Kyle Schaefer

Kyle is a curious and dedicated fly fishing guide, lodge owner, and conservationist. Kyle’s passion for fly fishing runs deep but his true calling is helping people and fighting to protect wild fish and wild places. 

Fly fishing is a conduit to the outdoors for Kyle, helping him to forge a deeper connection with the natural world.  It’s the never ending nuances of a life spent on the water that hold Kyle’s attention so strongly.  Kyle’s guiding career includes extensive time in the western US chasing world-class trout, the vast marshlands of Argentina for Golden Dorado, and the diverse coast of New England for Striped Bass. Kyle has been lucky to travel the world exploring far-away fisheries and has spent extensive time on the Bahamian flats. Kyle still splits his time between guiding in Maine and running his operation, Soul Fly Lodge, in the Berry Islands, Bahamas.

For Kyle, guiding and fishing is just the tip of the iceberg. Conservation and environmental advocacy is just as important. Kyle is a proud member of the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance and his guiding business went carbon neutral in 2019, making him the 1st fishing guide to earn this accolade. Kyle is also a proud board member of the American Saltwater Guide’s Association, representing the state of Maine. Kyle visits our nation’s capital to lobby for better fisheries management and has worked on task forces created to improve federal fisheries legislation. Kyle helped spearhead the “Stripers In Our Hands” project which focuses on proper striped bass handling to reduce the enormous amount of stripers that die during catch & release angling. Now, in the Bahamas, Kyle has the privilege of working with the community to improve food systems and provide opportunity in the community at Soul Fly Lodge.

Outside of guiding, Kyle has worked extensively in the outdoor industry specifically on storytelling, TV production, content creation, advertising, sales and marketing.  He is a passionate entrepreneur and sold his first business, Tidal Roots, in the Fall of 2017. Soul Fly Lodge in the Bahamas is his newest project founded in 2020. Kyle has received awards for his writing and has been published in The Drake, Tail Fly Fishing Magazine, The FlyFish Journal, On The Water, FlyLords, Badfish, Thomas & Thomas Blog, Hatch Magazine, and several other publications. Kyle has also written for the Marine Fish Conservation Network.