This week features, April from the Anchored Podcast interviewing Guido Rahr of the Wild Salmon Center. With all the recent conservation efforts surrounding Pebble Mine and Salmon and Steelhead Conversation, it only made sense to get some background on the Wild Salmon Center and the man leading this organization.
Guido Rahr is the president and CEO of the Wild Salmon Center, an organization focused on the health of salmonid populations of Canada, Russia, Mongolia, and the USA. Guido has helped the Wild Salmon Center raise over $100 million in grants, develop new scientific research, establish 6 million acres of habitat management designations—and that’s only the start. Check out this episode of Anchored, to learn more about his path to stewardship, fishing in Russia and Bristol Bay, and snakes.
Be sure to check out our interview with the Wild Salmon Center below:
Over the past couple of decades, the profession of being a fly fishing guide has become increasingly popular within the fly fishing community, and for good reason. Fly fishing guides are considered the number one subject matter experts in the field and are approached for all forms of advice and tutelage in the field of fly fishing from anglers both new and experienced. This is a short synopsis of the best advice I can give quickly on how to get into the game from the area where I’m from (Arkansas).
Build Experience
The two principles of being a good guide is having the knowledge and experience to put clients on fish day in and day out and then being able to connect with your clients to make an enjoyable day out of the experience. But, it is important in all conditions that can be thrown at us through different seasons and weather extremes to be prepared. This does not come from Googling or asking questions on local message boards, (although these resources can be beneficial) it comes from hard-earned days on the water and tough lessons learned. This one is the easiest to explain and the hardest to execute. Get out on the water, grind, and learn through every month of the year and every weather condition. Figure out what the fish like and don’t like on the waters you intend to guide on depending on these variables and you’re on your way to building your base as a solid guide.
Meet the right people
As a new guide you can go two ways to establish yourself in the industry: get on with an already existing outfitter, or start your own service. Both of these options have their challenges, starting your own guide service means obtaining the necessary business licenses and insurance while growing your own clientele and presence by yourself. If you have the business savvy and ability this can be a good route as you will pocket all of your revenue for yourself and be able to add a self-run business to your resume. However, getting on board with an already established and reputable guide service will get you more business and experience in a shorter period of time, making you a better guide in a quick fashion.
Build a reputation for yourself
Once you’ve either set up your self-run guide service or gotten on with an already established guide service it’s time to make a name for yourself. This again relates back to the first step: grind. You make a name for yourself, build clientele, and establish your reputation by nothing other than hard work and satisfied clients. To be blunt, you can have all of the Instagram followers in the world, but if you suck with your basic skills as a guide it will quickly become obvious and you will fail.
The life of a guide is incredibly rewarding, but make no mistake, it is rarely an easy one. The hours are long, the conditions are tough, and the fish are… well, fish. Do not get into this profession solely for the money, you will be disappointed. You will go home at the end of a long day of guiding tired, smelly, and sore, but incredibly satisfied. Being a guide is not for everyone, but for those of us that have a true passion for this way of life and sharing it with others, there is nothing that comes close to the satisfaction of putting a client on fish and seeing them share your same love for the journey. If you choose to pursue this path I wish you heartfelt good luck and good wishes, I’ll see you out on the water.
Article by Matt Fulenwider who is part of Fly Lord’s content team be sure to check him out on Instagram.
What started out at a chilly morning of guided fly fishing on the South Platte River, near Denver, CO, turned out amazing for this young man. Boden Lewis, 8, was on a guided trip with his father and grandfather with guide Chris Wells when Boden hooked up to a donkey!
While the group did not weight the fish, it taped out at just over 27 inches and guide, Chris Wells thinks the fish was close to 10 pounds, it’s an amazing catch for any angler. We’re stoked for Boden and hopefully, his growing love for the sport of fly fishing. Keep it up!
For years, conservationists and anglers have been fighting a battle to remove 4 outdated dams on the Lower Snake River. These dams have been known to kill the anadromous fish that try and fail to pass the dam on their annual spawning runs. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), who manages the 4 dams, is facing mounting maintenance costs and dropping energy prices.
