Confluence Fly Shop

Meet the Team!

Guides

Tye Krueger (owner)

For as long as he can remember, fly fishing and fly tying has been a huge part of his life. Tye has been lucky enough to fly fish all over the world: from Canada to Colombia, Mongolia to the Bahamas, even going as far away as Christmas Island and Fanning Islands, but has called Central Oregon “home” since 2010. Early on, he discovered a passion for teaching other people how to cast a fly rod and become better anglers. In 2013, Tye was able to open Confluence Fly Shop and share his passion with others. When not in the shop or exploring the fantastic water of Central Oregon, some of his other loves include illustrating, cooking, and upland game bird hunting.

Hometown: Bryan, Texas

Fun Fact: Has fished for taimen in Mongolia

Favorite Species: Anything with “trout” in the name

Instagram: @tyekrueger

Brendan Cushen

Brendan was born and raised in the high mountains of the Eastern Sierras fly fishing, skiing, rock climbing, and spending most of his time outdoors. He has pursued fish with a fly rod his whole life, giving him a great understanding of the sport, as well as the intuition that comes with decades of refining his craft. After moving to Eugene to attend college, Brendan fell in love with Oregon’s bountiful rivers and lakes, eventually prompting him to move to Central Oregon to guide those same waters. He loves guiding and fishing anything from stillwaters to spring creeks, to big rivers and anything in between. He enjoys sharing his passion for the sport with novice anglers just as much as getting more experienced people on the trophy fish they dream of.

Hometown: Mammoth Lakes, CA

Fun Fact: (Un)official “Fishiest Man in the Shop”

Favorite Species: Wild Steelhead

Instagram: @bwalkercush

Nikolai Sposato

Originally from Southern Oregon, Niko spent most of his youth in Eugene, where his love of basketball and fly fishing developed. After attending college at the University of Oregon, Niko spent time in Lake Tahoe, Hood River, Portland, and Montana–the latter of which being the place he got his start in the fly fishing industry. Since moving to Bend about 7 years ago, Niko has been a fixture of our camp trips on the Lower Deschutes–both as a guide and camp chef. Outside of guiding, Niko spends his winters remotely logging basketball games for a scouting service.

Hometown: Eugene, OR

Fun Fact: Works as a basketball scout in the offseason

Favorite Species: Redsides (Rainbow trout)

Instagram: @doggiedoggerson

Taylor goodhue

Taylor is an Oregon native, who started fly fishing at a very young age. He was taught on the famed Deschutes River, which he has now been guiding since 2020 for the shop! Although he grew up a trout angler, Taylor developed a taste for saltwater and exotic fish species early on. He’s been fortunate enough to fish throughout Belize, Mexico, all over the US, Christmas Island, and Baja. He is always on the hunt for the next new hotspot!

Hometown: Tualatin, OR

Fun Fact: Wears flip flops 365 days a year

Favorite Species: Triggerfish

Instagram: @tgoodhueflyfishing

Dalton Romanowski

Growing up in San Francisco, CA, Dalton fished for stripers and perch up and down the coast with his grandfather. Faced with limited fishing opportunities, Dalton moved across the country to attend college at University of Southern Maine where he spent more time catching native brook trout in small streams than in class. After college, Dalton moved to Central Oregon to pursue guiding full-time. He attended the Western Rivers Guide school and decided that he wanted to split his time between Idaho and Oregon to fish and guide year-round. After spending a few seasons guiding in Eastern Idaho and Wyoming, Dalton is now back to guiding in Oregon full time. Regardless of skill-level, Dalton loves to share his passion and knowledge of fly fishing with anyone who gets in his boat. During the off season he spends most of his time either in the duck blind, swinging for steelhead, or tying flies.

Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Fun Fact: Once shot a limit of ducks in under 10 minutes

Favorite Species: Prosopium williamsoni (aka the Mountain Whitefish)

Instagram: @romoflyfishing

Gary stemper

Despite growing up minutes from the sandy beaches of Southern California, Gary has spent much of the last decade in the shadows of the majestic Redwoods of NorCal. After getting his degree in Wildlife Conservation at Humboldt State in Arcata, Gary guided rivers all the North Coast of California. After that, Gary uprooted and moved to Alaska to guide clients in the legendary waters of Katmai Nat’l Park. Gary joined the team in 2022 and has been guiding for us ever since!

