TrophyFisingTN guide Ron Snow says “I can’t remember a time I wasn’t fishing. My earliest memories are of fishing with family.”  His love of fishing was handed down to him from his father and grandfather, both of which were lifelong fishermen.

Born in New Mexico, Ron learned how to fish on the waters of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Texas. His father and grandfather taught him how to locate and catch bass, crappie, bluegills, catfish, and even stripers after they were introduced into his home waters.

He dabbled with a fly rod in his youth but it wasn’t until he moved to Middle Tennessee that he really became enthused about fly fishing.

 Ron left his southwest home and moved to the Nashville, TN area in 1994 to pursue a business opportunity.  That’s when he started learning about the great fishing to be had in Middle Tennessee.

He feels fortunate that he was able to make friends with some native Tennesseans that shared his passion for fishing and he is also very thankful that they were willing to teach him some of the ways of the local bite. Lessons that it took them a lifetime to learn.

He learned about river smallies, big river stripers, and trout in the spring creeks and tail waters of Middle Tennessee. Some of those friends are fly fishermen. That’s when Ron put down the bait casters and picked up the fly rod.

Though he’ll be the first to admit he is not the most experienced fly fisherman of the TrophyFishingTN guide team, he has put his heart and soul into learning not only about fly fishing but also about what it means to be a good guide. He has learned to tie his own flies and he has developed an interest in bamboo rod building.

Ron’s favorite type of fly fishing is casting dry flies to rising fish. He says “I know the biggest fish and more fish are caught on sub-surface presentations. It’s proven science. Most of a fish’s diet is made up of stuff in the water, not on the water. Most of, meaning like 85% or so. That’s why Mike and Jarrod and Dan fish sub-surface stuff when they are hog hunting. Streamer patterns mostly.  I’ll fish them when nothing is rising and I catch more fish sub-surface than on top, but man, I’d rather catch one respectable fish when it explodes on a dry drifting down through a run than 10 on streamers. There’s just this visceral adrenalin rush that charges through me when I get to watch fish eat a surface bug. It’s like a drug.  Like a guide Dan and I hired one time in Montana says, the tug is the drug.”

Ron’s favorite thing about guiding is introducing people to fly fishing. Meeting up with someone on the river that has never held a fly rod and teaching them some basic casting. Then getting in the river and coaching them through the drift, hook set, playing and landing their first fish on the fly. He always tops off the adventure by snapping plenty of pictures full of smiles and a good release of the fish.

Ron splits his fly fishing guiding time between Montana and Tennessee. He guides in Montana during the warmer months on the Clark Fork, Rock Creek, Missouri, Black Foot, Little Black Foot and the Bitterroot rivers. During the mild Tennessee winters you’ll find him wading the streams and rivers of Middle Tennessee in search of a rise form.

To fill in his spare time, Ron is a free lance outdoors writer, Nashville songwriter, husband, father and grandfather.

A Few Words From TrophyFishingTn Guide Ron Snow: “I love to fly fish. I love to catch fish on the fly. I really love to catch fish on a dry fly. My favorite thing though, is to bring beginners into this thing we call fly fishing. Women are usually my fastest learners. Children are the most enthusiastic and I love their smiles when everything comes together. I just love to share the river, the fog, the sunrise and sunsets, the whole experience with folks that don’t get to experience this kind of stuff in their day to day life. It really is, a life changing thing. Come change your life.”