The Guides
It is our goal to keep our guide team small to provide our customers with high quality service. All of our guides are lifelong outdoor enthusiasts. They are patient, courteous, knowledgeable, and professional. In order to be industry leaders, all of our guides are local instructors with 15 plus years of experience fishing rivers, creeks, and lakes all around Western North Carolina. Southern Appalachian Anglers is one of Asheville's only fly fishing guide service that offers wade, float, backcountry and bass fishing trips year-round. Learn more about our expert guide staff below!
Paul Kisielewski, Owner
Paul is an expert at guiding on the bigger rivers by boat and excels at wading Western North Carolina's smaller rivers for giant trout. Growing up in Lake Lure, NC he became hooked on flly fishing rivers and bass fishing Southern Appalachian reservoirs. He received his BSBA from Appalachian State University in Marketing. After years of having a corporate career for the largest chemical safety company worldwide, Paul founded SAA. US Coast Guard Licensed, Paul has been featured in many big publications such as Cabela's and The Angler. It is hard to find a more genuine or pleasant guide than Paul Kisielewski.
Ethan Hollifield, Head Guide/GM
Ethan Hollifield caught his first trout on a fly rod when he was four years old, and with the mentoring of his grandfathers, he became addicted to the sport at an early age. Born and raised in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, Ethan has wet a line in almost every river in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. His favorite fish to target are aggressive river smallmouth on streamers and wild trout on dry flies. While pursuing a B.S. in Parks and Natural Resource Management at NC State, he was also a member of the national championship winning collegiate bass fishing team Basspack. If he's not fishing, he enjoys camping, hunting, tying flies, and playing bluegrass.
Mitchell Carter, Guide Staff