For decades BTT has been hard at work in the Bahamas fighting to identify and protect important areas of bonefish habitat, and recently, the Bahamian government made the decision to protect over a dozen new sites the BTT identified during their studies. The new protected areas will include ” bonefish pre-spawning aggregation sites, home ranges, juvenile habitat, and migration pathways”, according to the BTT.
You can read more about the protections and the importance of bonefish habitat conservation, here!
The sun still low behind the mountains as the hiss from my Jetboil breaks the morning silence. Fumbling through my pack for my fly box, the aroma from the coffee percolating through the pour-over permeates the air. A grin slowly creeps across my face; we’ve won the coveted first pass.
Salmon angling on the Margaree River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia is steeped in tradition. One custom is that the angler who arrives first at the pool or car park gets the first crack through the pool. Secondly, an angler may not enter the pool and begin fishing before 6:00 am.
These traditions set the parameters for a game not unlike tag or musical chairs, sending grown adults into a frenzy each morning, trying their hardest to land at their pool of choice before anyone else.
The decision to forgo the creature comforts of morning cabin life, mainly the first java of the day, has paid off. Also, coffee, not unlike cheap whiskey, always tastes better riverside.
Choosing that magical fly for the first pass is no easy task. As I sip my coffee, I thumb through the seemingly endless options of blues, greens, yellows, blacks, drys, and wets. Each fly worthy in its own right, I look down at the small selection accumulating on the log beside me. The inner dialogue in my brain is screaming, “the fly doesn’t matterâ€. After all how is an angler supposed to entice a species that doesn’t actively feed in freshwater?
The bomber, classics never fade.
Just like a scene from the show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, the clock racing towards 6 a.m, I use a lifeline. I present my selections in my hands to my husband, looking for some decisive feedback in order to narrow down my choice. The spun deer hair dry fly, known as a bomber, gets the nod.
Popping open the top on the GINK bottle, I apply the ritualistic floatant to the fly and step into the pool. Bomber, or dry fly fishing for Atlantic salmon, is extremely addictive and a consuming tactic. Many experienced salmon anglers, whom I’ve looked up to for years, adhere to the philosophy, DRY OR DIE when conditions permit.
I prospect my way through the pool, methodically working seams and structure, repeating the mantra, “short, medium, long” with every cast. Periodically, my mind drifts from my dancing bomber in the current to the sun cresting the peaks of the mountains around me. Why is it always in this instant that a fish decides to take? It almost seems as if less is more in Salmon fishing.
The act of getting “in the zone” is almost a zen like state of letting go and succumbing to fate. I’ve often pondered if this mindset might actually enhance one’s ability to successfully land a salmon as it curbs the body’s knee-jerk reaction to pull the fly away from the fish. In salmon fishing, ideally the fish hooks itself, as the salmon usually takes the fly and turns back downstream. A common misstep is when an angler pulls too hard or too quickly the instant they see the fish take the fly, this usually results in a missed opportunity.
Today was different. Nearing the taking spot in the pool, I watched as a shiny silver mass rose and swirled below my bomber. The resulting feeling is hard to describe to a non-fisher. A shot of adrenaline instantly pierces through your body, a euphoric excitement. It is essential at this point to take quick stock of the placement, movement, and speed of your fly’s last presentation and do it again, perfectly. The adrenaline is fighting against your every move as you carefully lift your line and deliver the fly again.
A silver torpedo flashes up from the depths. Â I watch a large white mouth devourer the green and orange deer hair blob on the surface.
I go mute when playing a salmon. I’m not sure if it’s superstition and I believe that premature celebration will jinx the outcome, or maybe concentration just overcomes my senses?
In the next several minutes all hell breaks loose. The fish head shakes, runs, and cartwheels through the air trying to rid itself of the hook. Atlantic Salmon are known scientifically as “Salmo Salar†meaning “The Leaper†and any salmon angler knows this is for good reason. Every time the fish nears or breaks the surface, its silver body reflects the morning sun like a piece of glass. I can’t help but reflect on the salmon’s journey and migration as it often travels as far north as Greenland spending years at sea before returning to its native waters of Nova Scotia to spawn.
