Joe Contaldi - Performance Anglers head guide and manager Joe Contaldi began his life-long angling addiction at the ripe age of four. Fishing the streams of the New Jersey countryside as a young lad, Joe lived “tight lines” and “bent rods” even before entering into kindergarten. When asked in his first math class what the sum of ten plus twelve is, he offered the response, "About the number of fish that I caught yesterday!" Relocating to Southern California during his high school years, Joe began to explore all of the So Cal waters, and all that they have to offer. Joe's history of angling in Southern California is exceptionally respectable. "Matuka Joe" has twenty years to-date of fishing and guiding experience in the Eastern Sierra. He understands all of the fish species, and the vast majority of fishable waters in Mono and Inyo Counties. Likewise, Joe has a history of hanging out with salty dawgs, bringing to the decks of countless ocean charter boats plenty of Bluefin, Yellowfin, Albacore, Dorado, and almost every other saltwater species one can find off of the coast of Southern California. Ask him about it next time you are in the shop. The fifteen years that Joe committed to running saltwater spinning and fly fishing charters is evident, in his love of being out on the boat on Convict Lake or Crowley Lake. When Joe is not fishing or guiding on the bountiful creeks, streams, and rivers in the Eastern Sierra, "Matuka Joe" likely has the boat anchored on a very productive corner of Crowley Lake. The P.A. Midge and P.A. Perch patterns envisioned and developed by Joe do land lots of very big trout throughout the region, each and every summer. “Matuka Joe” has spearheaded the world of video fly fishing and video spin & bait reports for the Eastern Sierra. They are really cool, extremely informative, and on this website. Joe really enjoys spending quality time fishing with his family: his lovely wife Julia and two sons Quinn and Logan. Youth development goes further than Joe's family, as he is deeply and selflessly committed towards bringing young (and younger) anglers into the world of fishing. He heads up the Kids Fishing Festival in Mammoth Lakes every View Joe's guide photos

Rick Giron -  Rick Giron has recently made Mammoth Lakes his true home, after already chalking up 35 years of experience of fishing in the region.  Rick began angling as a very small child in Northern California, and he had bait and spin angling mastered at the ripe age of nine.  His father introduced him to fly fishing the year after, at age ten, when all of the family camping and fishing trips involved packing a fly rod (or two) into the bags.  Fly fishing became a major obsession for Rick (as it still is) throughout all of his high school years.  Fly tying and entomology became very important parts of Rick’s adolescent life.  He always brought a screen with him to the river to collect bugs for fly tying and fly fishing purposes.  Rick came across “Matuka Joe” years ago, working with Joe as a teacher of fly angling, and as a very accomplished guide.  Both Performance Angler guides have years of experience working together.  Rick is an extremely entertaining guide as he loves to chat up the catching of trout with whoever it is that he is instructing, be it young child or grown adult.  Either will learn well under Rick’s guidance.  Every trout caught with Rick’s assistance is like the first one ever hooked.  As Rick puts it, “It tickles me every time.”  Rick offers to you 35 years of a fishing passion, with a touch of laughter for the student angler, or experienced angler looking for even a bit more knowledge of how to better fish the Eastern Sierra.  Rick knows his stuff. 

Chris Leonard – Chris Leonard has been living and teaching in Mammoth Lakes for over four years. When “Leonard” started his full-time job as an educator at Mammoth High School, he created the Mammoth Middle and High School Fly Fishing Associations, as he noticed that a major gap needed to be filled, that is, kids need to learn how to fly fish. During the months of April through June, he regularly submits articles to the Mammoth Times about the local school club outings. Learning how to fly fish the Eastern Sierra with the help of many of the region’s guides, Leonard has noted not only where the fish live, but also how to successfully catch them. His love of teaching makes it easy for him to pass this knowledge along to others. Chris is extremely dedicated to the fishing world. Along with administering the local school clubs, he raises trout in his classroom through the Trout Unlimited TIC Program. Leonard is a lifetime TU member, as well as a regular Caltrout and FFF member. He is the Director of Youth Programs for the Federation of Fly Fishers Southwest Council. Leonard guides for Performance Anglers during the summer months when he is not in the high school classroom teaching, or on the slopes of Mammoth Mountain working under the capacity as a Mighty Mites alpine ski coach. Leonard pens the text report for Performance Anglers. Most importantly, he really enjoys teaching children how to fly fish. He specializes under the umbrella of first time fly fishing instruction upon moving waters. Chris has put many happy children onto their first trout with the fly, including his two young nephews (and number one fishing buddies) Shea and Matthew.

Robert Carter - Robert first went fishing with his uncle in Washington, more than 40 years ago. His first fish was a 35lb Salmon... he was hooked. Robert grew up in South Torrance and enjoyed the ocean and fishing in King Harbor. In the mid 70's he moved to Santa Clarita were he really enjoyed fishing Castaic Lake. On a whim he went on a weekend trip to June Lake in '79 and knew he had found Paradise and has been fishing there ever since. He was doing so good that one of the dock boys started calling him 'the legend'... (he wishes).Robert taught all his nephews and nieces over the years to fish, everything from mini jigs to trolling, and all have done very well, especially on ultra lights with 2# test. He has also taken out many friends and family over the years and most did well. He did just that and in April he left his job at Coca Cola and many friends and moved up to June Lake to follow his dream.

Susie Greilich - If there is one elite backcountry fly fishing expert in all of Mammoth Lakes, it would be our own Susie Greilich. Susie has worked and played in the outdoors of the Eastern Sierra for the past 25 years, and still counting. Susan has over 30 years of angling experience in the Eastern Sierra, 20 of those years guiding on local waters. Countless trout of all species (including Golden) have been hooked under the instruction of “Felicia.” Many of the hidden gem lakes tucked behind the mountains off the beaten path have been fished, and fished successfully, by Ms. Greilich. She also has plenty of experience working at various lake marinas throughout the region, complementing her vast knowledge of the backcountry lakes, with an understanding of the lakes more regularly fished. She spent thirteen years submitting great fishing articles to the Mammoth Times under the pen name “Felicia Flycaster.” “Felicia” has authored true stories of her own accounts working with the Agnew Meadows, Parchers Resort, and Mammoth Lakes Pack Outfitters as a multi-day backcountry guide. Susie knows no “backcountry,” as it is all the same for Felicia, only better in some places. Like all of the Performance Anglers team members, Susie illustrates her passion for the sport of angling by volunteering at the Kids Fishing Festival in Mammoth Lakes. “Felicia Flycaster” knows where trout live, both on routinely fished fisheries, and far off the beaten path. She will gladly dial you into trout anywhere in the region, and leave you with an even greater appreciation of the art of angling throughout the entire Eastern Sierra.