“The jig is up,” said Daniel Malarkey, a senior fellow at the Sightline Institute, “We had this super-cheap power relative to other resources, and we’ve piled a bunch of extra costs on it.”
The four dams are responsible for generating less than 13% of the total power output of BPA. But recently, with dropping flows and environmental protections put in place to protect endangered species, they are producing much less power than that.
According to E&E News, “the Lower Snake River dams produce less power than BPA sends out of its service area in the region. There are other factors, as well, including BPA’s financial health. The federal power agency is $15 billion in debt, and its electricity rates have climbed 30% since 2008 as the wholesale market has fallen due to growing supplies of wind, solar and natural gas (Greenwire, Sept. 3).”
Conservationists hope that the growing costs, outstanding debt, and lack of economic viability will push the BPA to finally give in and remove the dams. Dam removal would finally free the Lower Snake River so the wild salmon, steelhead and other endangered species can return to their historic numbers.
For our latest video of the week, we had the chance to sit down with Ryan Griffin. Ryan is the producer of Union Jacks, a film about fishing for jack crevalle in the harbor of Charleston, SC.Â
FlyLords: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Ryan: I’ve been living in the Charleston area for about 15 years. I kinda grew up fly fishing in ponds for bluegill and bass and then I moved out west after college. I lived out there for almost 3 years. I got completely immersed in trout fishing, and that’s where I actually met Paul Puckett of Flood Tide Co. We were good buddies out there, playing music together and such. Then I moved to Charleston in 2004. Previous to that I was a musician almost full time and put down the fly rod for a while. Then when I quit playing music I got totally immersed in fly fishing again. I didn’t really know much about saltwater fly fishing until about 2009. Around here there was a small little clique of people that were fly fishing and it has grown tremendously in the past 10 years. I started doing little homemade videos with GoPros and things like that and it just kinda grew from there and I got really serious with filming about three years ago.
FlyLords: What gave you guys the idea to make this film?
Ryan: Jacks are kind of thought of as a trash fish to some degree, but obviously a lot of fun on the fly, especially the big ones. They were here in pretty big numbers for a long time, until about a decade ago. When they built the Ravenel bridge the jacks seemed to disappear, but in the last four or five years they started to really show up again in numbers. There’s a few of us that kind of go a lot now, and a few of us went quite a bit last summer and got one or two to the boat, and had some really good shots but never really got anything on film, so we decided we wanted to do that this year. We didn’t know what we were gonna do with it really. Everybody gets real sensitive of posting this kind of thing on social media, you know the hero shot of somebody holding a jack with the Ravenel bridge in the background tends to make people who know about the fishery pissed off. We kinda knew that going in, but at the same time, the people that were really chasing these fish around know what to do, or know who to ask. They’re not finding out about it from a video that Ryan Griffin puts on social media. Once we got the finished product done we thought that it was too good to kinda keep a secret so we wanted to put it out there and see what happens.
FlyLords: Walk us through the difficulty of catching these fish.
Ryan: Well they’re not around for very long in the season. They’re also in big water, not necessarily on flats like you would find in the keys or Mexico or something like that. There’s also tons of boat traffic going on so a lot of times they’re really hard to find, and when you do, they’re kind of daisy chaining or sitting on the surface and not aggressively eating so even if you’re fortunate enough to find them at the right time, they might not eat. You’re just kind of looking for that perfect day where the water is calm enough to find them, they’re busting the surface on bait, and charging flies. All those things kind of have to come together and it doesn’t happen a lot. We had a lot more shots last summer, this summer they weren’t really paying attention to the fly. Then when you hook one, you’re on a flats skiff in 40 or 50 feet of water, and these things shoot right to the bottom and fight like crazy. On that day we caught the one on film, we had calm water, low wind, and the right group of guys. It all just kind of came together. Typically its a 30 minute to an hour fight cause you’re trying to lift this fish off the bottom, and Alex was fishing with a 10wt that day, and really put some pressure on the fish to try and land him quickly, which he did. He landed him in like 15 minutes, but it totally just obliterated his rod as you could see in the video. So we had to hand line the fish the last 20 or so feet of fly line. But we got the fish in the boat and was able to release the fish alive.