I feel humbled and privileged to be in its presence and interact with it. As my husband gently tails the fish, the euphoria shifts to sense of accomplishment and more importantly gratitude for the fish. I quickly remove the fly and carefully point the fish upstream. You can feel the fish’s energy-returning as its body firms up. With one huge kick from its massive tail, it returns to the pool.
I am of the mindset that salmon do not need anglers. I believe they’d exist perfectly fine without any human interaction. I am however of the opinion that my takeaway from the experience is a complete recharging of positive energy and a boost to my mental health.
This privileged experience leaves me with the strong belief that I need to repay the fish through conservation efforts, ethical fishing, and handling practices. Salmon have taught me life lessons of patience, perseverance, confidence, and have brought me to some of the most beautiful places on earth.
As I reel up my line and attach my fly to the keep on my rod, I realize I am forever grateful for Salar.
Article by Kate Sherin @katesherin. Photos by her husband Scotty Sherin @scottysherin. Kate and Scotty reside in Nova Scotia, Canada where they spend time fly fishing, surfing, and exploring.Â
For more information on finding the right Airflo fly line, check out https://airflousa.com/ and be sure to follow them on Instagram at @airflofishing.
In this episode of Video of the Week we catch up with Pete Kaple of the Skiff Wanderer who is accompanied by none other than Bryant Patterson and Adam Hudson of Blue Line Co. The boys are challenged with difficult conditions after Hurricane Nicholas but a bit of wind and some change in water clarity won’t stop the boys from having a good time. From testing new Blue Line Co redfish flies to eating their way through Corpus’ breakfast taco scene this is an episode you won’t want to miss. So sit down with a coffee, take a break from work, heck grab a breakfast taco for yourself, and enjoy as these guys try to negotiate the redfish bite after a Hurricane.
Make sure to give these guys a follow to feed your redfish itch: @The Skiff WandererÂ
If you need some flies or some red beer recipes give these guys a look as well: @BlueLineCo.
Also if you are in need of some more videos or articles check these out!
I am one of the few Montanans who groan at the sight of the first snowfall. Winter means that the alpine bliss of granite splendor dotted with trout filled lakes are now over. The lakes freeze over, the fish are blinded by anything presented to them on the fly, and the trails now require extra gear and slower arrival. But as any Montanan, I accept the inevitable for the necessity of snow in the environment to be as lush and healthy as it was all summer. I just begin crossing out the dates on the calendar for up to nine months until the next thaw and summer season.
It is always a slow process for the lakes to thaw and snow to melt. Unlike most places in the southwest or even the Sierra, depending on our snow year, some of the lakes aren’t even fishable until late July. Spring snow is necessary for Montana as it brings much needed moisture to the dry soils that help us fight our summer fire season. It isn’t uncommon to see an unbelievable weekend in June all to hike up to elevation to see nothing but a frozen landscape despite the 80-degree temperatures. But as any angler knows, we stayed in the sport by learning patience.
The alpine is quiet. Unsettled, unbothered, and undisturbed by even most of the creatures that inhabit the environment above 9,000 feet. Even the cute pika groan at the presence of something, not themselves and the marmot squeak at their highest pitch to let you know of theirs.
Mountain goats cautiously investigate the few visitors they see while the granite towers above, largely untouched by man. Other than them, the landscape is only whipped by the daily afternoon winds that speak of the quiet symphony that is playing throughout the landscape and into your ears.
Where the bustle of the highway and day hikers sit below in the crowded amphitheater of the concert-like noise at the treeline, the further reaches of Montana’s trails beckon with headphones and a deep beat of unfished terrain. With slithering streams cascading down from alpine lakes of deep aqua blue color, littered with trout, all one must do is load a backpack and start climbing.
