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Exotic and Rare “Oarfish” Rescued off the Beaches of Baja

Patrick Perry
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Exotic and Rare “Oarfish” Rescued off the Beaches of Baja

I’d always heard stories of weird stuff washing up on the beaches of Baja, and yesterday happened to be one of those days. Only a few minutes after walking out the door, my brother @jacob_rthompson and I stumbled upon this juvenile oarfish washed up on the sand. Upon running up on him it became apparent that he was still breathing and we must have been just minutes behind the wave that brought him ashore.

I wasn’t about to touch this thing that looked like it just came out of the Stranger Things upside down portal, but knowing exactly what it was my brother carefully placed him back in the water, and after a couple of pictures he was revived and sent back on his way. The future wasn’t looking so bright for this guy, as the oarfish typically resides between 500-3,000 feet, but I’d like to think that he’ll go on to roam the Sea of Cortez for many more years, hopefully reaching proportions similar to that of the second photo, an oarfish which washed ashore on the same beach many years ago.

Unfortunately, our good deed did not pay dividends in the form of stretched fly lines, but it was a hell of a consolation prize.

Oarfish are extremely rare to be found alive as they spend most of their lives in depths of 500-3,000 feet of water. When they are found on the surface they are usually not living, so kudos to Noah and Jacob for reviving this one in hopes of it getting back to the depths of the Ocean. The fish can grow up to 36 feet in length, check out the 23 footer below.

U.S. Navy trainees hold a dead 23-foot giant oarfish that washed ashore in San Diego in 1996. Photo: Wikipedia Commons.

Be sure to follow Noah on Instagram at @noah_rthompson.

https://theflylords.com/2019/06/12/angler-saves-and-adopts-abandoned-dog-while-fishing-in-southern-belize/

https://theflylords.com/2019/02/06/7-things-you-need-on-a-saltwater-trip/

https://theflylords.com/2017/10/10/5-tips-catching-giant-rooster-fish-in-baja-mexico/

New 2020 Congressional Funding Bill Great News for Conservation

Dan Zazworsky
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New 2020 Congressional Funding Bill Great News for Conservation

In a recent press release from Back Country Hunters and Anglers, the organization praised Congress for its inclusion of an increase in conservation funding for many important departments and programs, in a funding bill for 2020.

From BHA:

“The House appropriations minibus (H.R. 3055) increases funding for the EPA, Interior Department, Agriculture Department and related agencies by approximately 5 percent for FY2020, decisively rejecting steep cuts proposed by the Trump administration.

“House leaders deserve our applause for heeding the will of the American people and supporting this bipartisan effort to robustly fund key conservation programs,” said BHA Conservation Director John Gale. “Specific measures in the bill – particularly funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, sage grouse conservation and chronic wasting disease – respond directly to repeated requests from sportsmen and women. We thank the House for listening to American hunters and anglers and urge the Senate to follow suit.”

Key components of the H.R. 3055 minibus spending bill include the following:

  • $524 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, $89 million greater than the FY2019 enacted levels;
  • $1.4 billion for the Bureau of Land Management, including $73 million for sage grouse conservation;
  • $3.68 billion for non-fire programs at the U.S. Forest Service;
  • encourages prohibition of the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service from advancing mineral extraction in the Boundary Waters watershed until an environmental analysis is completed;
  • $3 million to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide state wildlife agencies funding for research on chronic wasting disease in wild cervid – deer, elk and moose – populations.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to release or consider funding levels for fiscal year 2020 spending due to stalled conversation in advancing a 2-year budget deal. Lawmakers must pass appropriations bills by Oct. 1 or the federal government could shut down.”

Source: BHA.org.

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Nonprofit of the Month: Bonefish & Tarpon Trust

Will Poston
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Nonprofit of the Month: Bonefish & Tarpon Trust

For this installment of “Nonprofit of the Month”, we talked with the folks at Bonefish and Tarpon Trust (BTT). “BTT’s objective is to protect and enhance critical flats habitats, reverse the decline of flats species, and use research findings to influence policy, educate the fishing community and improve resource management for long-term stewardship”. Keep reading to learn more about BTT and all the great things they do for one of our favorite fisheries!

Flylords: BTT  has been a leading voice in bonefish, tarpon, and permit conservation for more than 20 years now. How and why did BTT start?

BTT: BTT was founded in response to the drastic decline in Florida’s bonefish population. Tarpon soon became a focus as well, and then permit. BTT seeks to conserve bonefish, tarpon, permit, and their habitats.