FlyLords: What’s next for Ryan Griffin?
Ryan: I’ve got about 5 projects I’m working on. I don’t really do this for a living and I’ve got family and work and other things going on so it’s really hard to find time to do things like this. Most things are more personal projects like this one was. We had a really great trip in Mexico last year and we had several people get their first permit, so we did a bunch of follow up interviews with that and I’m hoping to have those done by the end of the year.
Be sure to keep up with Ryan on Vimeo to see his future projects! Doug Roland also helped film this project. You can check out his work with the Lowcountry Journal here.
This interview was conducted by FlyLords team member Conner Grimes (@doublehaulfishing).
Flylords caught up with Robert Hawthorne, a photographer specializing in wildlife, landscape, and action sports. He was up in Alaska this summer and took some insane photos of the local grizzly bears. Check out the interview below.
Flylords: Who is Robert Hawthorne?
A wildlife photographer from Bozeman, Montana. Photography has always been a method of sharing my most treasured memories with everyone who may never witness it for themselves.
Flylords: What makes Alaska such a unique place to shoot?
Capturing wildlife in Alaska is on another level than what is available in Montana or anywhere else for that matter. Alaska is home to the largest salmon migration in the world, and as a result, the coastal brown bears convene in numbers seen nowhere else in the world. Katmai National Park, in particular, offers an unparalleled experience for both bear photography as well as world-class fly fishing.
Flylords: What was the first thought that went through your head when you snapped the picture (above)?
At the time of this photo, I was walking across the river and happened to notice the two fishermen and their spectator. Believe it or not, seeing this was no cause for alarm or immediate action. If you spend any time on the same rivers as the bears, you will soon realize that there is no way to avoid encounters with bears in close proximity. And very rarely are these encounters threatening. The park service has done a phenomenal job of creating a respectful relationship between fishermen and photographers. It is not uncommon to see 20-30 bears in a day on a single river!
Flylords: What did the anglers say after you showed them the photos? Did they ever freak out?
I was never able to track down who the anglers were and get them this photo, but I hope through more publicity, that it will cross their path! I would love to get them a copy of the photo for their wall! So if anyone might know them, send them my way ;).
Flylords: Do you have any advice for close bear encounters or tips for shooting bears in the wild?
As far as advice for shooting bear photos, I’d encourage anyone interested in spending time with bears to educate themselves on bear behavior and especially their body language. Bears are incredibly expressive when it comes to their emotions and intentions. Especially in these protected national parks, as long as you are attentive to bears’ personal space and maintain a non-threatening composure, bears’ can be among the most cooperative wildlife photography subjects. There is rarely a need for any aggressive actions like waving your arms, shouting, throwing rocks and so on.
Nothing drives me crazier than watching a group of fishermen unnecessarily attempt to intimidate a passing bear on the river. We are in their home, and they will most likely ignore your presence and pass right by your side if you just remain composed.
When a bear approaches on his own terms, these are the best times to capture photos and observe them up close and personal. But I am by no means discrediting the need for bear safety such as pepper spray, a pistol and most importantly, ensuring you never surprise or threaten a bear.
Don’t forget that a public land bear is going to react very differently to you, then a bear who has lived its life in a protected national park. Most of all, just get out exploring and bring your camera along, and never forget we are guests in their territory! Respect that, and you will have encounters you have to see to believe!
Early this week, Orvis Brand Manager, Charley Perkins had an idea, that we fly anglers should be celebrating every moment we spend on the water, including the ones that don’t end up with a fish on the end of the line. The slips, falls, blow-ups, and dumped fish are all a part of the fly fishing journey and are experiences we all share. It’s about time we started taking ourselves a little less seriously on the water and take a moment to laugh at ourselves in our pursuit of fish!