The state of Montana hosts only a million people as the fourth largest in the country by landmass, largely dominated by mountains on the western side of the state. The pika, marmot, and mountain goats are still the only ones who see fish rise in some of the lakes in the state to this day.
That is an irresistible appeal that I cannot live with. I must dive deep and get into these untouched areas to explore what Montana Fish and Wildlife have planted. Explore what has been native and locked in these high prisons of jail cells with no guards or cellmates. Solitary confinement, but one of freedom with little as far as predators go to worry about. That is until an angler arrives with an arsenal of flies ready to fool even the most stubborn of starving alpine trout.
Some lakes are barren while others are loaded with anything from brook trout, Yellowstone cutthroat, grayling, and the only California native allowed in Montana; the golden trout. Montana Fish and Wildlife have attempted to try and drop both eggs and fry into new and uninhabited lakes, but some remain barren despite this effort without any real definitive answer for their disappearance. Another appeal for adventure for those that refuse to believe the lakes remain fishless.
In attempts to reach these lakes and creeks, one just doesn’t wake up and say, “I want to go and catch a grayling or golden trout today.†Unless you’re an ultrarunner who recently won one of the latest races at a ridiculous mountain speed, planning is critical to your success and safety in the mountains. Though one day ascents to these fisheries are possible, an early start and a glance at the weather is required.
With all the trips into the high country, no matter the forecast, I always expect and receive the worst each afternoon. Even in July, at elevation, an afternoon flurry of snow and a sudden drop of temperature can happen. Usually, I put the fly rod down around four if clouds begin to gather near the mountain peaks. Thunder and lightning aren’t just a maybe, they’re a when.
Going to bed at night debating to put the rain fly on my tent should never be a debate at all. Just because it is starry skied and you’re gazing in wanderlust at the myriad of spectacles in the sky, that rain fly better be put on before your eyes close until morning.
Each step up and away into your desired location, the trees begin to scatter and become scarce much like the humans at a trailhead. Leaving you with nothing but granite views and cascading creeks where some fish are even visible from the trail.
Many of the lakes are inaccessible to most because a trail either doesn’t meander over to its shores or is so unmaintained that it is untraceable. But simply because there is no trail to a lake never meant it shouldn’t be walked to. A GPS or a good compass and map with exceptional map reading skills can guide you to untouched trout bliss without a soul in sight.
The thing with Montana is that the trails up to your destination are never easy. In fact, many trails I have even considered going back down from the inaccuracy of the latest hiking apps or the questionability from my exhaustion and what the map reading said back at the trailhead parking lot. Getting lost and distracted in grizzly country isn’t recommended and preparation is paramount.
However, each time and every effort spent pinballing my way up a switch-backed trail in bear country has always been worth every huff and puff and curse word mumbled and screamed hauling loads of camping and fishing gear. For once you feel like falling over from the physical pursuit to get to your lake or stream, you crest onto a plateau with views of an alpine cirque loaded with fish frolicking in the shallow water so clear that their kaleidoscope of color can be seen from the trailhead.
I am unsure as to why the trout hooked in these alpine settings boast beauty and color that not only resembles the grandeur of the landscape but also rivals it in competition. Perhaps the effort of physical pain coupled with the fear overcame hiking in bear country made anything spectacular.
However, each cast and each fish brought to hand is an expression of an artist that cannot mix their paints appropriately enough to match the hues on each fish to hand. Like the spring colors of a rainbow in spawn or the fall colors of a brown trout at your local river, the alpine trout in mid-summer, sipping your flies from the surface or below, dance and flare their colors when hooked, visible even in the deepest of waters.
Some lakes and streams are tricky to land fish while others are nearly exhausting from a hook set on every cast. What these fish lack in size to their cousins down in elevation, they make up for in beauty and voracity. Never have I seen an 8-inch brook trout do a head shake as if I hooked a Marlin in Costa Rica than I have in Montana’s alpine.
For its quiet landscape, untouched fishery, and the colors of the flowers in their short bloom, this high church is a fishing religion worth pursuing. Like attendees at Sunday morning service, I too devote myself in a holy manner to the high granite gods above 10,000 feet.