Flylords: If you had to describe BTT in a few sentences to someone who had never heard of you all, what would you say?

BTT: BTT is a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve bonefish, tarpon and permit—the species, their habitats and the larger fisheries they comprise. As a science-based organization, BTT pursues this mission across the southeastern US, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean through research, conservation, education and advocacy.

Photo courtesy Justin Lewis

Flylords: BTT has obviously grown substantially—what were some of the key factors that allowed this growth?

BTT: Growing support from members and donors, the fishing community of guides and anglers, and corporate sponsors. Our sponsors are conservation-minded companies that play a major role is helping us advance our mission and achieve our conservation objectives. We’re grateful to have their support.

Flylords: Similarly, how do guides and anglers help BTT?

BTT: Guides are on the front lines of the fishery and are instrumental in helping our scientists with their research. Guides let us know about changes they see in the fishery and also donate their time and expertise to help our scientists tag permit, tarpon, and bonefish. Anglers also play a major role. Many are members and help spread awareness of BTT’s work throughout their fishing communities.

Photo courtesy of Jordan Carter

Flylords: BTT is very science and research driven. Can you go into some specifics about how science directs or plays an essential role in your projects?

BTT: BTT is a conservation organization, but what really sets us apart is that we only weigh in on issues if we have reliable scientific evidence.  One issue in particular was the harvest of spawning permit on offshore reefs in the Florida Keys.  Because permit form large schools to spawn, they were easy targets for anglers.  There was a harvest closure in place during spawning season that began in May, but through our acoustic telemetry tracking program we realized that permit actually began to aggregate on the reefs and wrecks in large numbers beginning in April.  These fish would be the first to spawn and weren’t protected by harvest regulations.  We presented our data to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation who then extended the harvest closure to include April.  Without the science, we would not have been able to make our case and ultimately protect the fish we love.

Tagging tarpon keys courtesy of Andrew O’Neil

Flylords: While on topic, do you guys have any ongoing projects you could tell us about?

BTT: The Tarpon Acoustic Tagging Project is designed to broaden our understanding of tarpon movement and habitat uses. The results will help shape future conservation measures, including the protection of critical habitats and improvements to fishing regulations. The five-year project, now in year three, uses acoustic telemetry to identify tarpon movement patterns and important habitats. It utilizes an extensive network consisting of thousands of acoustic receivers stretching across the Gulf of Mexico and along the coastline of the Southeastern US. To date, the project has tagged more than 130 tarpon and collected more than 70,000 detections. We thank Maverick Boat Group for its generous support of this important project and its commitment to the conservation of the flats fishery.

BTT-restored August Creek in Grand Bahama. Photo courtesy of Nick-Roberts.

Project Permit, sponsored by Costa, is a nearly 10-year project that is improving permit conservation in Florida. Project Permit began in 2010 as a dart-tagging program. The initial goal was to get a handle on overall permit movements in Florida, to answer the question: Are the permit in the Florida Keys the same fish that anglers fish for in other parts of the state? Project Permit has since expanded to include acoustic telemetry to obtain more specific data on permit movements and habitat use. Data from Project Permit were instrumental in Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s creation of the Special Permit Zone and the expansion of the SPZ’s permit spawning season closure to include the month of April.

To date, more than 1,000 permit have been tagged with dart tags, and more than 130 permit have been tagged with acoustic transmitters. The acoustic tracking portion of the study, originally designed as a three-year study but extended to five years, is now in its final year of tagging. Efforts in 2019 are focused on the Upper Keys, with the aim of determining the extent to which permit migrate north of the Keys to areas where the species is not as well protected. Project Permit will also continue to examine the permit spawning movements between the flats and offshore wrecks and reefs.

Photo courtesy of Jordan Carter.

Flylords: Since 1997, when BTT was founded, how have the fisheries you all strive to preserve changed?

BTT: In the past 20 years, the behavior of anglers has changed which is also changing the behavior of the fish.  With the introduction of better technology (side scan sonar) and social media with everyone posting their catches, it has become easier for anglers to find fish.  This added pressure has changed the way the fish react to certain fishing techniques (engine noise, leader size) and we as scientists have to decipher if there are fewer fish or if they’re just tougher to catch.  We rely heavily on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, which is the scientific technique of mapping the history by using reports from long time guides and anglers.  Even with the rise of technology, we consistently see a decline in fish catches across the board which means there is fewer fish out there to catch. We strongly believe this is directly correlated to the negative impacts that humans have had on habitat and water quality.