The video above launched the campaign and submissions are already rolling in on social media using the hashtag #BloopersMakeUsBetter. Over the next week, Orvis will be sharing their favorite bloopers on their Instagram feed, and ultimately the best blooper will win a Helios 3!
In this week’s “How to Tie” video feature, Tim Flager from Tightline Video is back to show us how to tie the Clouser Minnow. This is one of the most versatile flies an angler can pack out for any occasion. Rain, wind, or salt the Clouser is a legendary fly that has stood the test of time.
Learn About This Fly
Difficulty: Beginner
Invented by angler and fly tier Bob Clouser in the 1980s, this fly is one of the most versatile streamers in any anglers arsenal. Originally invented for targeting aggressive bass, this fly has been optimized for not only trout and other types of freshwater fishing, but is also great for targeting saltwater species such as bonefish.
Favorited amongst many seasoned anglers, this fly is fished hook facing upward and imitates a small minnow swimming in a river, lake, or flat. Due to its flashy appearance, this fly is perfect for catching the attention of looming predators such as bass and pike. Not to mention, due to the weighted eyes, this fly can remain relatively low profile, while also delivering the sinkability larger beaded streamers offer
The construction of this fly is relatively simple and can be constructed by almost any fly tier. Note, that the colors used to construct the wing can be altered in order to meet water conditions. For instance, for fishing larger lakes at a greater depth, using a chartreuse bucktail can greatly increase the fly’s “Flash factor” as well as its visibility. If fishing saltwater, a bluer variation can be tied in order to emulate the natural prey of bonefish.
So you’ve hooked the fish. Not A fish. THE fish. The fish that keeps you and I awake at
night. The fish that makes your entire fishing year. A unicorn. A tank. A pig. A two-foot
brown. A five pound smallie. A 50-inch musky. Whatever it may be, it’s a moment that
we fly fishers live for. The excitement in that moment is overwhelming, but hooking
these oversized and wily critters is only half the battle. Big fish didn’t get big by accident.
They’re usually the strongest, craftiest, grittiest fish in their respective environments, and they have a penchant for breaking anglers’ hearts. Fighting big fish requires nerves of steel and the wherewithal to think strategically while your heart is beating out of your chest. Here are some tips for the next time you hook a pig.
Tip 1: Stay Calm
Take a deep breath and focus. Once you’re past the initial few seconds of the fight, where
most things are left to instinct and chance, try to stay as calm as possible. This, of course,
is easier said than done, but this more than anything else will increase your odds of
landing the fish. Over-excitement generally comes at the expense of smart, deliberate
thinking. If you aren’t calm and collected, these other tips probably won’t help you a lot.
Tip 2: Assess Your Surroundings
Look around and identify potential obstructions. Oftentimes, a hooked fish’s first instinct
is to head to the nearest cover, be it a logjam, a boulder field, or heavy current. For you as angler, these spell disaster and exponentially increase the odds that you lose the fish. By identifying these potential hazards when you hook the fish, you can plan accordingly by attempting to steer the fight away from them. Also look for places to land the fish like
eddies, current breaks, and shallow water. If you’re strategic, you can often maneuver the fight into areas that are more conducive to fighting and landing the fish.
Tip 3: Use Side Pressure and Rod Angles to Your Advantage
Fish can only swim in the direction their head is facing, so by manipulating the rod angle, you can move a fish’s head in the direction you want it to swim. For example, if I wanted to move a fight away from a longjam on my right, I’ll use low rod pressure to my left to attempt to position a fish’s head away from the obstruction. A second advantage preached to me by my friend and mentor Gordon Vanderpool (@turningstonesflyfishing), is that, on balance, side pressure puts more pressure on a fish than a high rod. With a firm wrist, side pressure also more efficiently distributes pressure through the bend of the rod, allowing the rod to act as a cushion for light tippets. With that being said, don’t, in Gordon’s words, “sword fight†with the rod. Changing rod angles too quickly and repeatedly can introduce slack or induce a sudden tension shock, causing a breakoff. Like most other things in fly-fishing, being smooth, confident, and deliberate is key. By being smart about your rod angles, you can give yourself more control of the direction the fish is swimming, apply more pressure, and decrease the likelihood of a breakoff.
