Nate and Will Blanchard meet on the banks of the Animas River in 1990 or 91. It was a long time ago. They fished extensively for days on end on the local waters as well as the remote locations of Mexico and Belize. They also explored the wilds of British Columbia for weeks on end in search of world-class steelhead.

Nate is one of the "fishiest guys" you'll come across and has an uncanny way of passing that along to his clients. Nate knows all the waters of the region like the back of his hand. He grew up in Mancos Colorado, 25 minutes to the west of Durango, were he spent his childhood chasing trout on the small creeks.

Nate began his guide career at Duranglers Flies and Supplies as the shop manager. He then branched out with Will in 2000 and helped start two independent guide services, Animas Valley Anglers and his own project gettrout.com. Nate took a break from guiding, but not fishing, and started a successful construction business. Missing the water and guiding Nate is back in the picture and the AVA crew is excited to have him in the mix.

When not guiding...
Nate can be found exploring steelhead streams in Idaho, Oregon or British Columbia. International travel and some competitive fishing also keeps him busy when he is not guiding, spending time with the family or swinging a hammer..

Nate lives in Durango with his wife Tammy and two children Chase and Annie. The Bronson family loves spending time in the great outdoors, playing hockey, rafting, camping and fishing.