Bonefish netting for data collection. Photo courtesy of Patrick Williams

Flylords: South Florida’s water crises started receiving national attention this past year—care to tell us about your Habitat is the Future of Florida Fisheries petition? 

BTT: Florida has lost a vast amount of coastal habitat to development, altered water flows, and pollution from nutrient runoff and contaminants entering the watershed. The only way to protect and improve our fisheries is by conserving and restoring the habitat that remains. To do this, we must include Habitat in Marine Fisheries Management Plans.

Florida’s recreational and commercial fisheries generate more than $27 billion annually for Florida’s economy. These fisheries rely on healthy habitats.

Habitat is not part of current fisheries management approaches, and fish populations can only be regulated using seasonal closures, slot limits and bag limits. Regulation alone cannot prevent further decline to our fisheries caused by habitat loss and degradation; a new approach is needed, one that makes habitat a central part of fisheries management.

By signing our petition, citizens can express their support for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to collaborate with Bonefish & Tarpon Trust to create a new way to manage our fisheries that focuses on habitat. This includes habitat identification, habitat protection, habitat restoration, and incorporating habitat into fisheries management plans.

Photo courtesy of Justin Lewis

Flylords: What is your current outlook for these fisheries?

BTT: I think the tides are turning and our agencies are starting to understand the importance of habitat.  Nowadays, everyone looks back at the “good ol’ days” of fishing and our global fisheries seem to be on the decline.  If we are able to protect the natural habitat that’s available and restore the degraded habitat, we’ve got a shot at stopping the declines of our fisheries and the overall hope is to improve them.  Better habitat means more fish and that’s what we’re striving for.

Flylords: How can concerned and/or motivated outdoor enthusiasts help BTT?

BTT: Become a member and get your friends who fish or simply enjoy being out on the water to join as well. Your membership supports BTT’s work to conserve and restore bonefish, tarpon, and permit fisheries.  Join today!

https://theflylords.com/2019/04/24/nonprofit-of-the-month-indifly/

https://theflylords.com/2019/05/27/nonprofit-of-the-month-project-healing-waters/

This article was written by Flylords’ Conservation Editor, Will Poston.

TU Costa 5 Rivers Odyssey – Update 1

Matteo Moretti
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TU Costa 5 Rivers Odyssey – Update 1

Following the success of Trout Unlimited’s last two Native Odyssey’s, this year they sent another four conservation-minded college fishermen on an incredible journey throughout the Pacific Northwest. Our goal, to explore and share the stories of the Columbia River Basin. While we will be doing plenty of fishing we will be working with scientists, TU volunteers, conservation groups and interacting with locals to document and truly understand the state of the Columbia River. As we weave our way through the Cascades, the high desert, and humbling boreal forests, we will be learning about great conservation successes, but also about the crippling problems the Columbia River Basin still faces.

5 Rivers Columbia River Basin

Our Path

With help from the U.S. Forest Service, Trout Unlimited has planned several stops during our journey that will give us a breadth of different experiences – allowing us to meet different people with varying opinions on the state of the river, interact with different climates, and give voice to stories that have none. Our trip is broken down into four main areas: the Deschutes River, Methow River Basin/Northern Cascades, Lower Snake River and Grande Ronde Basin.

5 Rivers Columbia River Basin

Week 1

Entering our second week, it is already crazy to reflect on our time in the Greater Portland and Deschutes River area. From touring the coast and learning about the early history between settlers and the Columbia in Astoria, Ore. to having the opportunity to fish the Native American side of the Deschutes river, the Odyssey crew has already gotten a great look at different fisheries from a diverse range of perspectives.

LandscapeDeschutes-004Matteo Moretti.jpg

The lower Deschutes provided us the unique opportunity to fish and talk with Warm Springs tribe member and fishing guide, Elke Littleleaf of Littleleaf guide services. In the lower portions of the river, fishing from a boat or from the Warm Springs banks of the Deschutes is not permitted. As a result, not many people have the chance to fish the reservation side of the Deschutes. However, both of these restrictions combine to create a significantly better and healthier fishery just on the other side of the river – greater riparian cover, intact banks, and a greater congregation of fish thanks to less fishing traffic.

StageZero-011Matteo Moretti.jpg

While still tough, we managed to nymph our way to success, although that isn’t what the fishery has been known for. As we sat under the shade of overhanging rocks that line the bank, Elke told us stories of how great a dry fly fishery the Deschutes used to be and how the addition of dams and changing climate have been manipulating hatches left and right and introducing new problems for the fishery. “Water is the medicine,” Elke later said with a grave tone, “we need to be its voice.”