Even when I am unable to attend during the winter, the choir of the chapel hits the deep low key on the piano, demanding my attention to look to the horizon from below and gaze at the mountain peaks encapsulated with snow skyrocketing to the heavens. Keeping me daydreaming for the following season and each lake I have yet to gaze at in wonderment and each fish I have yet to hook. Until the next church service, I sit and wait crossing out dates on the calendar.
Article and photos from Sean Jansen, an avid angler and writer based in Bozeman, Montana. Follow along with his adventures at @jansen_journals.
Nissan has reached out to TU CEO Chris Wood regarding an ad spot showing their 2022 Frontier pick-up driving up a stream bed in their latest ad spot. In addition to the written response, Nissan has now removed the footage of the truck in the stream bed from those ads.
Read the letter below their VP of Communications sent to Chris Wood, below.
Thank you for your correspondence regarding our recent truck spot. We apologize for the delay in responding.
We take conservation and respectful operation of our vehicles very seriously, and we are sorry that our imagery missed the mark. While we took several steps to safeguard the locations where we filmed the spot from damage, we didn’t properly consider the impact that the simple use of the scenes could have.
The spot has now been edited to remove those portions. We’re also committed to making sure that future marketing and communications efforts reflect the expectations that outdoor enthusiasts and conservationists have of us as a major off-road truck manufacturer.
To further show our commitment to the work Trout Unlimited is doing to care for and recover rivers and streams, we would like to make a $10,000 donation to support your efforts.
Again, we thank you for bringing this to our attention and helping us better connect to your community.
Sincerely,
Brian
Brian Brockman | Vice President, Communications, US & Canada
“Hard Linedâ€, tells the story of the Striped Bass, a fish that is adored by fly and conventional anglers up and down the East Coast. Over the past 20-or-so years, the Striper population has been struggling, mainly due to poor fisheries management but recently even more human-caused factors such as pollution and climate change. While it will take a lot of work to bring the Striper fishery back to its former glory, it can be done, and “Hard Lined†offers insight on what needs to happen for there to be happy a future for the Striped Bass.Â
So, if you care about conservation and love sweet drone shots of big, blitzing Bass or watching Stripers delicately slurp crabs off the bottom of mudflats, get excited because Hardlined is officially being released for the world to see on Wednesday, October 27 on the Simms Youtube Channel!
Last winter we had a chance to talk with Chris Kitchen of KGB Productions and Rex Messing from Simms, two people behind the Film “Hard Linedâ€, which premiered in the 2021 Fly Fishing Film Tour.
Check out our Behind the Lens interview with the folks behind “Hard Lined”:
Tired of getting your fly line tangled on branches and brush? Try this quick tip from RIO Products. You’re going to wish you’ve been doing this for years…
In this week’s “How to Tie†video feature, The New Fly Fisher and Jeff Blood demonstrate how to tie an incredibly effective fly during the spawning seasons, the Blood Dot Egg.
Difficulty: Easy
The Blood Dot Egg fly is a pattern created by Jeff Blood in the early 80s to imitate eggs for trout and steelhead. During his examination of eggs in the river, he noticed there were distinct profiles and decided to bring this knowledge to the vise. Egg flies are most effective during spawning seasons, where fish will actively pursue these high protein items. When used at the right time, the Blood Dot Egg may just turn around the slowest of days on the water.
Before tying a batch of these flies, try to take Jeff Blood’s approach and observe the local eggs, then “match the hatch” on your vise. Although very simple, it is beneficial to determine the right size, then tie a few batches of similar profile. This allows you to be prepared and able to change sizes if the trout are not cooperating. The Blood Dot Egg allows little need for changes or modifications, as this fly simply works and should always be in your box during fall and spring.
