When Troy Dettman went fishing last year at a British Columbia river he had not visited before, he hired a guide to show him the ins and outs of the area, to learn the river’s secrets. After one day of “learning,” he and his friend spent four days fly-fishing — instead of using the entire time to figure out the river on their own.

“It’s a way to increase your knowledge and get more out of your limited vacation,” he said. Not to mention the saved wrist cramps from ineffective angling. His use of a professional guide is not so unusual — except that he is a professional guide himself. In an unfamiliar spot, Dettman can use the extra expertise as much as the other guy. Obviously, he does well by his own advice.

Dettman, owner of Northwest Angler (www.nwangler.com) on Bainbridge Island, has been guiding full-time since 1988 throughout Washington, Oregon and Idaho. After following his new wife to Bainbridge from Oregon a decade ago, he worked at the local fly shop and bought it about three years later. Now, he uses the shop as a hub for his guiding/outfitting and other fly-fishing activities like clinics and seminars.

Dettman and the other Northwest Angler guides’ assistance can be as simple as teaching someone how to cast or setting up one-day fishing trips, to arranging “mini-vacations” to roadless rivers and providing everything from gear to camp setup.

For those who think going to the opposite end of the globe for a good fishing time isn’t too far, Dettman has the right lure as well: expeditions to exotic locales like the Caribbean and Baja or the rugged but pristine Alaska. Planning is easy too — he offers everything needed for the trips at the shop.

Dettman himself would make any fisherman jealous. He has visited every single overseas spot that he reserves, often time enjoying his guides there so much that he ends up booking them for his customers. His favorite is wintertime fishing in the Caribbean — think dreary, rainy Northwest winter, then cut to the picture of an 80-degree day among sun and palm trees. After this first-class version of fishing in style, no self-respecting fisherman (or woman) will look at the hip waders and bucket in the same way.

Closer to home, he can be seen around Kitsap at places like the Trophy Lake Golf and Casting in Port Orchard and around the Olympic Peninsula. In fact, he rents a home for the winter in Forks, using the area as his steelhead fishing HQ.

Dettman spends much of the year outdoors, but he’s certainly not complaining. After growing up at 9,000-foot altitude in Colorado where “there was not much else to do” but fish, hike and indulge in other outdoor recreation — why would he want it any other way? Fishing has been a “serious” hobby long before he turned it into full-time living, even as he guided white-water rafting trips or has owned other fly-fishing shops. The Northwest Angler, for him, is the perfect catch for all his endeavors.