Darin Day
If he had been born a hundred years ago, Darin Day might have been a mountain man.
A hunter, fisherman and lover of the natural world and all its creatures, this husband, father and grandfather, laughs easily and often, which belies his competitive spirit.
In high school, Darin was a state high school wrestling champion before traveling the world while wrestling for the U.S. Navy. Prior to entering the Navy, he won national and international recognition for his high school science fair project, studying barn owls. His research and study of the Owls was so successful that Darin, was featured in a National Geographic World article.
The many lessons and skills acquired studying owls became a natural bridge to becoming a good and caring hunting guide for Darin. “I learned how to observe the small things that most would pass over,” he said. “The Owls taught me so much more than I realized.
From those early years of study the owls and their environments, Darin kept stepping deeper into nature, falling in love with the outdoors.
As guide in Wyoming for more than 20 years, Darin began guiding fisherman in 2010. He combines his knowledge of the river and love of fly fishing with his sincere desire to help others and see his clients have a successful fishing experience.
He began fly fishing guide service 2014 for Pioneer Anglers, a small fly shop in Alpine Wyoming. Since then, Darin and wife Lisa, have now taken over the Pioneer brand, operating Pioneer as a guide service catering to people who want to experience fishing on the Salt River, one of the last free stone rivers left in the lower 48.
Recognizing Darin’s knowledge of the Salt River, the online Magazine High Country Angler published an article in Spring of 2021. Darin has spent numerous hours and many years on the water exploring every inch of the salt river so he can help everyone catch their first trout.
We operate our guide-service out of our home in Etna Wyoming, using drift boats on seven separate sections of the river.