DeschutesAngler-002Matteo Moretti.jpg

This sentiment was echoed in the voices of Deschutes Angler fly shop owners Amy and John Hazel. The Hazel’s have been a staple in the fly fishing community in the Deschutes areas for years and they too have seen the upsetting changes. We were fortunate enough to hear about their efforts to push back against dams in the area while also feeling inspired to be the next generation to push for better protection of our native fish, public lands and clean water.

MetoliusRedBand-003Matteo Moretti.jpg

A trip to the Deschutes area wouldn’t be complete without hitting the pristine Metolius river. Despite being known as a difficult fishery, the Odyssey crew was rewarded with some perfect specimens of Columbia River Redband trout.

clackevening-001.jpg

Next week, we head to the Methow River and Northern Cascades areas of Northern Washington where we will be participating in some cutting edge restoration projects as well as hitting some great alpine trout water. Stay tuned and follow along with us on our journey on the 5 Rivers IG page @tucosta5rivers.

Article written by FlyLords Media Intern Matteo Moretti.

Chasing Chilean Brown Trout

Patrick Perry
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Chasing Chilean Brown Trout

Every autumn in Patagonia the big browns start the journey up-river to spawn.

For fishermen, this means the unique opportunity of catching the fish of a lifetime.

Sometimes conditions are hard, the weather can be extremely cold if you are unlucky, and fish numbers are not high. You can fish for a week, walk over 12 km per day just to have a few trout take your fly.

Sometimes you will lose the fight, but if you are lucky enough to fish one, it will be a fish to remember for a forever!

Kind Regards from Chilean Patagonia! @martin_aylw

https://theflylords.com/2019/06/21/photo-of-the-day-big-horn-trophy-brown/

https://theflylords.com/2019/06/24/the-farmington-river/

https://theflylords.com/2019/06/25/the-12-best-beers-to-pack-for-your-next-fishing-trip/

 

Video of the Week: Ozarks on the Fly Vol. 4

Conner Grimes
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Video of the Week: Ozarks on the Fly Vol. 4

Bluff Line Media is at it again with another installment of their series “Ozarks on the Fly”. We had the chance to hear from Jon Link and Grady Powell (Dual Survival, American Grit) about their experiences that were documented in the film.

Fly Lords: Explain how fly fishing fills that same adrenaline need that you explained in the film.

Grady: When I would stand on the back hatch of a perfectly good airplane, thousands of feet above the earth, or when I would be bouncing around on a sandy road about to get dropped off in the middle of the Sahara Desert with nothing but the clothes on my back and a knife… the excitement for what is about to come would overwhelm me with this weird sense of happiness.. but at the same time, a little voice in the back of my head is always asking “are you sure you are prepared for this?”.

I searched for that when I was done with the TV life and the Special Forces, but the only things that I could fill the void with were either unhealthy, unsafe, or illegal… I started to lose myself, and knew there had to be another way. Then I found the water.

The moment I get hooked up, although not quite life threatening, I get the same sort of adrenaline dump… I know I am about to go on a ride. And at the same time, as a pretty green angler, the more sensible side of me is saying… “Are you sure you are prepared for this?”. I am slowly getting the hang of fly fishing, very slowly. But man, the rush I get from linking in to ANYTHING that bends my rod, I absolutely love it.

Photo: Connor Cockrell

Fly Lords: How has euro-nymphing changed how you tackle a piece of water?

Jon: I think the biggest change is that I’m just as focused on analyzing what I can feel underwater as what I can see on the surface. Another change is the amount of water I pass on while fishing. Euro nymphing is most effective on the water I fish when I’m targeting riffles, runs, tailouts, and eddies, so I tend to move around a lot hiking from hole to hole and skipping the slower water in between.

When I find a piece of water I want to fish, I try to paint a mental picture of what’s under the surface by feel. When you are tight lining, feel is extremely important. Feeling what’s underwater helps me locate fish holding structure I might not know is there utilizing other fly fishing methods. If I feel a boulder, depression in the streambed or anything isolated that provides a good current break, I make sure to fish that area more thoroughly and take multiple drifts around the structure.

Successfully identifying structure and contour changes often rewards you with biggest fish in that section of water.

Photo: Connor Cockrell

Fly Lords: Explain how fishing has brought you guys together as friends.

Grady: I don’t know if I’ve told Jon this honestly, but when I left the Special Forces, I found it pretty hard to relate to anyone.