Hometown: Westlake Village, CA

Fun Fact: Has never caught a small fish in his life

Favorite Species: Lingcod

Instagram: @sanctuary_flyfishing

Luke hatch

Luke was introduced to fly fishing his grandfather at a very young age. By 14, he was already working in local fly shops; by 17, he began guiding on the Provo River. His journey took him to Marist College on the East Coast, where he balanced academics with playing football. Despite the demands of college life, Luke’s love for fly fishing never diminished. After earning his degree, he returned to the West, now pursuing a degree in water resources at Oregon State University. His passion for the sport has only deepened, especially with the thrill of chasing steelhead using a two-handed rod. Luke continues to guide, blending his academic pursuits with his lifelong commitment to fly fishing, which remains a keystone aspect of his life.

Hometown: Park City, UT

Fun Fact: ALWAYS matches the hatch

Favorite Species: Steelhead

Instagram: @luke_hatch

BRETT HULEN

Before relocating to the West Coast, Brett spent his days chasing stripers, smallmouth bass, and snakehead in the diverse waters of Central Maryland. Though he moved to Mammoth Lakes, CA, in 2011 to shred its hollowed powder, Brett ended up becoming a full-time fly fishing guide. Primarily fishing and guiding clients on the Owens, San Joaquin, East Walker, and Truckee Rivers, Brett became a master trout-fisher. Brett eventually moved to Central Oregon in 2022 and became the manager here at Confluence returning to his roots as a guide and custom fly-tyer.

Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD

Fun Fact: Before becoming a fly fishing guide, Brett was a competitive snowboarder

Favorite Species: Brown trout

Instagram: @_flycurious_

Matthew Moran

Matthew grew up in San Diego fishing the ocean for local and pelagic species. He very quickly fell in love with casting long rods with surface “iron” jigs. For Matthew, casting long distances is what gave him the greatest satisfaction. He started fly fishing in high school but the long drives to the Sierras prevented him from any real progress with his casting technique. In 2016, after an incredible year fishing for giant Bluefin and Yellowfin tuna something changes, “I had a big bluefin come to gaff and as it was being hoisted over the rail it looked at me…”. From then on, catch and release became exponentially more important to him, and what better way to have a lower impact on a fishery than to fly fish (with barbless flies). That same year he purchased a minivan, outfitted it for camping, and started to take trips all over California and Oregon. On these trips, Matthew crafted a consistent and advanced casting technique. After a 20 year career as a photographer/videographer, he decided it was time to pursue a professional career as a fly fishing guide. Matthew packed up his things and moved to Bend. Since then, he has been able to get back to his roots; fishing long rods and utilizing spey techniques to chase big redband rainbows and Steelhead.

Hometown: San Diego

Fun Fact: Unknown…

Favorite Species: Yellowfin Tuna

Instagram: @wherethefstops

Harry blackburn

SHop staff

LAFE PETERSEN

A true outdoorsman, Lafe’s pursuits have ranged from chasing trophy lake trout in the Northern Territories of Canada, to hunting alligators in the bayou of Louisiana. Before becoming the manager here at Confluence, Lafe spent 13 years as a Backcountry Ranger in the Wallowa-Whitman Nat’l Forest. In his free time, you can find Lafe exploring wild spaces with his wife and son.

Hometown: Bothell, WA

Fun Fact: Completed the Pacific Coast Trail in 157 days

Favorite Species: Redfish

Instagram: @blackdiamondjunkie

KADEN LEEPER

A native-Oregonian himself, Kaden was first taught to fish by his grandfather, and starting fly fishing around the age of 10. After graduating the University of Oregon with degrees in Global Studies and German, Kaden moved to Bend to pursue a career in the fly fishing industry. Aside from fishing, he enjoys ceramics, videography/photography, and posts fly fishing-related videos under the name “kcflytie” on YouTube!

Hometown: Portland, OR

Fun Fact: Has never eaten McDonald’s in his life

Favorite Species: Bull trout

Instagram: @kcflytie

Caiman Jensen

Joining the shop at the ripe age of 14(!), Caiman is the youngest member of the Confluence team. A fourth-generation “Bendite”, Caiman has been fishing Central Oregon for as long as he can remember. Despite his relative youth, Caiman has fished all around over the world–from Alaska to Belize–and has caught over 25 species of fish along the way!

Hometown: Bend, OR

Fun Fact: Youngest angler to complete the Saltwater Grand Slam at Turneffe Flats Lodge

Favorite Species: Permit

Instagram: @fishing_cjensen

Josiah sTranberg

Josiah was born and raised here in Southwest Oregon, before moving to Bend in the summer of 2023. When not working around the shop or attending aviation school, Josiah enjoys fishing his favorite river–the Lower Deschutes–and exploring the woods in his truck.

Hometown: Ashland, OR

Fun Fact: Is a licensed helicopter pilot

Favorite Species: Pike Minnow

Instagram: @jo_stran