Fishing this in a two fly nymph rig is immensely effective. Using a heavier fly as your anchor and tying the Blood Dot Egg off a dropper tag is one way to ensure you get this lighter fly down. During the spawning seasons, implementing this fly in your rigs will undoubtedly help entice those fish lurking behind redds and make for a day with your rod bent longer. Now that fall is here, remember not to fish over redds, but rather for the fish behind waiting for eggs to tumble down the gravel.
As the cool temps of fall and winter come slashing in, gloves become a necessity to keep your mitts warm while casting. But, gloves can have a horrific effect on fish if you handle them while wearing them. As the video above illustrates, tailing gloves, and really any sort of glove will strip fish of their protective slime coating, which can eventually kill the fish. Fish rely on their slime coating to protect themselves from substances and diseases in the water, sort of like an external immune system. So next time you’re fishing while wearing gloves, remember to take those things off before you touch fish sitting in your net!
Technology and resources available to anglers are constantly evolving. Today, we are a long way from your grandfather’s casual jaunt up a stream with a split cane rod and a sheep’s wool patch of dry flies. Technologies such as social media and advanced GPS have caused the sport of fly fishing to flourish and stretch into new areas never before anticipated by anglers of the past. For many anglers, the expansion of the sport raises concerns surrounding their personal sanctity when exploring the lakes, rivers, and streams they once occupied unaccompanied and unchallenged. Today, most of us have adjusted to the understanding that we will rarely be truly alone on even our home waters, and to still seek solace in the act of standing in the current and enjoying nature’s finest delights. Yet still, we wonder exactly what the future holds for fly-fishing with the inevitable advancement of technology…
Recently, mapping apps have come to the forefront of such conversations. Apps designed for anglers to e-scout, and find new places to fish without actually having to visit a physical location to see whether or not a stream is navigable. Understandably, these apps such as OnX, originally designed for hunters, or newer, more fishing-focused apps such as TroutRoutes, have raised a lot of eyebrows. These mapping applications, not to be confused with “spot-sharing” apps such as fishbrain, offer anglers new methods of exploring waterways, and are presented as a solution in order to make fly-fishing increasingly accessible. However, the obvious elephant in the room is whether or not services like these are truly helpful, or harmful to the sport they aim to enhance…
It’s in this vein of curiosity that we reached out to Zach Pope, founder of TroutRoutes, a new mapping app that has taken over the fly fishing scene in many states, to explore his thoughts behind this new moral conundrum, and how he feels his app fairs in the conversation. Pope is an avid fly angler with home waters in the Driftless, an active TU member and on the Board of his local TU chapter in Minnesota, and has been pursuing the TroutRoutes startup project full-time for a few years now.
FL: Before we get to the various issues anglers care about, tell us a little bit about yourself and TroutRoutes?
ZP: I’ve been fly fishing for about 15 years, and my home waters are mostly in the Driftless area of the Upper Midwest. Anyone who’s out there could see that the community was growing, even way before the pandemic. It seemed clear to me that there was way more water than anglers, and too many of us focus on only a few well-known fisheries. But we needed a better tool to explore these new waters.
I was familiar with other mapping apps like Alltrails and OnX Hunt, and thought we needed something like it, but strictly for trout streams. So I built TroutRoutes. At first, I built it for Minnesota just to see what it might look like. Buddies liked it, so I kept going. More states, but also more information. Like where can I park? Where can I hike in? Where are the public and private lands? Which streams hold trout and which ones are worth driving to? All of the information we have to research and think about when we’re looking for new streams.
So TroutRoutes is a multi-layered mapping tool that brings all of that information together into one easy-to-use app. Think of Google Maps for trout streams, with a bunch of enhanced layers to help you scout trout streams.
We’ve spent years putting together relevant mapping layers and insights on cold water fisheries so the angler can focus on being on the water, instead of looking for it. We consolidate information from hundreds of different sources – government agencies, proprietary data sets, and our own on-the-ground research into one single app – TroutRoutes. So no more Atlas maps in the passenger seat. Our maps are really intended to contain every piece of mapping information a trout angler could need – all available offline as well.
