About Matthew Burkett

Oberlin College graduate and All-Conference basketball standout, Matthew Burkett, was a successful lobbyist in Washington D.C. for a large broadband telecommunications company. Yet, despite his thriving career in DC, he was drawn back to his native Colorado by three passions: family, community and fly fishing.

Back in Colorado, he immersed himself in urban community redevelopment. As the co-founder and President/CEO of Blackducks Corporation he managed renovation projects throughout Denver’s most historic districts, including the Curtis Park, Cole and San Rafael/Five Points neighborhoods.

Continuing his hobby of fly fishing, Burkett soon realized that his skills as an elite-level angler could be used along with his entrepreneurial and management skills to fashion a custom-made career. He became a professional fly fishing guide and eventually started The Flyfisher Guide Service, now the state’s premier fly fishing outfitter.

He went on to partner with ex-NBA star Keith Van Horn to purchase, resurrect and manage an historic stretch of South Boulder Creek in Gilpin County. Together, they established the Lincoln Hills Fly Fishing Club on the site of the historic Lincoln Hills Resort.

In the 1940s, Lincoln Hills Resort was the only retreat west of the Mississippi that catered to the African-American community. Jazz greats Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Lena Horn often relaxed there after gigs in Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. Literary luminaries, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston brought a bit of the Harlem Renaissance to the foothills above Boulder.

Mr. Burkett has also applied his many energies to development of Angling University, Angling Aquatics and Habitat Restoration Corps (youth employment).

Now, in partnership with software/private equity magnate, Robert Smith, Mr. Burkett’s vision has grown. The Historic Lincoln Hills Resort, Boulder River Ranch, and expanded river restoration projects are under way along this beautiful stretch of river.

The Flyfisher Group, the parent organization for all of Mr. Burkett’s efforts, provides top level services dedicated to creating unforgettable angling experiences.

Mr. Burkett remains devoted to the notion that fly fishing offers something invaluable to all folks, privileged or not: “a quieting of the mind.”