Outpeople: Matt Seaton follows family bloodline into fly fishing industry

“Fishyness” is a gene that just runs in the Seaton family.

For local fishing guru Matt Seaton, a man who’s been involved in the area’s fly fishing industry for over 15 years, graduating to the guiding world five years ago was just a natural choice. Much like his older brother Josh, also an accomplished angler and guide, Matt was fortunate enough to inherit that special sense of stream-side prowess that the Seatons are known for.

Growing up in the Idaho Panhandle, Matt and his brother cut their teeth on the Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe River drainages, perfecting the art of casting to rising cutthroat. But it was later in Matt’s fishing journey that he discovered the legendary Grand Ronde and Snake River Steelhead, and it was all downstream from there.

“I enjoy guiding for cutts in the spring and summer months, but I get really excited when it’s time to head south of Spokane and start guiding the steelhead runs in the late fall and winter months,” said Seaton, a guide for Orvis Northwest Outfitters in Coeur d’Alene.

Matt doesn’t have think hard when it comes to reflecting on the vocational benefits of the gig.

“Hey, having a job where you can row a boat down a river and watch people catch fish all day is kind of a no brainer right?”

But that doesn’t mean that guiding comes without its challenges. Clients usually have big expectations and the fish don’t always play along.

“Some days it’s such a walk in the park and other days it the most mentally challenging task on earth, but that’s what I love most about all this,” he said. “Even if it’s a tough day, I still love hearing all about people’s stories though – and you know everyone has a story to tell,” he adds.

The tension of those tougher days on the river can always be lightened by those rare moments of comic relief that certain clients seem to provide. On an early November steelhead trip to the Grand Ronde, Matt and his brother were guiding a group of four clients, one of whom was having a hard time casting in the blustery conditions.

“I told this particular client after blowing his anchor point that he should check his leader for wind knots (knots that occur when slack line forms loops during the back cast), before he cast again,” said Seaton. He looked up and said, ‘Come on guys, we know the wind has nothing to do with it. Let’s just call it a suck knot because I completely suck at casting.’

“My brother and I had the grown man giggles for the rest of that day. Clients with a sense of humor are always the best!”