Andy "Otter" Smith

Vail Valley Anglers Wade & Float Guide

Hometown:

Littleton, Colorado

Guide Experience:

Guiding professionally since 2007 on the Eagle, Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers.

Fishing Experience:

Andy started fly fishing with his dad on the South Platte river outside Denver when he was 7 years old. He has been chasing trout all over the rocky mountain west ever since.

Hobbies:

Skiing and hunting are Andy's other passions.

Favorite Thing About Guiding:

My favorite thing about guiding is working through the learning process with each individual client. Watching people evolve and progress over the years from bobber fishing to throwing dries and streamers keeps the job callenging and fun. Everyone learns a different way and watching everything 'click' is what makes my job rewarding.

Brand
Ambassador

Testimonials

“I and my daughter Amelia wanted to both thank and compliment Vail Valley Anglers and, in particular, our guide Andy Smith for the marvelous and, indeed, exciting introduction to fly fishing last Wednesday, the 17th of July. During that morning outing Amelia and I managed to hook 9 fish and net 7 (Amelia managed to catch the first fish of the day - a rainbow trout - on her second cast! - photo attached) And while such results could be chalked up to beginner's luck or, somewhat pompously, as demonstrating some innate ability on our part, both Amelia and I know that so much of what was achieved that day was due to Andy's obvious expertise, superb skills, and his excellent, patient and amiable introduction to this sport's basic techniques. With Andy's assistance, Amelia and I began to sense both the joy of this pursuit and its obvious demands, both in knowledge and finesse. As the song goes, 'who could have asked for anything more.' If my family manages to get back to the Vail Valley next summer you can be assured that we will be knocking on your doors again and seeing if Andy can arrange to continue our encounter with the fine art of fly-fishing.
With our best wishes to all of you at Vail Valley Anglers,”

— Greg and Amelia D.

“Good morning. Just a quick note to let you know what a great time I had on Sunday with VVA guide Andy "Otter" Smith. My wife set up a float trip for my birthday and we both went though she didn't fish. The experience was a great way to spend my 40th birthday. Otter knows his stuff and was very helpful not only with putting us on fish that day but also with tips and techniques that I can use moving forward with my fishing. My thanks to both VVA and to Otter for a great day on the river. We'll be back!
Yours very truly,”

— Jason Wolfe