Tom Cleary Reels in Second Consecutive Best Guide Award By Connor Shea It’s no secret that fishing can be a tough, frustrating pursuit. Many anglers do the most to concoct a gambit worthy of that next trophy catch. Painstakingly crafting flies. Pouring over stream and weather data. Hitting the highway in search of a better run. For Teton Valley Lodge’s Tom Clearly, a more laissez-faire approach has paid handsomely for him and his clients, to the tune of a second consecutive Best Fly Fishing Guide award.
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Cleary’s unique approach is born from a breadth of experience, one cultivated over nearly 25 years as a guide. “I know a lot of people that want to move to Driggs and become a fly fishing guide, all that stuff, and they think they’re good at fishing so they think they have what it takes,” said Cleary. “For me, I excel because I’ve been on the water a long time. Some of the things that contribute to it are my rowing capabilities, my water reading skills, just being out all the time, years of experience, it just
starts to add up, so it’s a feather in the cap.” During those years Cleary positioned himself nicely at Teton Valley Lodge, guiding in an area that is world-renowned for its streams. “We’re blessed with great rivers, great fishing, big fish,” said Cleary. “We have three of the best blue-ribbon trout streams in the West all right here.” Cleary’s territory includes the Henry’s and South forks of the Snake River as well as the Teton River. These rivers looked to be in tough condition during the
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