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I follow my passion, stay true to my word, and live to fulfill a good life.  I enjoy all things fish.  Teaching people about fish, and volunteering for organizations that work for positive change is life’s passion.  I love bringing new people to the sport of fly fishing and educating them about the differences in fish to eat and fish to catch.  There is a market for both.

My first career was as a licensed financial advisor.  I started in banking while attending high school 1996 where I was a teller in the town that I was born, Rolling Meadows, IL.  I continued to be a teller throughout high school as well as during my first summer of college.  I worked a variety of jobs while attending three different colleges, mostly call center related jobs, collections, sales, and customer service. In 2002, I graduated college from Illinois State University. I was on my way to a financial advisory job interview when I met a woman in a blue jacket on the Metra train in Downtown Chicago…I never made it to that interview. The woman convinced me to come with her to work as a floor runner at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.  She walked me onto the Euro Dollar Trading Floor, and within minutes I had a job.  I worked along side some of the wealthiest people in Chicago, and enjoyed learning the true definition of a market.  I also learned that I did not want to turn into any of my mentors at the time.  I left Chicago a year later in pursuit of a different lifestyle.

My banking, phone, and market experience looked great on paper for a Wells Fargo Personal Banker.  I  planted a seed in Colorado and accepted a position in Louisville, CO for two years. Within my 2 years with Wells Fargo I passed testing for the Colorado Insurance Sales Agent as well as my Series 7 and Series 66 Licensed Financial Advisor Licensing.  While working in the bank, I had a customer recruit me to a higher paying Stock Broker position with UBS Financial, and after 5 interviews I switched companies and got my own office in downtown Boulder.  They sent me to New York for training and gave me two years to prove my worth as a Licensed Financial Advisor.  I knew at the time it was not going to be an easy challenge, but I did very well, raising $15 million in personal assets in two years.  I enjoyed helping people, and still do, but there is nothing worse than closing a sale and wondering if my client is going to have the gain I want for them, or if it was my company’s financial gain that ultimately was first priority in the sale.  The more people I sold, the more I realize the person looking back at me in the mirror each morning was the same floor broker on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange I did not want to become.

My passion is to help the environment in a way that supports healthy fisheries.  Guiding fly fishing can fulfill that passion as it teaches people that water is not just for humans.   In my opinion, fly fisherman are the ultimate stewards of our environment, but there needs to be more education available to the general public.  It is a difficult sport to get into, and I am trying to make it easier for people thru a product a created called the Fly Selector.  During my time as a fly fishing guide I took pictures on the river of aquatic life and created an insect identification and fly selection tool  – visit www.flyselector.com to purchase one.

I am currently working as the Sustainability Director for Northeast Seafood based in Denver, Co.  I help Chef’s and retail stores to make seafood purchasing decisions that support sustainable fisheries across the globe.  There is an unlimited amount of information on this topic.  What is most important to know from a consumers perspective is that farmed fish are not bad.  Farmers are people who dedicate their life’s work to raise food for our nations. Farmers raise our potatoes, onion, tomatoes and fish.  Fish are more sustainable to farm than any of our current grocery store proteins.   We do not plow the earth of the native plants to grow fish, we do not have to give fish fresh water to drink, fish do not have to fight the effects of gravity, the carbon foot-print in much smaller and it’s a much needed source of omega’s that our body needs to fight things like cancer…the sum of many factors is that consumers need to worry less about what fish to eat, and need to start eating seafood!

I am on life’s journey as we all are, and at some point in time we all realize the value of a terrific guide.  If you have any guidance to my life’s journey, or if you just want to connect, feel free to call, email, or use social media to contact me at anytime.

Thank you,

Chad Pettrone

6 Comments

  • Chris Froboese says:

    Hi Chad,

    Just a quick note to say thanks again for the great trip 7/29. I don’t think Nick has a firm grasp yet of the stocked thing, he just wants to feel the tug….who can blame him…perfect spot for him that day. As he gets more refined in his fly-fishing he will understand, much like you and I came to the understanding……wild in all things is better, flora, fauna, especially fish….after we left you we spent a week more in the park, went to west side, fished alone on CO. River….Lake Irene still haunts me……beautiful, we stopped at dusk, does, fawns, perfect meadow, glass lake surface…..I did not even fish…just looked for 30 minutes……saw a mountain Goat…..never seen one…..and the usual big horns elk, marmots, pica….love those little pica’s…..then to Great Sand Dunes NP, Mesa Verde NP, Sedona and just got home yesterday.

    I had my son Nick review your “about me” section, BTW, great website. Nick at 17 is right in the midst of making choices on his livelihood, so many options I had him explore your path so far and going forward as one of those options.

    So nice to see young people like yourself have a real passion to do something and back it up by volunteering and getting involved. Thrilled to see it, and the only way for your kids and my kids and their kids to have any chance to fly fish for wild fish in the future. Keep up the good work my friend! My last volunteer stint was last year with CA. DFG, taking a survey of my little home stream (Bear Creek- San Bernardino Mountains, CA.) . We shocked and netted hundreds of fish in a 400 yard stretch of stream you could reach across w/ a 7 foot rod. Very cool, all born in stream. They stay safe because it is a 45 minute off road adventure and rugged hike to access stream, 14″ is a trophy…..most under 12″. Also amazing where they live. not always the common places….I fish the stream a little different now 🙂 …..

    You’re right, the little wild Rainbow was my favorite…..tough little tiger in there managing all those pellet heads and still eating, growing and fending for his space….stud….

    Congrats on your engagement, your trophy Cutt and what seems to me to be a very bright future. Stay in touch, if you ever need a heads up on fishing location outside of CO. call me, MT. WY. ID. CA. all in my wheelhouse. You should go steel heading in Lewsiton, CA. on Trinity, look it up or call me, they arrive this and every November….Send me your email so I can show you some pics of what an amateur can dredge up, imagine what you could do… 🙂

    Talk soon pal

    Chris

    • Sounds like an epic trip Chris. Hitting up the west coast run is definitely on my to-do list. This fall/early winter I’m holding onto a promise to my close friends that have never been able to experience fly fishing.

  • Tim Reicher says:

    Chad,

    I promised you this link back in June. Finally found where I had hid it.

    Fishing Guide tipping guide:

    http://midcurrent.com/travel/how-to-tip-fishing-guides-and-lodges/

    Let me know if you can’t link.

    Thanks again, I had a great day!

    Tim

  • Michele LeRae says:

    WOW!
    Love the pictures and the stories from your website!!!
    Who knew you had such an eclectic background!
    And what a small world- I was born in Alaska. My parent were fishermen up there and I was raised on a 42 foot fishing boat. I always say that is why I am a little off- because I learned to walk on an unstable boat deck.
    Thanks for your help in my classroom! My students really enjoy you and you clearly have a passion for learning and teaching.
    Michele LeRae
    Mead Middle School

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