John Campbell

Pro Staff

Cutting his river teeth on the Animas and countless small creeks around Durango, Colorado -- and skipping countless classes to do so -- John Campbell moved to the Yellowstone region in 1997. He worked several summers at Bud Lilly’s Trout Shop learning the waters of the Park and Southwest Montana. Since 2007, John has been with Trouthunter on the Henry’s Fork where he loves to help anglers of all experience levels find their place in fishing.  Be it casting, knots, tying, trout, salt or steel, he’ll make it happen. 

John teaches high school English and coaches soccer in Texas nine months out the year, and when he’s not grading papers you can find him chasing redfish, smallmouths, ducks, picking a guitar, and hanging with his Golden Retriever pup, Ghillie. But really, it’s about early June and the truck pointed north to Trouthunter and “The Fork” that gets him excited.  Getting to feed the dry fly junkie at heart for 60 straight days.

“I’ve been fishing a 489-4 “Trouthunter Classic” for several years as my go-to Ranch-rod. Once I fished it for a day, all my other rods stayed in their tubes; they only see the light of day out of pity. Always been a slow rod guy, but the combination of pace, ease, and crispness that rod gives me is unlike anything else out there. I can poke a Green Drake dun where I need to in wind at 50 feet and turn right around and fish #16-18 PMD emergers to bank feeders. Hell, I’ve even thrown small poppers to bass and bluegills with it. CFB: evolving, versatile, beautiful.”