I don’t consider myself someone who struggles with Post Traumatic Stress, but I most definitely struggled with reintegration. I felt like I had nothing in common with my peers, and had a pretty hard time relating to anyone or even keeping a conversation going. Its not like that on the water with Jon. It started off with us just hitting the water closest to home, and over the past two years, we have taken more trips together than I have with anyone else I would consider a friend. We never have to search for something to talk about, and it doesn’t hurt that he is the most generous fisherman on the water, letting me take the first stab at holes he KNOWS are holding the fish he lost on our last trip, or donating his most productive fly when I just cant get anything to work out.  Hell, it doesn’t hurt that he is just an all around killer dude to crack a cold Busch with. And he’s cool with me dating his cousin, so that’s nice too.
Photo: Sam Starr

Jon: Grady and I are very like minded when it comes to why we enjoy fishing and you never have to twist his arm to head out on a fishing adventure. For Grady and me, fishing is all about camaraderie on the water, enjoying time in nature and having a few cold ones while we’re at it. Potentially landing a big fish is icing on the cake!

Over the past few years, Grady and I have fished all over Missouri and traveled to fish streams and alpine lakes in Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming. We’ve caught cutties, browns, rainbows, brookies and smallmouth in some of the most picturesque places in the country and shared a ton of laughs while doing it. I also enjoy documenting these experiences and producing short films, which Grady gets into. Not everyone is tolerant of having a camera waved around in their face all day, but he puts up with it. I can’t think of a better person to share time on the water with!

Photo: Connor Cockrell

Fly Lords: Walk us through the big browns that both of you caught.

Grady: A double dose of the Anthrax vaccine did a number on my memory, so I will do my best to piece it together for you.

Jon and I were kind of working this submerged log that works as kind of a fence mid river between wadable water and this super deep pool. the North Side of the river has these awesome rock bluffs, and the south bank (at my back) has a steep muddy cut. We have always had success in this spot, and that day was no different. We were running out of daylight, and Jon had been talking the whole time about this ONE hole he had to hit, and if he didn’t peel off, he wouldn’t get a shot at it before dark. So, in typical Jon fashion, he pulled the ol’ Irish goodbye, climbed up the bank, and hit the trail down river.

When he left, I was consistently pulling 14-16″ fish out. But we had been doing that all weekend, I wanted a fish to remember.

It was about that time, I remembered another trip fishing this spot when the water was SUPER clear… The front of the pool was pretty well lined with a wall of fish, but the water got much deeper behind them, and I never saw what was down there. If I know anything about trout in the Current, its that the pigs hang low and under cover.

So I took a couple steps down river, just enough so that my rig would get past the front line of fish before my anchor fly hit the bottom. I felt my 4mm tungsten bead head bounce off the bottom, tightened up my line, and led the current. I was about at the 2 o’clock position when… WHACK. My adrenaline dumped, and I heard that familiar voice, “Are you sure you’re prepared for this?”.

Simultaneously my mind is RACING with instructions Jon gave me the first time we were in this spot, Rod tip went up, fly line pinched on the rod, checked my drag, and went for a ride. The trout never ran up stream, she was rolling, and jumping constantly. All I could see was the massive root balls and a pinned tree just down river… I didn’t have the luxury of open water to chase her down… I had 10 yards tops. I suppose at that point I blacked out and just went through the motions.. because the next thing I remember was having my personal best Current River Brown netted, and a childish grin on my face. Not 15 seconds later I start hearing the faintest familiar yell from a half mile down river… Jon was into something huge.

Photo: Sam Starr

Jon: The day before I caught the brown at the end of the film, were losing daylight and turned back to the cabin right before we got to the hole that was holding that fish. It’s a washout under the rootwad of a big tree. This small depression in the streambed doesn’t look like much, but it consistently produces a nice rainbow or two and I wanted to make sure to hit it before the end of the weekend.

The next morning, I broke off a really nice brown on a section of water near our cabin and was kicking myself as we headed back to grab lunch. When we hit the water that afternoon, I couldn’t get my mind off losing the big brown that morning. I had an overwhelming urge to hike downstream and hit the hole I had been thinking about since last night. After fishing with the group for an hour or so I split off and headed downstream with hopes of catching a nice rainbow and redeeming myself. Luckily, Connor pealed off with me with his camera in tow.

