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 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 nearly two decades, and has fly fished the heart of the Lone Star State for over 25 years. In addition to guiding his home state, Chris has been a licensed fly fishing 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 Vises, 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 and fly tier at fly fishing, outdoor, and community events throughout Texas and beyond.
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 nearly two decades, and has fly fished the heart of the Lone Star State for over 25 years. In addition to guiding his home state, Chris has been a licensed fly fishing 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 Vises, 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 and fly tier at fly fishing, outdoor, and community events throughout Texas and beyond.

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. Chris is also published author, and his new book Favorite Flies for Texas features some of the Lone Star State’s finest tiers and their fly patterns.

In addition to fly fishing, Chris is passionate about fisheries conservation. He co-produced the short film “Unspoken,” 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 serves as the current State Council Chair for Texas Trout Unlimited and is the Conservation Chair for Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited as well. He is also a part of the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and the Rio Grande Cutthroat Conservation Team. Chris also serves as a member of the current Texas Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Committee and the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

Chris is happily married to his wife Emily and together they enjoy fly fishing the world and raising their children in the sport
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. Chris is also published author, and his new book Favorite Flies for Texas features some of the Lone Star State’s finest tiers and their fly patterns.

In addition to fly fishing, Chris is passionate about fisheries conservation. He co-produced the short film “Unspoken,” 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 serves as the current State Council Chair for Texas Trout Unlimited and is the Conservation Chair for Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited as well. He is also a part of the Texas Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and the Rio Grande Cutthroat Conservation Team. Chris also serves as a member of the current Texas Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Committee and the Texas Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

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

Matt Bennett is a previous full-time commercial fly tyer and the owner of Fly Geek Custom Flies.  While having a varied interest in many different types of fly fishing, Matt most enjoys both tying flies and fishing for the native bass species of the Texas Hill Country and exploring the waterways in southwestern Louisiana.  Most of Matt’s patterns have a broad universal appeal to fish species all over, and he very much enjoys sharing his tying and fishing knowledge with others.  Matt has fished the waters of southwestern Colorado since he was a teenager and especially enjoys chasing native Cutthroat trout in creeks throughout the San Juans.  Matt is a member of the Ahrex Hooks, Dr. Slick and Raidzap Pro Team, and a member of Umpqua Feather Merchants Signature Fly Designer program.  His initial pattern, Bennett’s Lunch $, is available in fly shops all over the world, with more patterns available soon.  Matt has previously served as the Education Director and Vice President of the Texas Council FFI, as well as President of the Austin Fly Fishers and was awarded the 2015 Charles E. Brooks Memorial Award by the International Federation of Fly Fishers.  You can often find him behind the vise at many fly fishing events and shows throughout Texas, Louisiana and beyond.  Matt resides in DeRidder, LA with his wife, Amanda, and has tied nearly 100,000 flies during his time as a commercial fly tyer.  You can view more of his work on Instagram @flygeekmatt.

Alvin Dedeaux is a professional fly-fishing guide, educator, and content creator with over 40 years of experience fishing the diverse waters of Texas. He is the founder of All Water Guides, a multi-guide operation that offers fly-fishing opportunities across Central Texas rivers and lakes to the Texas Gulf Coast, covering everything from freshwater bass to inshore saltwater species.

Alvin is widely recognized for his expertise in fly fishing for bass and redfish, guiding anglers on rivers such as the San Marcos, and Colorado, as well as on the coastal flats where redfish are the main target on the fly. His approach emphasizes simplicity, adaptability, and understanding fish behavior across changing water types and conditions.

Through his YouTube channels and social media platforms, Alvin has built an audience of over 60,000 combined followers, drawn to his practical teaching style and real-world perspective. His content focuses on making fly fishing more accessible, breaking down complex concepts, and helping anglers succeed whether they are wading a hill-country river or stalking redfish on the flats.

Alvin works with leading outdoor brands including Orvis, YETI, Teva, and Howler Brothers, and continues to expand his educational reach through digital products and live instruction. In his talks, he shares firsthand insight into the fly-fishing opportunities available from Central Texas to the Texas coast, along with lessons learned from decades spent guiding, teaching, and building a life around the water.

Will Herring Bio: Will Herring was a real-estate lawyer in Austin for 5 years and then built a processing plant turning feral hogs into pet food.  He has been an avid fly angler for 29 years.

Jordan Marsh Bio:  Jordan Marsh studied fisheries biology and has held several different jobs in the private sector and with state agencies.  She has been fly fishing for 33 years.

Since picking up a fly rod, at the age of seventeen, fly fishing and casting has become a part of who I am. I casted poorly for years, no mentors, no YouTube and no instructional DVDs. When I began to attend fly fishing shows and get- togethers, in the eighties, things began to develop in a positive direction. You just don’t know what you don’t know…

Even today, as I work with a student struggling to get timing and coordination all together, I like to assure them that all of us “casters” were right where you are at one point in our casting career. No one is born knowing how to cast. It’s a skill we all have to learn.

I have been fortunate to fly fish in a lot of great destinations around the world. But, I find I’m just as happy casting to bream in a stock tank as I am standing on a flat in the tropics casting to bonefish and permit.

I guided on the Kootenai and Bull rivers in Montana for thirteen seasons. I rowed a drift boat around seven hundred miles per season and making new friends with clients from all over the world. It was while working with anglers in Montana that I developed my enthusiasm for teaching fly casting.

I am a Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructor and regularly teach casting and guide for Redfish, Speckled Trout and Flounder through my guiding business, Matagorda Loops, in Matagorda, Texas. I get to spend about two hundred-twenty days a year in my skiff or wading the Matagorda Bays. I live full time in Matagorda, with my wife Sharon.