FL: What purpose do you feel TroutRoutes serves to the fly fishing space? What role can mapping apps, in general, have in the fly fishing space?
ZP: I’ve mentioned the growth over the last several years. That’s great for our guides and fly shops, and that’s important. But that growth can be very hard on our streams.
The primary purpose of TroutRoutes is to help anglers explore new waters.  We know that overcrowding is becoming a very real issue in many of the more popular watersheds like the South Platte in Colorado or the Driftless in the Upper Midwest. Anglers who use the TroutRoutes platform can make new choices about new waters they hadn’t otherwise fished. And that directly reduces overcrowding and all of the problems that come with it.
But we also have to talk about conservation and education. And we have to educate newcomers on the delicacy and importance of issues like fishing easements on private land, and what the proper etiquette is when you’re on the water.
And we need to more effectively connect anglers with resources such as fly shops, guides and conservation groups. TroutRoutes can help you find the water, but that’s just the beginning. The fly shops equip you, the guides teach you. So fly shops and guides are important resources that we connect to anglers in our maps.
For example, we spent a considerable amount of time mapping out every fly shop in all our supported states, which now includes about 400 fly shops. We’ve mapped out the location, website, phone number and even made custom logos for each shop, allowing traveling anglers to quickly identify and contact these shops as local resources. We’ll be doing the same for independent guides down the road.
FL: Can you walk us through some of the ways your app differs from some of the other fly fishing apps in the space? Also, how is TroutRoutes different from some government-based resources?
ZP: TroutRoutes is really the first and currently only mapping platform completely dedicated to the fly fishing (trout fishing) space. There have been other smaller projects in the past, but they’ve typically been limited to specific watersheds or regions. We have focused on being “comprehensive and nationalâ€- we have over 24,000 trout streams mapped out across 23 states, each with an incredible amount of detail and more layered than any project in the past.
Local government resources are great options as far as they go. But many have a specific layer that they offer, such as designated fishing easements or a specific type of access point. Others offer just the stream regulations. TroutRoutes puts all of this information- and much more- from every state and region into one mapping platform. And we’ve done so in a really easy-to-use app that has GPS and a bunch of other features like note-taking and offline maps.
Last and most importantly, we are NOT social. Everything you do in the app is private. There are other fishing apps – like FishBrain and Fishidy. They rely on a very strong social component, kind of like Facebook for fishing. We focus on cold-water trout stream maps and all the info that comes with it. That’s it. We don’t teach you how to fish- that’s the role of the guide. We don’t teach you about what equipment you’ll need- that’s for the fly shops. We tell you where you can access streams and what you can expect when you get there. The best comparison would be OnX Hunt or HuntStand for fly fishing.
FL: Do you think this app encourages spot burning? If not, why not?
ZP: I don’t. When it comes to ‘spot burning’, mapping apps are not the problem. When you take a picture of yourself and your trophy fish, post it on social media, and name the specific spot where you caught it, you’ve burned it. It’s reckless, thoughtless, and leads to a poor angling experience for the rest of us.
One feature we thought was cool when we tried out Trout Routes was the USGS gauging feature built into the app.
TroutRoutes is the opposite. We provide detailed access maps of all the streams- not just one. We show where to park, where to hike in, where to find public access for all the streams- not just one. We provide them to all our subscribers- not just some. But that’s it. Nothing else. No shared notes, no shared pins, no shared trophy pics.
So let’s be clear, we are absolutely against the act of spot burning and will continue ensuring our app can’t enable or encourage this. The TroutRoutes mission is about diffusing pressure, educating anglers, promoting conservation stewardship. Everything that spot burning is not.
FL: Do you feel using an app like TroutRoutes takes away from the fly fishing experience?
ZP: I actually think it has the opposite effect. For me, fly fishing has always been about intimacy with the outdoors. I like the experience of exploring a new area as much or even more so than the fishing itself, and I think that’s true for a lot of us. Our maps have helped me find new streams and areas I would have never found otherwise, and I hear this story over and over from our users. I was recently in North Carolina testing some new regions for our maps and found myself exploring some incredible areas that I never would have known about nor found without our own mapping system.
