Jon grew up in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, fishing for bass and warm-water species until he was introduced to fly fishing by a fifth-grade teacher. He immediately fell in love with the sport, fishing for everything from trout to tarpon and constantly searching for the next new adventure.
As an avid outdoorsman passionate about wildlife conservation, Jon enjoys every aspect of guiding fishermen, new and old. He attended Appalachian State University in North Carolina and obtained a B.S. in Sustainable Development and Biology. When he isn’t fishing the Kenai, you can find Jon working on the boats, tying flies, or planning his next fishing destination for the off-season.
Jon has been guiding at Drifters since 2015. When he’s not in Alaska, he owns and operates a light tackle and fly fishing charter at Cape Lookout, North Carolina. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard Masters License. Jon has the experience to put you on any Alaskan fish you would like to target, from mighty King salmon to the Kenai’s famous rainbow trout!
Introducing Kail, our legendary guide at Drifters Lodge since 2019! Before he became the fishing master we know and love, Kail spent eight epic years as a deckhand on sport fishing vessels out of San Diego. He’s so dedicated to putting clients on fish that he once plunged into the water fully clad in his fishing gear—waders and all—like a hero diving into battle in an anime! If there’s a fish out there, Kail will summon it like a true Pokémon trainer (minus the Poké Balls, of course).
But Kail isn’t just about the fish; he’s also our resident creative genius. He designed the custom rainbow trout graphic on some of our Drifters gear, proving he can make fish look cooler than any character in a shonen anime. We like to think of him as the “Artful Fish-sensei” of our team!
When he’s not casting lines or conjuring artistic masterpieces, Kail is off exploring Japan during the off-season. He’s got more otaku stories than a convention hall, filled with tales of ramen runs, anime marathons, and maybe a karaoke showdown that turned into an epic saga. If you ask him about his adventures, be prepared for a wild ride—complete with dramatic flair and possibly a few exaggerated sound effects!
So come on down and let Kail take you on a fishing trip that feels like an adventure straight out of your favorite anime—complete with laughter, epic catches, and a splash of blind courage worthy of a legendary hero!
Matt Robinson is from northern Michigan. He bought a fly rod in college because he wanted to try something new, and slowly but surely taught himself how to catch trout on the Jordan river. Matt transitioned to guiding full time when he got a job in Boyne Falls, Michigan. While guiding there, Matt met a former Drifters employee and friend of the lodge who told him about his Alaskan experience, and encouraged Matt to come see the beauty of the Kenai River for himself. Matt took the leap and spent the summers of 2023 and 2024 at Drifters before taking a year off to guide back home and spend time with family. But he soon realized he couldn’t stay away from the amazing community of Cooper Landing. Alaska was calling and Matt had to answer! Although Matt’s favorite fish to catch is brown trout in small, technical streams, he is ecstatic to get on the water and put his clients onto some monster rainbows this summer. Outside of fly fishing, Matt enjoys snowboarding and golfing, but his true passion is salt water fishing with Kail on the northern Pacific.
Braeden grew up outside of St. Louis, Missouri, and has been fishing for as long as he can remember. He joined the US Army in 2017 and spent five years as a combat engineer before attending Lindenwood University and graduating with a business degree in 2026. When Braeden was in the army, he volunteered for an organization that guides free fishing trips for veterans out of Sterling, Alaska. After getting discharged, Braeden has come back to the 49th state every summer, and joined the Drifters team in 2024. When Braeden isn’t on the water spreading his passion for chasing salmon to clients, you can find him at home in St. Louis golfing, hunting, and training his black lab Tate.
Matt O’Henley grew up in Yreka, California fishing for rockfish in the Pacific and bass in Californian lakes. He found a love for river fishing in Nor Cal and it was all over once he got a fly rod in his hand. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership from Southern Oregon University and decided to pursue a full-time guiding career after that. Matt visited the Kenai Peninsula with his family when he was 10, and always wanted to come back. He became part of our team in 2025. When Matt finishes a long season of igniting the joy of fly fishing in new anglers, he likes to start his off-season hunting for deer and elk all over the lower 48. His winter is spent quail hunting with his bird dogs, and then he starts the cycle all over again! Matt also claims the title of the official Drifters Lodge Deadhead.
Hunter grew up in southern California and attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on the central coast. He spent his youth fishing tributaries in Oregon with his folks on yearly vacations. Hunter started his working life in finance but took a chance on a job in Katmai National Park in 2024, and decided the outdoor life was for him. Hunter found Drifters in 2025 and is back again this summer after falling in love with the people and watershed of Cooper Landing. There is nothing Hunter loves more than fishing tributaries for trout, and he is super amped to get out on the creeks with clients this summer. During the winter you can find Hunter chasing down good rocks to climb, beautiful mountains to board, and tough trails to run.
AJ is from southern Virginia and has loved to fish ever since he caught his first trout at age five on a piece of corn! He grew up throwing his line into the ponds of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, and studied business at Virginia Wesleyan University. AJ picked up fly fishing when he joined the US Army and moved to Washington state in 2020. He served as a ranger for five years before moving to Fort Collins, Colorado. When he’s not catching trout in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, AJ can be found exploring the mountain west by foot, skis or raft with his wife Isa and dogs Ivy and Juniper. AJ was drawn to Alaska for the beautiful scenery, native rainbow trout and access to all of the salmon species.
Brad is from Mendota Heights, Minnesota and grew up fishing, ice fishing, hunting, skiing, and finding any excuse to get outside and explore. Brad’s passion for the outdoors and its aquatic species led him to pursue a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota Duluth in conservation biology, and he hopes to continue his education with a masters degree in Fisheries Management. Brad fell in love with Alaska when he did a research seminar on the Kenai River salmon migration in the spring of 2023. After that, Brad found Drifters and spent two summers with us before taking the summer of 2025 to work as a fisheries observer on commercial salt water boats in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Aside from nerding out about fish, Brad is passionate about backcountry skiing and climbing, especially in the Tetons.
