Hey All,

I finally got it together to rally my first post to The Dark Seam and I'm stoked to have been asked to contribute to this endeavor. While I teach full time at an outdoor school fall/winter/spring, my summers are spent fly fishing moving water on the Western Slope of the Sierra's. I've been fly fishing the South Fork American River and its tributaries for almost two decades and I decided to jump into the guiding game this past season. I had a great run this past summer and I'm excited for this upcoming season. All day canyon trips as well as backcountry goodness will get things kick started in the coming months. In the meantime, I fish locally as much as possible and continue to study the aquatic insects of the South Fork and its tribs.

I was recently asked why I decided to hop into the world of guiding. I'll be straight up......it sure isn't for the money! I enjoy sharing my home waters with others, especially in the capacity of fly fishing. I teach approximately 1,000 kids a year at the outdoor school and the thing that I love about teaching is that I continue to learn. The same goes for guiding! The more I guide, the more it pushes me to be a better angler and teacher. You'll see a variety of posts from me in the coming months on many aspects of the sport with a focus on the waters in and around the Highway 50 corridor. If you have any questions regarding my home waters, feel free to contact me.

All the Best!

Todd Gillihan (owner/guide)

West Slope Outfitters