When we got to the hole, I drifted through it about ten or twelve times without a strike. Nothing. I was about to leave and told myself, “A few more casts and then I’m moving along.” I’m glad I decided to stay! I was throwing a 10’6” 3wt, so when I set the hook on that brown it didn’t even know there was a #10 jig hook in it’s lip. It started to slowly swim upstream a few feet, so I put some side pressure on it to try to turn it’s head. Then my rod keeled over and the fight was on! It reversed course, shot out of the hole, drag screaming and took off downstream like a freight train through a foot or two of water littered with small rocks for it to wrap me around.

When you’re fighting a fish that size on light tackle you’re at the mercy of the fish for the most part. You have to let it run. All you can do is try to turn it’s head to steer it away from obstacles and cross your fingers. Luckily, after chasing it over 100 yards downstream, Connor and I landed the fish and got some great looking shots despite my hands shaking like crazy.

The best part was I heard Grady yelling about 500 yards upstream a few minutes before I hooked this fish. I found out later he was celebrating landing his personal best brown! What a great day on the water.

Photo: Connor Cockrell
Photo: Connor Cockrell

Be sure to keep up with Grady and Jon on Instagram, and to subscribe to Bluff Line Media on YouTube to keep up with their future episodes!

Interview conducted by Fly Lords team member Conner Grimes.

https://theflylords.com/2019/05/16/video-of-the-week-ozarks-on-the-fly/

https://theflylords.com/2019/05/09/video-of-the-week-big-land/

https://theflylords.com/2019/06/13/throwback-video-of-the-week-fly-gal-april-vokey/

Photographer Spotlight: Sue Moodie

Collin Terchanik
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Photographer Spotlight: Sue Moodie

We had the pleasure of chatting with our good friend, Sue Moodie. She is a professional photographer from Alberta, Canada that has been fishing and taking pictures for around 16 years! You will see she spends most of her time in the Rockies shooting her pups and fishy husband, Kyle Moodie.  

Flylords: Describe Sue Moodie.

Sue: Polish Immigrant | Proud Canadian | Extroverted Introvert | Photographer | Wife to a Hardcore Fly Fisherman | Dog Mom | Avid Adventurer | Sarcasm is both my weakness + my strength | Lover of all Things Happiness

Flylords: How old were you when you picked up a camera and fly rod? What came first?

Sue: The chicken and the egg conversation. I love this. Fishing definitely came first. Growing up, my family spent our summers on the waters of Ontario’s Georgian Bay. Dad had my sisters and I fishing bass and pike as early as I can remember. Fast forward to meeting my husband 16 years ago and I was introduced into the incredible art of fly fishing and I’ve never looked back. There’s just something so beautiful and intoxicating about being on a mountain river, surrounded by absolute stillness just anticipating the moment when you see the white fins of a bull trout in the clearest water you’ve ever seen. Time stops in those moments. I think it’s what led me to photography. The ability to freeze an epic moment in time.

Flylords: Who or what influences your work?

Sue: Life. Literally. I’ve always been an observer. We live in such an amazing time on this planet and I’ve been so incredibly fortunate to be included in people’s happiest moments.

Flylords: What is the best photo you’ve ever taken?

Sue: Wow, great question! I’ve taken a lot of photos. A LOT. But I have to admit that this one ranks high up there. This is my husband in his purest form. This is where he is his happiest. And if you know Kyle personally, the cigarette hanging out of his mouth is what makes this image super real life for me. This is him. 100%.

Flylords: Tell us about the setup you use for the water and how you carry it.

Sue: I shoot on two Canon 6D bodies with the Sigma 35 1.4 lens for those epic wide shots on one and the 70-200mm on the other body. She’s a beast of a lens to carry, but the compression in the images is so sweeeeeetttt that she’s definitely worth the extra weight. It also allows me to get farther away from my subject which allows the moment to unfold as it should. Naturally.

Both bodies are attached to my HoldFast Camera Swagg harness for ease of switching back and forth; although, I’m quite the sight trying to cross deep rivers. I hold those babies nice and high over my head and gracefully (or so I think) meander my way across. When we hit super shifty crossings, I pack my cameras into our Rockagator Hydric Series 40-Liter Waterproof Backpack. Rockagator has saved us in many situations and we love working with them!

Flylords: What else do you like to take photos of?

Sue: Photographing people is my bread & butter. It’s kind of ironic, most people assume with the amount of fishing we do that landscapes must be something I enjoy too but to be honest, I’ve always had difficulty transferring the same feeling I have while standing in an epic location into the image itself. It doesn’t feel the same to me. Add a human element into this scenario and all of a sudden I have inspiration. And yes, dogs rank high up there too! We wanted to pick breeds that incorporated into our active lifestyle and our Australian Shepherd Zoe and our Shepherd X Moose certainly do that. And they are certainly fun to document on our adventures as you’ll see from my Instagram @suemoodiephoto.adventure.