So for me, it’s not technology vs the joy of nature. It’s not either-or. TroutRoutes frees me up to spend less time driving around, looking for spots, and more time in the water.
FL: What role does TroutRoutes have in the overcrowding issue? Do you see pressure increasing on lesser-known streams that wouldn’t normally see this pressure because of mapping apps such as TR?
ZP: I believe TroutRoutes is actually the solution to overcrowding. We reduce pressure by spreading out the anglers.
We know the angling community is growing. It’s this growth that’s contributed to the overcrowding and stream pressure, especially on the well-known fisheries. Here’s the thing: the first streams that new anglers go to are often the most known. They’re the easiest choice, the lowest-hanging fruit. That’s what leads to bigger crowds on small but well-known streams. So how do we reduce that pressure?
Once again, we reduce pressure by spreading out the anglers. We have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that every trout stream is included in our maps – today there are over 24,000 individual trout streams mapped out across 23 states in our system. So far. Every week I hear stories of our anglers finding new waters by using TroutRoutes, effectively reducing overcrowding on popular streams- and we’re proud of the role we’ve played in that.
As the anglers spread out, it’s also true that we’re seeing a marginal increase in pressure on smaller streams, but we’re talking about a very small increase in pressure on any given stream. And I think its important that we include in the discussion other factors that affect the health of our fisheries, such as increasing water temperatures, lower stream flows, improper fishing etiquette, and suboptimal regulations. I think this wholistic discussion on factors is where we can make a meaninful impact. We see TroutRoutes addressing overcrowding now, and potentially helping in these other contributing factors down the road.
FL: How do you think an app like TroutRoutes will affect guides? What about fly shops?
ZP: No website or app will replace the value of a good teacher on the water or the local information found at a fly shop, so fly shops and guides are an absolute necessity for the sport.
We found our local shop, Taylor Creek, right in the app.
In the first few states we developed, we saw a fair amount of pushback from some guides and fly shops. Some of them saw us (and the internet in general) as a threat. Some still do. We’ve seen this much more intensely in states like Colorado where crowding is a much bigger issue and competition between guides and fly shops can be pretty fierce. But in other states, like Wisconsin, guides and fly shops have come all the way around to embracing and even promoting TroutRoutes as a tool that keeps anglers more engaged, in regions they didn’t know existed. So both fly shops and guides have actually seen an increase in clients as a result of TroutRoutes, not the other way around.
That’s why we’ve invested so much to support local fly shops by incorporating them into our maps and helping drive angling traffic to them for business. We’re seeing a ton of anglers engaging with fly shops because our maps led them there, and we offer this as free advertising for local fly shops. We’re working on the same opportunity for independent guides as well, and we should have something we can roll out publicly at some point next year.
FL: TroutRoutes is a membership-based service, do you think this further incentivizes a “pay to play†culture?
ZP: I would actually argue the low cost of our maps helps reduce the pay-to-play culture. In my experience, getting into the fly fishing scene years ago didn’t feel as inclusive or welcoming as I think it can be, and I don’t think my experience is unique. This comes from high prices of gear, limited access to the techniques of the sport, and poor access to critical information like where to find legal access to water. Even the environment in some of the fly shops can be intimidating to a newcomer. One of our goals is to make fly fishing more inclusive by making access to information more accessible. So we feel that of all the investments an angler makes, the information that TroutRoutes provides should be one of the first tools in the toolbox, and the low cost of the membership is very affordable.
FL: Is TroutRoutes doing anything to encourage or contribute to conservation?
ZP: A lot. We ourselves are anglers and active in conservation as volunteers with organizations like Trout Unlimited, and we’re always looking for ways to ensure our platform can be used to further conservation efforts. I personally have gotten a lot of great ideas and constructive feedback from TU members on what we can do differently. We actually removed a sharing feature early last year based on feedback we received from some of our early users, which I agree is in better alignment with conservation.
