Barefoot Adventures, Guyana, February 2024: Hosted Trip with Sam Lungren
Sep 9 - Sep 14 · Sheraz Khan
Join our very own Sam Lungren on the mighty Rewa River in remote, untouched southern Guyana. You’ll fish with native Macushi and Wapishana guides in the stream and its adjoined lagoons and ponds for the full suite of mind-blowing jungle species, like the “vampire fish” payara, brilliant peacock bass, muscular catfish, tricky pacu, and, of
Hunting Arapaima in Guyana
Sep 9 - Sep 14 · Sheraz Khan
Deep in the heart of the South American jungle, the rivers of Guyana play host to the largest freshwater game fish on earth – Arapaima Gigas. Guyana is one of the rare locations where these massive beasts can be caught on the fly. Due to a co-partnership between local communities, conservationists, and the government, the
Our Hosts
Gillie Greenberg
Founder
The aptly named Gillie Greenberg, known by friends as Gil, has always felt most at home when on the water. Growing up in Toronto, Canada, he spent his summer’s bass fishing with his uncle and father. At age 18, Gil bought his first fly rod to experiment with on his family’s annual walleye trip. Armed with the knowledge one gains from watching hundreds of YouTube videos, Gil managed to land a handful of pike on his first morning with a fly rod. Just like many great fly fishermen before him, he was instantly hooked on the fly.
Upon finishing his military service a few years later, Gil moved to Australia to study marine biology at James Cook University, located on the Great Barrier Reef. Gil became obsessed with fly fishing as a way of life and ended up spending more time on the flats than in the classroom. It was a steep learning curve, but with the help of his fishing partner, Brad Morris and local fishing club, the NQ Fly Fishers, he became quite an angler.
By combining fly fishing with marine biology Gil has been granted access to contacts and locations that most anglers can only dream about. In 2015, he was offered a job by the German government to gather fisheries data as part of the Choiseul Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation project. The project was located hundreds of miles away from civilization in a remote corner of the Solomon Islands. Spending a season off the grid and living off the sea solidified his dedication to fishing as a lifestyle. In total, Gil has fly fished over 20 countries, spanning 5 continents. He brings experience, passion, and leadership to the Fly Fishing International team.
My Favourite Part Of Fishing Has Nothing To Do With Catching Fish, But Learning How They Interact With Their Environment. Whenever I Spot A Fish, I Ask Myself What Is Going On In This Fish's Mind. Why At This Moment In Time, In This Exact Spot, Is This Particular Fish Doing What Its Doing? If After A Day On The Water I Am Closer To The Answer, I Consider The Day A Success.
Greg Thomas
Program Director & Editor-In-Cheif
Greg Thomas grew up splitting time between Alaska and Seattle, chasing and catching wild steelhead and Pacific salmon in each state. He serves as Fly Fishing International’s editor in chief and has fished extensively for anadromous fish in The Great Land, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. He’s spent the past 20 years living in the northern Rockies, writing books and articles about the region’s array of incredible trout fisheries. He has travelled widely, chasing saltwater fishes in the Caribbean, pike, lake trout and bass in northern Canada, and Atlantic salmon in eastern Canada and Russia.
His work appears in many national and regional publications, including the New York Times, Forbes, Outside, Field & Stream, Alaska, and Big Sky Journal, among many others. He’s written five books on fly fishing, including Fly Fishers Bible: Montana and Fly Fisher’s Guide to Washington. He founded the annual fly-fishing magazine, Tight Lines, and the web site Anglers Tonic, in the early 2000s.
He spends much of his time fishing and hunting in Montana with a yellow Labrador retriever named Rye.
Live each day as if it were your last. Prepare like it won’t be.
Ramy Saboungui
Director of Marketing and Technology
Ramy Saboungui is GFFI’s director of marketing and technology. In addition to his work here, he also works as an active creative digital strategist, educator, full-stack multimedia designer, and developer with experience in several multinational advertising agencies. He is a business catalyst and helps brands from startups to enterprises scale through strategic agile digital innovation tailored to each of their personal operations.
As a child growing up in Kuwait and Egypt, Ramy Saboungui often ventured off to sea, fishing with his dad. Little did he know how these experiences would affect him later in life, and foster interest in a sport that he never knew existed.
