About Us
Meet the Team
We are physicians by trade but fly fishermen by obsession. Over the years we have fished together. Told lies about the ones that got away. Compared notes on flies, knots, rods and reels. We have challenged each other to become better to the extent of becoming certified instructors through the Federation of Fly Fishers.
Curious about what it takes to become a Qualified FFF Instructor? See the Guidelines. [ PDF ]
Tom Dempsey
Tom Dempsey is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon by training and a fly-fisherman by passion. Dr. Dempsey began fly-fishing some 35 years ago in Alaska and has continued his pursuit of fly-fishing by forming the Gulf Coast Fly Fishing School with Dino Frangos in 2011. The GCFFS is dedicated to teaching fly casting for single-handed and double-handed instruction as well as mentoring candidates for casting certification. In addition, GCFFS provides referral services to guides nationally and internationally. In addition, fly-tying instruction is available and recommendations for equipment can be made.
Dr. Dempsey has fished in over 40 countries around the world and is a spay caster as well as a single-handed caster. He is the past chairman of the casting committee for the FFI Gulf Coast Council, he is the fly-casting chairman for 3 different fly-fishing schools on the gulf coast and is a previous member of the board of governors for the FFI. Besides travelling internationally, he gives approximately 150-200 lessons a year. Join us at GCFFS for the latest local information and recommendations on where to fish and what equipment to use. We will be glad to answer all your fly-fishing questions.
Dino “Doc” Frangos
Doc Frangos is a retired urologic cancer surgeon who moved to the Gulf Coast many years ago. A Wyoming native, he grew up fly fishing the trout streams in Wyoming and Colorado.
He is passionate about fly casting instruction. After achieving a FFI certified casting instructor designation, he went onto successfully complete his Master certification. He remains active in the FFI instructor program as a Level 2 examiner for certified and master certified instructor candidates. He has mentored and examined candidates from Asia, South and North America.
When he is not sight-fishing for redfish along the Gulf Coast, he is fishing small creeks and rivers in Teton County, Idaho and Jackson, Wyoming.
Ed Chamberlain
January 2020
The Gulf Coast Fly Fishing School is honored to announce that Ed Chamberlain, master casting instructor, is joining the team as an instructor. Ed is a retired U.S. Army ranger who has fished extensively in the continental U.S., Patagonia, Mexico, and the Bahamas. He lives just outside of Atlanta and is an active member of the Atlanta Fly Fishing Club. He has taught fly fishing for many years in the Atlanta area and published articles on the “Loop”, the online magazine for the Federation of Fly Fishing.
Nicholas Frangos
December 2020
Gulf Coast Fly Fishing School welcomes the association of Captain Nicholas Frangos. His expertise offers our anglers a referral source in Louisiana. For more information contact us via phone 251-648-7451 or through our website.
Chris Nischan
Chris Nischan has been a full-time hunting and fishing guide for more than 30 years and views introducing people to the great outdoors as his life’s work.
“I am a teaching guide. My hope is that each person I work with not only has a great time but walks away with a deeper appreciation of the great outdoors. Guiding is more than the mechanics. It’s about sharing the why behind every cast and every blind location, so you are deeply involved – whether it’s simply for the afternoon or developing a lifelong passion.”
Growing up, Chris’s family didn’t hunt or fish. He discovered the outdoors through a friend and once Chris could drive, he spent every hour going out, honing his technique. For years, he volunteered lessons for the sheer love of passing along the knowledge he discovered. Chris was eventually encouraged by a student to guide full-time and has been outdoors ever since.
Chris has been guiding on middle Tennessee’s waters longer than any other and his experience outside the state is extensive. He is a well-versed hunger and angler throughout North and South America – from big game hunting in western states, to fly fishing in the East, to saltwater fishing offshore. More exotic excursions have spanned Alaska, Brazil, Mongolia and more.
“My ultimate goal is a smile at the end of the day, whether that’s you bagging the biggest game of your life or getting skunked. It will have been a quality experience and you will have learned a lot along the way.”
He is a board member of both the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited. Chris belongs to many conservation organizations, including International Federation of Fly Fishers, National Wild Turkey Federation, and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Chris lives in Nashville with his wife – one of the most natural fly fishers he’s seen – and his two daughters.
Chuck Iossi
October 2022
Chuck Iossi is a retired publishing executive who lives in Teton Valley, ID pursuing the mighty trout with a fly rod. He is a Fly Fishers International Certified Casting Instructor with 14 seasons of experience fishing the Upper Snake River drainage with principle focus on the South Fork, Henry’s Fork, and Teton Rivers. Chuck is Board of Directors President Emeritus of Friends of the Teton River, a member of Trout Unlimited and FFI. His fly rod has touched water in the Bristol Bay Region of Alaska, chalk streams of England, South Africa, France and many of the western rivers of North America.
Chuck and Doc Frangos collaborate giving regularly scheduled casting lessons to members of the Teton Valley community and love introducing beginners as well as experienced fly casters to the essentials of good fly casting.
Capt. Danielle Davidson
January 2023
Capt. Danielle Davidson has an infectious passion for fly fishing and all things coastal. Her excitement when hooking into a redfish on the beach or a bluegill in the backyard can be felt by all around her. Fishing with Capt. Danielle will connect you with so much more than a fish on the end of your line. You’ll experience and share in her passion for understanding the target species as well as the habitats our central Gulf Coast estuaries have to offer, from emerald white sand beaches and clear water oyster and grass flats to tannic backwater rivers and creeks.
Danielle grew up in nearby Gulf Breeze, FL where from a young age, her father taught her the ways of finding and catching fish. Now, Danielle has connected her dedication to conserving local fish habitats and all who call it home with the culture of the fly fishing community. She supports and leads local and national fly fishing organizations, is a steward of responsible angling and fly fishing education, and is one of the leading female voices in the rapidly growing community of fly anglers. Capt. Danielle aims to ensure you have an inspiring day chasing fish, honing your skills, and enjoying some of the region’s best fly fishing waters.
Capt. Richard Montgomery
The Gulf Coast Fly Fishing School congratulates Captain Richard Montgomery for achieving his Certified Casting Instructor level in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the first weekend in March. Captain Montgomery guides out of Pensacola and runs the Pensacola Beach Fly Fishing. Thomas Dempsey, also a certified casting instructor, mentored Captain Montgomery in the last year and a half in his preparation for the testing which Capt. Montgomery passed with flying colors. The GCFFS is proud to have Captain Montgomery under its umbrella as one of its preferred fishing guides. He can be contacted on the web thru Pensacola Beach Fly Fishing.
“To go fishing is the chance to wash one’s soul with pure air, with the rush of the brook, or with the shimmer of sun on blue water. It brings meekness and inspiration from the decency of nature, charity toward tackle-makers, patience toward fish, a mockery of profits and egos, a quieting of hate, a rejoicing that you do not have to decide a darned thing until next week. And it is discipline in the equality of men – for all men are equal before fish.” ~ Herbert Hoover