the Pro Team.