Ramy met Gil in Toronto decades later, where he discovered fly fishing and unlocked a realm of new possibilities and challenges. He is constantly amazed by the art and science behind fly fishing and is on a mission to learn and explore the true depths of the sport.
love how in fly fishing, you tend to and understand more about the environment, species, how they eat, and ultimately how to make something, throw it in the water, imitate your learning, and catch species around the world.
Daniel Favato
Director of Videography
Daniel grew up in the suburban outskirts of Toronto, Ontario, spending his early days targeting migratory steelhead and brown trout with spey rod in hand. His first job in the fishing industry was as a deckhand on a Lake Ontario sportfishing boat. Over the course of seven seasons, Dan has earned his position as one of the top salmon charter captains in Toronto.
More recently, Daniel graduated from the television and film production program at Niagara College, and he has started pursuing outdoor video production full time. He brings a strong understanding of the modern media landscape and the foundations of video production to the GFFI team. His skills as an online content creator will help bring a fresh perspective to the sport for both seasoned fly fisherman, and a new generation of anglers.
It's Fun To Think That Its First Light Somewhere Right Now And There's Almost Definitely A Fish That Wants To Eat."
Brandon Gudjonson
Brand Ambassador
Brandon Gudjonson is a fly fishing guide and manager of St. Mary Angler Fly Shop in Cranbrook, British Columbia. Born and raised in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, Brandon spent his childhood outdoors fishing and hunting with his father. At the age of ten, Brandon found an old fly rod in his father’s garage. The two of them took the rod on their next fishing trip. With the help of his father, Brandon caught onto the fly quickly and put the hurt on the local cutthroat trout population. From then on, Brandon was hooked!
Brandon joined the industry while still in high school, spending his summers at the local fly shop, stocking shelves and selling flies. Most importantly, he learned as much about the region’s rivers and fisheries as possible. Brandon took that knowledge and became a local guide with a fierce reputation for targeting big backcountry bull trout. In 2013, the BC native discovered the thrill of saltwater fly fishing, landing a sizable permit from the beach right in front of his hotel in Playa del Carmen. Since then, he has been hosting trips to various saltwater destinations, including Christmas Island and Andros, Bahamas.
Brandon is one of the most enthusiastic, energetic and fun people to get out on the water with. Whether as a guide or angler, he always goes the extra mile to make sure the big one is landed. He has no problem jumping out of the boat to chase off cheeky lemon sharks or taking a dip into fridged mountain streams with mask and snorkel to “see if the bulls are in.” We are privileged to have Brandon as part of our Fly Fishing International team.
Fly Fishing Has Taken Me To Some Incredible Destinations And Introduced To Me Some Of The Most Wonderful People I’ve Ever Met. Whether It Is Floating Down A Local River Searching For Hungry Cutthroat And Giant Streamer-Eating Bull Trout Or Sneakily Wading A Flat In Pursuit Of A Lightning-Fast Bonefish Or Permit - I Love It All.
Alex Suescun
Saltwater Editor
Alex grew up chasing bonefish, redfish, snook, tarpon, permit and other saltwater species in South Florida’s fabled waters and then broadened his pursuit of gamefish to the Caribbean, and Central and South America. His career in sportfishing began in 1991 as Assistant Editor of Saltwater Fly Fishing magazine, working with the likes of Lefty Kreh, Flip Pallot, Stu Apte, Chico Fernandez, Nick Curcione and Ed Jaworowski. He later hosted and produced his own TV fishing show, Tarpon Bay Tales, for 11 seasons. And after an 8-year stint as Executive Editor of Salt Water Sportsman, Alex joined the team at Fly Fishing International.
Be adventurous and curious, but respect the fish and the environment, and always be kind to everyone you meet during your travels.
Sam Lungren
Sam grew up in the rainforests of Western Washington and began chasing the steelhead dragon at age 15. That led him on a lifelong journey in pursuit of other challenging fishes, from Costa Rica to Iceland and across the United States. His professional career has been dedicated to fueling that addiction, editing and writing about fishing, hunting, and conservation at RMEF, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, MeatEater, and Outdoor Life.