Submitted Photo Fredonia resident Alberto Rey has been nominated for Orvis’ 2020 Freshwater Fly-Fishing Guide of the Year.

“Outstanding teaching skills,” “Patience of a Zen Master” and “expert angler” — these are just some of the phrases reviewers have used to describe their experience steelhead fishing with Alberto Rey, an Orvis-endorsed fly fishing guide who has called Fredonia home for the past 30 years.

Earlier this week, Orvis announced their nominees for the coveted 2020 Orvis Endorsed awards, and Rey is up for the 2020 Freshwater Fly-Fishing Guide of the Year.

“For me, this is a big honor because not only has it taken a long time to get to this point, but I’m competing against guides from all over the world,” Rey told the OBSERVER.

Indeed, the three finalists were selected from all of the Orvis-endorsed freshwater guides in the entire United States, Canada, Chile, Europe, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, the Patagonia region and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

“I’ve been guiding for about 20 years, and most of that time — about 18 years of it — has been through Orvis,” said Rey. “One of the requirements for being an Orvis-endorsed guide is to have your clients fill out a survey after every trip. You have to have a minimum number of reviews for the year to be considered for the award.”

Each year, Rey’s client base has grown, which has resulted in an increasing number of reviews that can be read on Orvis’ website. Rey was also featured on Orvis’ podcast on steelhead trout fishing.

“The minimum number of reviews for the year was 20, and I had close to 60,” he said. “Over the past couple of years, I’ve had about 120 reviews.”

It’s not difficult to understand why Rey was a top choice for the award from his 121 five-star reviews. “I fished with Alberto over a Thanksgiving holiday, and typically when you fish for steelheads, it’s hit or miss,” said one reviewer. “Alberto knew where the fish were and what they were eating, and we landed five beautiful steelheads.”

“Alberto blends the relationships he has developed with landowners, allowing access to incredible waterways with the patience of a Zen Master,” another reviewer wrote. “Extraordinary knowledge on fish habits and fly fishing techniques.”

Multiple reviewers have enjoyed several guided fly fishing trips with Rey. One such reviewer said, “Alberto is a class act and he is extremely patient with the most novice angler. You can confidently bring those that have never fly fished to a day out with Alberto and they will thoroughly enjoy themselves.”

According to Rey, the most enjoyable part of being a guide is the challenge. “It’s like a puzzle,” he explained. “Trying to figure out how to teach new anglers how to fly fish while at the same time, trying to get them to catch a fish, is difficult. It involves a lot of homework: Scouting out the waters to make sure there are enough fish to increase their probability of catching a fish.”

Rey noted that these conditions can change on a daily basis. “When they start casting, they’re not going to be very accurate and could spook the fish,” he explained. “For me, it’s kind of a challenge to work out all those variables. Then, if they catch a fish, it’s really exciting!”

The experienced angler said that seeing new anglers catch a fish is a far more exciting and satisfying experience than when he, himself, catches one. “It takes me back to my first experiences on the water,” he recalled, “and the excitement I felt as a new angler.”

In 1989, when Rey moved to Fredonia, he was intrigued by local lore that salmon were running in area streams. “I couldn’t believe salmon, which I believed were ocean-run, could be here,” he said. “They actually put salmon in the Great Lakes, so they were coming up our streams to spawn.”

While Rey continued to pursue his interest in the local fishing scene, he said most of his focus was on building his career at SUNY Fredonia. Rey, a SUNY distinguished professor and head of the drawing and painting program, has been featured in exhibits all over the world and is well-known for his Biological Regionalism Series, which often features Western New York scenes.

“When I got tenure, I started to look into what was available here, and I did a lot of homework and reading,” Rey recalled. “I’ve always been interested in science and biology, and I became very interested in the history of the Great Lakes, the fish, their life cycles and how they migrate into the streams.”

Rey spent more and more time on the water and even started a youth fly fishing program. “A few years later, I realized that if I can teach kids how to fly fish, I can teach adults,” Rey said. His reputation as a trusted Orvis endorsed guide — one of few in western New York — has flourished ever since.

On March 20, Rey will be attending the 2020 Orvis Guide Rendezvous in Roanoke, Virginia where the award winners will be announced. While this is Rey’s first time being nominated for the award, he is not new to the Rendezvous, which he has attended multiple times to take part in workshops, lectures and networking events. The other two nominees hail from Tennessee and Texas. Since Rey has been an Orvis-endorsed guide, there have not been any nominees from western New York.

“I’ve guided people from Texas, Florida, New England, Washington, D.C. and a few from Philadelphia,” said Rey of his clients. “We’re very fortunate to have what we have here. The thing that’s fascinating about fishing and guiding in this area is that you’re on the water for so many hours at a time, that you just become part of the environment. Deer have come up to me, bald eagles fly right by me; it’s really special to see all that changing beauty right around you.”