Flylords: What are the toughest challenges you encounter as a photographer and how do you overcome it?

Sue: Recently I’ve been having a challenge with other photographers asking for my exact locations. This one’s tough because from a business perspective, my mentor always taught me that if you never ask, the answer will always be no so I have massive respect for people stepping out of their comfort zones and having the courage to ask however something has drastically changed in the last few years. I don’t know if it’s integrity or tact but receiving multiple messages minutes after I post a photo that literally asks me for a location pin, is kinda tacky in my opinion. I strongly believe that the reason my clients continue to hire me is that I find them unique and rad locations. This is a big part of my process. This doesn’t mean it’s a big kept secret but it does mean that I put the time in to make sure that my clients have an experience they won’t forget. Kind of like Flylord’s recent article about How to Shoot Photos without blowing up your Spots.

Flylords: Favorite River Snack?

Sue: Beef Jerky, duck jerky. Actually, any jerky. Mmmmm, jerky.

Flylords: If you could choose, where is the one destination you would want to go fish and who with?

Sue: New Zealand and definitely with the husband. And this trip might actually be happening sooner than later as we are hoping to head there next year. It’s time to start checking off that bucket list. Kyle has such a hardcore love of this sport, that it is absolutely mesmerizing to watch him experience a new place! Like a kid in a candy store. And I love to travel so to be honest….anytime we consider where we want to go on vacation, the first question is….how’s the fishing?

Flylords: What is it about Alberta that no other place can offer?

Sue: The abundance of outdoor adventure! We’re 5 minutes from the Famous Bow River, less than 45 minutes to the world renowned Rocky Mountains, and a couple of hours south takes us camping completely off the grid.

Flylords: Would you rather catch a record fish or capture the action of someone landing one?

Sue: Most definitely capturing the action of someone landing one! Don’t get me wrong, catching record fish myself is super AWESOME but as an observer, I’d much rather document that moment for someone else. Everything slows down. The anticipation is incredible. I want you to be able to relive that moment through my images. I want you to be able to feel it again, to remember what the air smelled like and the sounds you heard around you before the moment when you saw the snout ever so carefully glide up to the surface and gulp down on your fly and then the sound of your line… it’s ON!

Flylords: Where do you see yourself in 10 years with photography?

Sue: Still Kicking Ass and Taking Names 😉

 

Special thanks to Sue for taking the time to share her experiences with us. Follow her on Instagram @suemoodiephoto.adventure and Facebook to continue following her adventures. Also, check out her wedding & lifestyle work at www.suemoodiephotography.com.

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Article from Flylords Content Development Lead, Collin Terchanik.

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Steelhead Landed with What Attached to It? – Updates

Dan Zazworsky
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Steelhead Landed with What Attached to It? – Updates

A broken heart, and the tail of a steelhead.

Last week, an angler out of Chicago landed this steelhead with a wedding ring attached to its tail and the story went viral. After some research eventually the original owner of the ring came forward and gave his story.

For the record, please DO NOT attach anything to any fish you catch, especially to the tail. you can already see in the featured image the damage to the tail that was done by the zip tie as the fish swam along. As these fish grow, so does the diameter of their body and this zip-tie would have seriously impacted the life of this fish, had it not been harvested.

From Chicago Sun-Times:

“Jim Nelligan and friends were fishing Lake Michigan Friday when they boated a steelhead and, mystery of mysteries, a wedding ring was strapped around the narrow part of the fish by the tail.

“So, we caught this steelhead today,” Nelligan emailed. “Someone attached their wedding ring to this fish and we caught it. Wonder if it was a divorce or death, but a crazy story!’’

For the nitty gritty of the ring, Nelligan emailed, “Had an inscription of SDH Steel on the ring.”

Nelligan was fishing on his boat, “Grey Lion II,” by the R4, the famous buoy east of Chicago’s north suburbs. They were fishing for lake trout with four colors of lead-core line with a Blue Dolphin spoon in 105 feet of water. Joe Penar caught the fish with John Massard netting it. Bob Nichols was another crew member.”

Wedding Ring Steelhead

UPDATE:

It appears the ring once belonged to a fishing guide who, after a divorce, decided to attach the ring to the fish for some reason.

“I really just didn’t want to cause any issues with my ex, she seems to find the story somewhat amusing and none of us can believe someone caught it!’’ Capt. Jason Rose messaged.

