Dale Sexton, owner

Dale held a fishing rod before he could walk. Fly fishing Park County’s wild streams and rivers grew to an obsession in high school. Dale’s love of fly fishing led him to seek employment at Dan Bailey’s in 1983, as the kid who cleaned up the fly shop after hours. He started guiding in Bristol Bay, Alaska while still a student at Montana State University. In 1988, John Bailey hired Dale as the retail manager at Dan Bailey’s. Dale left Dan Bailey’s in 1996 to start Timber Trails, an outdoor company in Livingston based on a passion for the outdoors. As a local outdoor company, Timber Trails gave back to the community in many ways, including providing bike safety lessons for kids, helping to raise money for a skatepark and raising nearly $10,000 every year for years for Loaves and Fishes, a local soup kitchen, during the Timber Trails Backcountry Film Festival. In 2020, Dale and partner Mark Gurley bought Dan Bailey’s from John Bailey, promising to continue the legacy started in 1938. 

A lifelong wilderness and fishing guide, Dale has helped hundreds of people have deep experiences in wild places. Dale is passionate about conservation and has served on or is still serving on the boards of Trout Unlimited, Invasive Species Action Network, The Avalanche Center and many others. As a member of the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition, Dale helped lead the fight against a gold mine in Paradise Valley and worked tirelessly with the Park County Environmental Council on public access issues as a member of the Crazy Mountain Working Group.

Those who are lucky enough to experience a guided trip with Dale can be assured they will not get home before dark.