Tip 4: Be Patient and Wait for a Window to Land the Fish
Succumbing to impatience and forcing the issue is one of the worst things you can do
when fighting a big fish. Trying to horse a fish in before it’s tired or haphazardly stabbing a net at a thrashing fish are sure-fire ways to lose the fish. These errors are entirely preventable if the angler stays patient and waits for the right time to land the fish. Eventually, the fish will become tired and be forced to rest, creating a window for the angler to land it with relative ease. Once you sense a fish is tired, attempt to ease its head above the water and slowly pull it across the surface and into the net. Remember, a fish can only swim in the direction its head is facing, so a fish with its head above the water cannot swim away. This approach usually results in an easily netted fish.
Tip 5: Sometimes, You’re Going to Lose
Sometimes, you lose the fish even if you do everything right. You’re hooked to a big,
powerful animal that thinks it’s fighting for its life. Inevitably, it’s going to find a way to
get away some of the time. Breakoffs will happen. Sometimes they’ll throw the hook on a
headshake. Sometimes the hook pulls out for reasons you can’t explain. It’s going to
happen, and the feeling of defeat totally sucks. But it’s part of what makes fishing
challenging and exciting. Plus, it makes those big fish you do manage to land all the more
special. With that being said, if you take some of these lessons to heart, you can tip the
balance in your favor and maximize the chances that you land that rare fish of your
dreams. Go hook a pig!
Tommy Archibald is a contributor on the Content Team here at Flylords! Tommy is a former competitive fly angler on the US Youth Fly Fishing Team and has competed all over the world. Be sure to check him out on Instagram @tommyarchibald_fly_fishes!
We just finished off an amazing 3 days at AFFTA’s IFTD, the annual tradeshow in Denver, CO, where brands and fishy folks from around the fly industry gather to share new products. This year’s new products aren’t to be missed, check out who and what took home the awards below!
Imagine a rod that casts tight high line speed loops effortlessly and turns over your leader straight into the wind; a rod that delivers the fly on target with just one false cast, and can pick it back up and redirect if the fish changes course; a rod that is intuitive so you can focus on the fish instead of your cast; a rod that feels light and alive in your hand and has the touch and feel needed to make short quick shots or float the fly in quietly. All that, plus a rod handcrafted with the very best components to ever grace a fly rod – Introducing the all-new Sector Series of high performance, handcrafted fly rods from Scott.
Since Ross Reels started in 1973, there has been one model that epitomizes what a Ross Reel is: the San Miguel. It defined the ultimate in class and finesse, and now, over two decades since it was first launched, the classic returns
VAYA: Spanish for ‘Go!’, as in go outside, go explore, go fishing!Â
Crafted by avid Colorado anglers, the VAYA series debuts an all-new technical look and feel paired with outstanding performance. The partially-ported VAYA frame offers the unique combination of minimized weight, incredible rigidity, and just enough surface area to highlight Abel’s hand-anodized finishes. The frame interior also features varying sets of CNC-milled fly patterns, relevant to each size of reel. Â
The large-arbor spool features a precision-balanced, dual-pawl drag engagement design that eliminates the need for a counterweight. The spool’s mechanical incoming click compliments the audible, smooth feel of the outgoing drag. The carbon / stainless multi-disk drag system produces substantial resistance, while providing a wide range of adjustability for delicate tippet.
VAYA: the new ‘go-to’ reel for everything from freshwater to light salt.
The Amplitude Smooth series of lines are, simply put, the highest-performance smooth fly lines in the world. With up to five times less drag and eight times the durability of traditional lines, this will change the way you look at fly line performance.
The Infinity Salt is technical, versatile, accurate and simply the most advanced saltwater line available. Featuring the revolutionary AST Plus slickness additive for superior shooting ability and increased durability the Infinity Salt will handle the most rigorous of conditions year after year. The Infinity Salt is a half-line weight heavy to turn over any fly on even the windiest of days. The extended head length makes it more accurate then short shooting heads so that you can land your fly to spooky fish in the most efficient manner.
