Rob Kolanda is a Colorado native who has made a living guiding, instructing, and managing in the fly-fishing industry for the past sixteen years. He has been a member of Fly Fishing Team USA and part of several management teams for prominent shops in the Rocky Mountain region, including Front Range Anglers and Taylor Creek Fly shops.
Rob’s fishing career started at age ten under the watchful eye of his grandfather he found success that would eventually steer his life in the direction of clear riffles and pools promising the chance of a hungry trout. Rob began his angling career in earnest guiding the small streams of Rocky Mountain National Park and Lower Big Thompson drainage in 1994. Since then he has ha the fortune of managing and guiding for outfits in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley and Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
When Rob is not a working his personal days out are often spent on still waters where he enjoys chasing warm-water fish such as wipers, stripers, and pike in addition to trout. His time not spent on the water or in the shop is often spent behind the vice designing new patterns for Solitude Fly Company, who currently produce over twenty trout, warm water and saltwater fly patterns.
Robs competitive successes include silver and bronze team medals during the US Fly fishing Nationals. Winning the America’s cup in Vail Colorado in 2007 and most recently a third place finish in the Super fly competition in Colorado.
Rob has won the South Platte Carp Slam for the last two years in a row.
Jim Murphy, President of Hardy North America, said, “We are proud to have a keen set of native eyes working this important territory on behalf of Hardy and Greys. Rod know the territory and the territory knows him. He is a great addition to our team and we look forward to working with him.”
