Presentations

Donavan Clary is a full time fly fishing guide in Oklahoma. He also guides in Missouri. He has been fly fishing since 1982. Spending an average of 250 days a year fishing, it’s easy to say he’s committed! He has been a volunteer with the Tulsa chapter of PHWFF for a number of years. He also supports and volunteers with KEKOA Outdoors, another nonprofit focused on exposing veterans to fishing and hunting. He is an avid supporter of Trout Unlimited, and very active with the local 420 chapter. His family owns and operates a lodge on Tenkiller Lake in northeast Oklahoma where they offer all-inclusive guide trips for individuals and groups. He loves Oklahoma and the Illinois River. The majority of his time is spent guiding float trips and wading trips above and below Lake Tenkiller for Smallmouth Bass, especially the Neosho strain Smallmouth. He will even take occasional trips on the lake with anglers ready to chase still water Bass on the fly. He is a master at finding and catching large trout, striper, carp, gar and Smallmouth bass on the fly. He holds classes and seminars around the region teaching all aspects of fly fishing and targeting numerous species on the fly.

Chris is happily married to his wife Emily and together they enjoy fly fishing the world and raising their children in the sport.

Chris is the owner and founder of Living Waters Fly Fishing, a fly shop and guide service based out of Round Rock, Texas. He has guided the Texas Hill Country for fifteen years, and has fly fished the heart of the state for over 20 years. Chris has been a licensed guide in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Alaska. Chris is a FFI Certified Casting Instructor, Umpqua Signature Fly Designer, Tenkara USA Guide, and TPWD Angler Educator Area Chief. He is also a pro team member for Whiting Farms, Scott Fly Rods, Dyna-King, and Scientific Anglers. Chris is dedicated to sharing his passion for the sport and investing in the next generation of fly anglers. He often is a featured presenter/fly tier at fly fishing, outdoor, and community events throughout the state.

Chris and his shop have also been featured in several outdoor publications including Trout magazine, Garden and Gun, and Tenkara Magazine. He was also awarded the 2014 Man of the Year from the FFI Texas Council and in the same year, Living Waters was the recipient of the FFI’s prestigious Lee Wulff Award.

In addition to fly fishing, Chris is passionate about film and photography. He co-produced the short film “Unspoken,” in an effort to raise awareness for Rio Grande Cutthroat trout conservation. As a result, Living Waters is working with Trout Unlimited as a Gold Level endorsed TU Business to restore Rio Grande Cutthroat throughout their native range. Chris also serves at the current State Council Chair for Texas Trout Unlimited and is the Conservation Chair for Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited as well.

Chris is happily married to his wife Emily and together they enjoy fly fishing the world and raising their children in the sport.

Russell Husted is the Past President of the Fort Worth Fly Fishers, and is currently serving as the Education Director. He is also the founder of the Texas Council, Past President and has served in many roles since the forming of the council in 2012. Russell has been very involved with TRWD Flyfest in Fort Worth, and has been traveling around the state putting on various presentations about fly fishing. Russell retired in February of 2022 from Whole Foods Market and is extremely excited about his new role as the Director of Operations with Coffee and Caddis. Here, he is also living out a passion of his by entering into the fly fishing guide field. Russell is extremely fun to fish with and with his experience, let him fuel your next adventure!

Jahmicah Dawes is a 35-year-old husband and father of 2 boys from Central Texas. Jahmicah is the Owner of Slim Pickins Outfitters in Stephenville, Texas, where you can often find him and his Assistant Manager, Bill Murray, the Basset Hound, greeting customers. Slim Pickins Outfitters is the first Black-owned outdoor retailer in the nation.

Stephen has fly-fished for over 25 years. His passion for fly fishing has taken him to the Caribbean, Europe, Australia, North America, Canada and he has guided in Colorado, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Stephen has lived in Fort Worth for the past 27 years. Stephen has been President, Vice President and speaker chairman for the Fort Worth Fly Fishers and loves to fly fish anytime he can. He is the Fly Fishing Manager at the Orvis Fort Worth store.

Greg Welander is a lifelong angler and started fishing at the early age of four. He first picked up a fly rod in 1998 and hasn’t looked back. In 2004, he took up the art of fly tying. Greg has been a fly tying instructor since 2010. In Texas, he has fly fished everything from Stripers on the Red River below Lake Texoma to Redfish of the Lower Laguna Madre. The Texas Hill Country streams and lakes are where he first started guiding clients back in 2012. Greg was the Fly Fishing Manager for seven of the nine years while employed at an Austin, Texas premier Fly Fishing/Fire Arms specialty store. He currently is working as an Independent Manufacturing Sales Rep for a variety of companies in the fly fishing and outdoor space. Greg resides in North Texas. You will find Greg guiding fly fishers on North Texas waters. Waters include the Brazos River and smaller tributaries such as the Paluxy River. He also offers trips on various area lakes that are North/West/South of Fort Worth, Texas. You can follow Greg’s fly fishing journey through Upstream On The Fly on Facebook, Instagram and his website: (www.upstreamonthefly.com).