Absolute Tippet is made with proprietary copolymer blends that are designed to drastically reduce water absorption while maintaining an optimal suppleness for high knot strength. Absolute nylon leaders and tippets have a 29% higher wet knot strength compared to our previous material and up to 40% higher wet knot strength when compared to our competitors.
With a delicate touch and medium action, the TROUT LL family has been designed with the trout angler and dry flies in mind. Through blank taper optimization and specialized length offerings, the TROUT LL is perfected for wade fishing, closer casts, small flies, and light tippets. A relatively supple tip maximizes light tippet protection and gives way to a smooth easy-loading mid-section that increases feel and feedback throughout the casting stroke. When the hatch is on, the TROUT LL is an angler’s best friend.
Imagine a rod that casts tight high line speed loops effortlessly and turns over your leader straight into the wind; a rod that delivers the fly on target with just one false cast, and can pick it back up and redirect if the fish changes course; a rod that is intuitive so you can focus on the fish instead of your cast; a rod that feels light and alive in your hand and has the touch and feel needed to make short quick shots or float the fly in quietly. All that, plus a rod handcrafted with the very best components to ever grace a fly rod – Introducing the all-new Sector Series of high performance, handcrafted fly rods from Scott.
Featuring KonneticHD technology and new fast action, the TROUT SPEY HD series of rods bring ease to lightweight spey techniques. Five rods from 10’3†to 11’3†excel with a variety of spey lines that are currently offered in 175-350gr sizes. The TROUT SPEY HD rods are primarily designed for spey casting as opposed to Switch rod-style actions previously captured within Sage’s Trout Spey category, and features an action designed for Skagit and Scandi style casting techniques with trout appropriate sized flies.
Our most durable wader features a new, proprietary fabric from GORE-TEX® proven over 16,000 hours of field testing. Make the most of your time on the water: Head out in the most feature-laden, abrasion-, puncture- and tear-resistant wader made.
Cut from advanced GORE-TEX® Pro Shell 3-layer fabrics and kitted with ingenious fishing details throughout, the G4 Pro Jacket is our highest-performing, most durable jacket, a statement proven during hundreds of hours of field testing by professional guides in the harshest conditions
When relentless heat threatens to cut short a pleasant afternoon tossing carefree casts, arm yourself with cool comfort and keep chasing those elusive fish. The Simms SolarFlex® Armor Shirt features hard-working COR3™ technology, with all-day odor-fighting and moisture-wicking protection. The shirt shields against the sun’s harmful rays with a UPF 50 rating. Coolcore® fabric chills down as it gets wet, giving you natural relief from the heat. Mesh panels on the sides and arms add breezy ventilation that will keep you feeling fresh on the water from dawn until dusk. It is finished with a full-coverage built-in gaiter for all over protection.
The G4 Pro wading boot was engineered from the ground up to be the highest performing wading boot ever built. The perfect combination of durability and agility, the G4 Pro will provide season after season of comfortable, sure-footed wading.
G3 Guide™ is synonymous with guide-trusted wading performance. Women’s G3 Guide Z Waders carry on the legacy, with a breathable, stay-dry GORE-TEX® Pro Shell design and pivotal executions like the patented TIZIP® side-zipper that simplifies the on/off process, while answering Ma Nature’s call—once and for all. Patterning and fit are G3 Guide Z hallmarks, and whether you’re stacking on the layers or embarking on a minimalist multiday, these versatile mainstays have the mobility and all-day comfort you crave. Hardworking features include waist-anchored suspender straps for custom strap fit and easy high-waist conversion on sticky days, a plush reach-through, fleece-lined hand warmer chest pocket for when temperatures crater, and a removable flip-out Tippet Tender™ with a retractor docking station for corralling flies, tools, and other river essentials. With everything in its place—anywhere, in any weather—Women’s G3 Guide Z is your higher-performing wader that brings it all together.
