JessKiesel-Silver Creek Guide -2021

Certified Casting Instructor

"The wisdom is in his soul when it comes to fly fishing".

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch,

you must first invent the universe.

Jess Kiesel hails from skiing royalty and as an NCAA champion at the U of U, he carried on a heritage that boasts Olympians, U.S. Ski Team members, and World Cup winners. Obviously, he loves winter in Sun Valley. But as much as he loves to ski, Jess also loves to fish. Like so many lucky local kids, Jess first hung a line into storied Penny Lake, describing the experience as, “chuckin’ worms and bobbers!”

Sharing this lifetime love of the sport is what Jess values most about his job as a guide. “It’s so great when people are on the water having fun whether that is floating on the Salmon River or enjoying the peace of a morning hatch on Silver Creek. However, while they call it fishing, not catching, for me it’s still all about getting people into fish and hopefully a few with some size.”

Guiding Style

Combination. “As a guide, you have to be both a teacher and a catcher. They go hand-in-hand. If you can teach well, it puts your guests in a position to have success in not only hooking, but properly playing, and landing a fish. I also teach people how to properly handle fish so they are released unharmed. That said, I’m out there to catch fish and I work hard to make sure I am in the ‘catcher’ category!”

Fun Facts about Jess

·         His perfect end to a day of guiding is with a handshake with guests who have put some big fish in the net and captured the moment with photos they will always cherish.

·         Favorite hatch? Small Harop mayfly dries on Silver Creek. “Big fish on small flies that require a presentation, and are as realistic as possible, is a higher level of challenge that I enjoy.”

·         When he’s not in area waters, Jess can be found mountain biking, rafting, riding motorcycles, backcountry snowmobiling, snowboarding, skiing, backpacking, and pursuing his interest in photography.

·         He likes to weld in his shop.

What folks say about fishing with Jess

We had the most amazing day. Our group was my 10yo niece, me and my less experienced boyfriend. Jess put his focus on the 10yo, right where it should have been, but took time to get the rest of us well set up. We caught so many fish and just had a jolly and nice day together. My niece progressed from needing help casting and setting the hook to managing big fish all on her own since she had such a great guide and so many learning opportunities in one day.

Helen Blair

Jess was awesome. A perfect match for me and what I hoped to do in Sun Valley. Very knowledgable and patient. Had a wonderful experience on The Creek thanks to Jess.

Mark Warnquist

Great experience. Jess knows his stuff. We had a great time and caught plenty of fish. My girlfriend was a novice but picked it up very quickly and had a lot of fun, thx to Jess

Erlend Bo

Jess was great. I’m a newbie and he was so patient and a great instructor. I caught two good sized fish!

H Hayes

I would definitely sign up for another day with Jess on Silver Creek next time I’m in the area.

David WhitneyPort Townsend, WA

Our guide Jess was very knowledgeable, friendly and fun to spend the day with. His home tied flies were the ticket on Silver Creek. We caught many good sized fish and learned a lot. Just an excellent time! Highlight was seeing my friend Josh land his first big trout. Our Guide Jess was key to this as he gave helpful pointers to play the fish without losing him. Much better than me!!

David Hyman

We picked the fishing location so Jess couldn’t take us to his preferred spot. Great instruction, very patient, good guy.

Jim Carmack

Jess was great!! Very patient and a good teacher! It was perfect, relaxing morning!

Melissa