Fast forward to this year, we announced a partnershipwith Trout Unlimited, where we donate a portion of every dollar we make directly to the Embrace a Stream Program. We are super excited about this – we feel this is the most direct and immediate way we can align ourselves with the conservation of the waters we fish and map out on TroutRoutes.
But I also think there is a lot more we can do. I’d like to see TroutRoutes play a larger role in education, especially for those newer anglers that are coming into the sport and using TroutRoutes as a tool. I think that is a great opportunity to get newcomers aligned with best practices and conservation early on. You’ll see more from us on this next year.
FL: Where do you see areas you could improve upon with TroutRoutes? Where do you see TroutRoutes going in the Future?
ZP: I see every bit of feedback we get and the two main themes are 1) anglers wanting to know when their state will be added to our platform and 2) anglers wanting more information in the states we already cover; such as stocking schedules and regulations. In the last 10 months alone, we’ve added 16 new states, which has been a ton of work. But now it’s time to add more localized information to the states we already cover. And that’s what we’ll be working on this winter, in addition to adding new regions like the Northeast and West Coast.
But as I’ve said, I think TroutRoutes can play a bigger role with conservation and education. More and more anglers are using tools like TroutRoutes as a mapping resource, and that could be an opportunity to educate and promote conservation-based concepts like stream etiquette, fish handling, and alerts on fishing closures like we saw out west this past summer.
FL: Thanks for your insights and time Zach, any closing thoughts?
ZP: We’ve worked very hard in the last several years to develop an app that exposes our cold water anglers to stream information they didn’t previously have. I’m told by our users that for trout streams, our app is far and away better than anything else out there. That’s always exciting, but we can be a lot better. The most effective way we can improve the app is by paying attention to the feedback we get from both the angling community and our users and acting on it. Discussions like this, that concern the health of our sport and the responsibilities we have as stewards of it, are important for all of us. To that end, we’re grateful to Flylords, Trout Unlimited, and other responsible organizations that provide them
Our Closing thoughts…
Here at Flylords, we pride ourselves on telling the stories of the people and places that make up the sport that means so much to us. However, because much of our reach is through social and online platforms, we often face similar conundrums when deciding whether or not our work is benefiting the finite resource we all rely on. One of the most important values we at Flylords practice and hold ourselves to is us is to leave things better than we found them, and because of this, we find ourselves having a similar internal discussion on an almost daily basis.
Initially, we were a bit weary to even explore the nature of mapping applications such as TroutRoutes in the fly fishing space at all. However, after getting to sit down and chat with Zach and his team, as well as actually try out the app for ourselves, the purpose for such a service became clearer. While nothing in this industry is perfect (take for instance the fact that we still use non-degradable monofilament leaders and tippet whose clippings often times get discarded on stream shores…), we do see apps such as TroutRoutes as a positive evolution in technology. Resources like TR are a great tool for anglers to utilize, period. In allowing people to explore new waters, we don’t only encourage newer anglers to become more invested in the sport and conservation of it, but we also encourage people to go further, care more, and de-pressurize already known “honey holes”.
Of course, there are some negative sides to this as well, and unfortunately, just as you can bring flocks of people to the fishing spot your guide showed you, or you spotted in the background of someone’s Facebook post, apps like Trout Routes can be abused. This is where we have to rely on our fellow angling community to head the call of a practice we shout from the mountains: “recreate responsibly”. Any resource can be abused by the morally impaired, so when utilizing a service like Trout Routes, it’s up to the individual angler to decide whether they’re going to make it helpful or harmful…
Thank you again to Zach Pope from TroutRoutes to take the time to sit down with us and answer our questions. If you’re looking to learn more about Zach’s project, feel free to check him out at Troutinsights.com, or on social. With any opinions, you can also email Zach at zpope@troutinsights.com.
This piece was published in partnership with Trout Routes. All opinions expressed are unbiased and for the purpose of educating and promoting conversation surrounding the utilization of our resources.
