August 25, 2020

EMPLOYEE FEATURE:

BRANDON OMAHEN

We call him Moonbeam.  Brandon Omahen is one of Cutthroat Angler's top guides and for good reason.  He is both knowledgeable yet authoritative in a way that captivates clients in his boat.  It is easy listening to Brandon tell you what to do when fishing with him.  And if you listen, you're generally catching a whole bunch of fish.  I sat down with Moonbeam to discuss ski patrolling, deep pow, and fly fishing.  Enjoy! 

Brandon is also up for Summit Daily's annual Best of Summit awards for the best fly fishing guide in the county.  Throw a vote his way!

Q:  Why do people call you Moonbeam?

A:  That was the nickname I was giving when I first started working here 10 years ago by Chris Hall and Clint Rossell.  They were the shop manager and head guide when I started and had been around since Trapper owned the shop.  They were trying to give me nicknames for a couple weeks and just randomly came up with it.  And it's stuck..

Q:  Tell me about your upbringing and what you were in to growing up?

A:  Skiing and fishing…a lot.  With my dad and family.  I skied a lot and raced from elementary school through college.  I really started deep sea fishing more around the same time and got in to fly fishing a bit later in life.

Q:  When did you start fly fishing?

A:  I started fly fishing in college.  So that would have been 2004.  I mostly started doing it with a friend named Jared.  I moved to Colorado and ended up taking a literature/fly fishing class called Literature of the River.  There was a 2 and a half week trip to 2 spots we will leave unnamed.  That’s when I really learned to fly fish..

Q:  Tell me a bit about the ski patrolling?

A:  This is going to be winter 14 coming up here.  For the last 6 years now, I’ve been the Assistant Snow Safety Director at Winter Park.  I co-supervise all of the Avalanche mitigation across the Winter Park and Mary Jane ski area throughout the winter.

Q:  Whats your Favorite part about that job?

A:  Skiing powder.  Hands down..

Q:  What’s your favorite type of fishing in Colorado? 

A:  Front of the boat float fishing.  I’m not too tactic specific, whatever is working best.  I’m a non discriminatory angler as long as its fly fishing.  Whatever catches the most fish..

Q:  Favorite thing to do outside of fishing?

A:  Big hesitation……..ummmmmm and besides skiing?  That’s a good question. Tying flies and hanging at home with Jeanette and Blitz (my dog)..

Thanks for reading, 

Ben McCormick