Our Guides

At Housatonic River Outfitters, we have great, handpicked guides. Whether you choose to fish the Housatonic River, Farmington River, Upper Naugatuck, Green River or many of the smaller tributaries and lakes, you will find these guides to be an invaluable resource for learning more about fishing these premier waters. These guides have more than half a century of fishing and guiding experience between them.

They will meet you at the shop, get you outfitted with any equipment you need, help you with your casting or fishing techniques (if needed), supply you with a gourmet meal and then take you out for for your day of fishing.

Always remember it's your day, so don't hesitate to tell us where you want to fish, what your quarry is (Brown Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass and Pike) and any special diet requirements.

We specialize in group and corporate outings. For larger groups we will arrange your lodging, fishing and guide services, dinner reservations and additional activities such as canoeing, kayaking, hiking, antiquing, mountain biking and horseback riding. We work closely with many of the local inns, hotels, corporate education facilities, restaurants and recreation centers to guarantee your stay will be both active and stress free.

Whether it's a guide trip for the afternoon or a 6 day management team-building seminar, Housatonic River Outfitters will help you arrange every detail of your trip.

Adam Franceschini ( Head Guide ) After getting started guiding on the famed rivers of western Montana. Adam has sense guided on the San Juan river and has spent time chasing peacock bass on the fly in the Amazon basin of Brazil. He is a year round Professional Guide Spending his summers in Alaska at Tikchik Narrows Lodge and the spring and fall on the Housatonic river.

William Abrams For those of you who love bamboo rods - Streamer will be hosting wade trips with bamboo rods from the store. Book him for a full or 1/2 day and discover the secrets of a master bamboo rod builder. Streamer has guided locally since his teens and fished the Housatonic for over forty. As a bamboo rodmaker, he also finds it imperative to spend a good deal of time in research and product development, knee deep in the Housatonic, mostly fishing dries to rising fish. Find out more about Streamer at his website HousatonicRods.com or in the book "Casting A Spell" by George Black.

David Bailey - Retired - loves to guide on the river and is a favorite for wade trips.

Scott Becroft - A Connecticut resident who has been guiding with us for 3 years - Specializes in driftboat fishing - Catches a lot of 22 inch Trout - or so he says.

Torrey Collins - Shop Manager - and local Euro and Czech nymphing expert - Torrey was one of the individuals who brought these nymphing strategies to the front page of fly fishing here in the east - his modesty has kept him in the background - unlike others - but he is an unsung hero of Euro Nymphing. He teaches a number of classes here in the store and is one of the finest nymph fishermen in the east - bar none.

Keith Godfrey - Another Boat Captain - Works for DEP - He has guided with us for 3 years and specializes in Warm Water Trophy Fishing. If you want to catch a trophy Pike on a fly - book Keith.

Alex Hvatsky - Loves to Wade fish - has fished the Housatonic for 25 years and has guided with the shop for 10.

Jerry Gourd - Loves to wade fish - an engineer by profession - and has been guiding with us for 10 years - He has an academic approach to fishing - so be prepared to learn a little.

Bert Ouellete - An antique dealer by profession - focuses on driftboat fishing - loves to cast a dryfly and prepares the best lunches out there. Bert has been guiding here for 5 years. Spends almost all his free-time casting to rising fish.

Bob Perrella - Johnny Trout-Seed - Retired - an excellent wade fishing guide - Adept on the Housatonic, Farmington and Shepaug Rivers. If he's not fishing for trout - he's stocking them.

Jim Plante - Jim specializes in the learning aspect of the sport - he teaches numerous tying, nymphing and fishing classes for the shop and is extremely patient with beginners. He has his own website dedicated to fly fishing. Jim has been guiding with us for 3 years. Robert Scalzo - Our local Carp Commander - while being an excellent trout guide - utilizing European and Czech nymphing stratgies - he loves to fly-fish for carp.

Bob Schmidt - A retired tug boat captain - if you love to fish streamers and wetflies - he is the man - Bob is also excellent with kids and will take them either spin or fly fishing.



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