John Kelly Coffman

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT JOHN KELLY COFFMAN

My passion for teaching, the outdoors, and for taking care of people drives my pursuit of excellence as a lodge operator and professional fly fishing guide. Over the last decade, I have gained diverse experience in the outdoor leisure, tourism, and hospitality industries. When I started as a fly fishing guide at 19 years old, I entered into a competitive, saturated field. My adventure within the fly fishing industry started in Colorado, where I spent three summers before beginning my rookie Alaska guide season in 2019. I did not imagine that I would soon have the opportunity to work into an ownership position and to now be operating a premier fly fishing lodge of my own in partnership with Wild on Alaska: the largest conglomerate of fly fishing lodges in the 49th state. In January of 2023, after first completing a season as Manager, I was invited to be the Managing Partner at The Ridge, an exclusive 6-guest lodge on the Copper River in Southwest Alaska. The Ridge is affiliated with Rainbow River Lodge, Iliamna River Lodge, Royal Wolf Lodge, among others. Running an off-grid, remote fly fishing lodge that\'s only accessible by floatplane or boat requires all that you\'ve got and then some. In addition to managing the operation, I guide full-time during our season, June through early October. My wife Macy is our head of hospitality at The Ridge, and the greatest gift of all has been growing in all of this alongside her. When not at the lodge, my wife and I are based in Corpus Christi, TX. In between guiding redfish trips on the South TX coast, responsibilities for our Alaska business keep me very busy: Marketing our trips, building relationships with other brands, planning improvement projects, attending trade shows, graphic design, ordering logo merchandise, ordering supplies, managing pre-season logistics, hiring… the list goes on. When I’m not working, I enjoy personal fishing time with my wife, as well as growing in my faith as part of a Christian community—which has been my Rock through both the ecstatic victories and the crushing trials I have encountered on this journey!