Greetings from Massachusetts!
Airport day was a success! After a long day of travel, the boys arrived safely and quickly began connecting and getting to know each other — even playing airport hackysack to pass the time! Before we tell you more, let us introduce ourselves (from left to right)!
Hey there, families. My name is Joe Shippen, I grew up in Atlanta, where I developed a passion for the outdoors at an early age. Whether hunting or fishing, I spent as much time outside as possible. My love for fly fishing began when I received my first fly rod as a gift, and I've been hooked ever since. I brought that passion with me to Elon University, where I'm a junior majoring in Finance and a member of the Army ROTC program. This is my sixth year with LFFE and my third year as a guide. As a certified Wilderness First Responder, I'm committed to ensuring both a safe and enjoyable experience on the water. Outside of guiding, I'm a die-hard Atlanta Braves and Georgia Bulldogs fan, love bass fishing and hunting for brown trout along rivers, and am always down to talk video games.
Hello all - I’m William Brooks! From Atlanta, Georgia, I'm a current student at Hampden-Sydney College, majoring in Business-Economics with minors in Spanish and Rhetoric. I'm an avid outdoorsman who, at a young age, quickly became a passionate bass fisherman and a hunter of turkeys, deer, and ducks. I'm also a die-hard sports fan — deeply passionate about the Georgia Bulldogs and Atlanta Braves. I've spent several summers out West, where I fell in love with fly fishing, and was myself a camper on a similar youth fly-fishing expedition several years ago. My favorite way to catch fish is on big dry flies, watching an awesome blowup — and my favorite backcountry meal is buffalo chicken mac and cheese. I love hiking, backpacking, and all things wilderness. Having spent the past few summers as a counselor at my childhood camp, I can't wait to share my enthusiasm for the outdoors with like-minded campers on the water this summer as a first-time LFFE guide.
Hi all - I’m Gavin McMeekan! I grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where I developed a strong love for the outdoors at an early age. Whether it was fly fishing, hunting, or exploring the backcountry, I was always outside chasing adventure. My passion for fly fishing started on the lakes and rivers around my hometown and continued to grow after moving to Missoula to attend the University of Montana, where I'm currently a senior studying wildlife biology. Since then, I've spent countless hours on the water chasing Montana's giants and dialing in my fly fishing skills. My favorite flies for striped bass are sand eels and clouser minnows, and my favorite fishing memory was sight fishing for tiger musky in a remote river — watching those massive predatory fish hunt is something else. When I'm not fishing, you'll find me tracking game in the woods or spending time outside with friends. I also love spending summers watching my Cincinnati Bengals. This is my second year guiding with Lillard Fly Fishing Expeditions, and I'm excited to get back on the water and help create meaningful, memorable experiences for everyone. I'm also a certified Wilderness First Responder and am looking forward to another great summer on the water!
We piled into the van and made our way to our first campsite, where we gathered together and enjoyed fun icebreaker games along with knot tying and basic casting lessons to get everyone warmed up for the days ahead. The energy in the group was immediately apparent, and it didn't take long for conversations to flow and laughs to follow.
We are so thrilled with this group and feel confident the boys are going to have an amazing time both on the water and building friendships that will last well beyond the trip. There's something special about watching a group of kids who have never met before find their footing together, and this crew is already doing exactly that.
Looking ahead, we find our first adventure on the Housatonic River tomorrow, where we will wade for highly anticipated smallmouth bass and trout! It's a fantastic river to kick things off, technical enough to be exciting, and rewarding enough to build some early confidence. Once again, we can't wait for this trip to get into full swing as we continue to bond and create memories for a lifetime!
Until next time,
Gavin, Joe, and William