As a cathartic move, Rose tied his wedding band to a steelhead on May 4 and released it near the port of Whitehall, Michigan.”

If you value fish health, please don’t attach anything to any fish regardless of how much your ex messed with your fishing habits and head, something wrapped around the tail of a fish can be incredibly detrimental to their health, especially if attached to the most important part of their body, their tail.

Photos from Jim Nelligan and Capt. Jason Rose.

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Doctor and Fishing Guide Shot and Killed in San Pedro, Belize

Patrick Perry
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Doctor and Fishing Guide Shot and Killed in San Pedro, Belize

A Virginia doctor was shot multiple times while on vacation in San Pedro, Belize. Dr. Gary Swank, 53, was traveling with his wife and children, neighbors tell WSLS. Swank, an avid fly fisherman, chartered a day trip with an independent local tour guide, 53-year-old Mario Graniel. Swank and Graniel set out on a fly fishing expedition at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Police later found them dead in a lagoon in the San Pedro area of the country.

Mario Graniel
Gary Swank

Police believe that the gunmen were targeting the tour guide and not the doctor. Authorities told the San Pedro Sun that someone had shot at Graniel’s home the night before his murder, but that he still came to work the following day. Belize Police Commissioner Chester Williams told local Channel 5 news that Graniel “had a misunderstanding with one of the local notorious gang” figures of San Pedro, NBC reports. It seems this is a rare occurrence of a tourist fisherman being harmed in the country of Belize. Our condolences go out to the families and friends of the Swank and Graniel.

Graniel’s Boat Johnnie G Photo: sanpedrosun.com

It is advised when traveling on fishing trips into developing countries to use extra caution and to put more effort into background research of the outfitter and guide you are using. The best bet is to use a trusted fly fishing travel agent or well-established fishing outfitter and lodge and avoid using independent guides off the street.

https://theflylords.com/2019/06/12/angler-saves-and-adopts-abandoned-dog-while-fishing-in-southern-belize/

THE RETURN – FULL FILM

Patrick Perry
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THE RETURN – FULL FILM

Check out the full film above from KGB Productions in part with Trout Unlimited, Stio, Fly Lords, Oskar Blues Brewery, Orvis, and Wyoming Trout Unlimited. The film follows Dave Sweet on his journey helping to bring back the Yellowstone Cutthroat from the brink of extinction. Along with his daughter, Diana, a fisheries biologist, he will travel into the infamous Thorofare area of Yellowstone, the most remote wilderness in the lower 48, to see if his efforts have been successful and if the trout has returned to its native spawning runs. Be sure to check out the interview below with KGB Production’s Chris Kitchen.

Flylords: Tell us about who KGB Productions is.

Chris: We’re just an outdoor focused commercial production company. We started in snow sports when we moved to Jackson, and from there we’ve just kind of branched out to all sorts of commercial video work. Definitely with a focus in the outdoor and action space, because that’s kind of where we live and that’s what we enjoy doing, and the stories we enjoy telling.

Flylords: Tell us about the first time this video idea came to mind.

Chris: It was probably like four years ago or so. Talking with a friend of mine, Pete Lynn, who’s an outfitter. I’d kind of been hearing about the Yellowstone trout and the little bit that was going on. Then another friend of mine is a horse pack outfitter and we were talking about trying to do a trip out there. Do a little story on the how remote the Thorofare is and a little thing on the cutthroat trout; just kind of never came to fruition. We were doing the Find Your Water Series with Redington and we kept trying to pitch it to them this idea. They didn’t want to pull the trigger on it, because it was going to be more expensive than the other episodes. We kept pitching it around, but nobody was into it… I just kind of let it go.

Then about two years ago, we were doing some other work for Trout Unlimited here. Doing before and after drone shots of creek restoration. I got to talking with the local chapter and Leslie Steen. I don’t know what her position is, but I was telling her about how I always wanted to do this trip into the Thorofare and film something. She was like, “Oh my God, we’ve been trying to do this trip for two years with Dave Sweet, a Trout Unlimited volunteer, into the Thorofare.” I got in touch with Dave and started talking about the film a bunch.

We didn’t really have the permits or any money, but Dave was like, “Hey, I’m going in with my daughter in June. These are my dates. You guys are welcome to come, but we’re going whether you’re coming or not.” We just hustled and got the permits, some money, and put the trip together. It’s kind of fortuitous, but I’m glad we didn’t do it three or four years ago, because we wouldn’t have had Dave, this great story, and Dave’s wealth of knowledge of the issue. Teaming up with Trout Unlimited and Dave made it so apparent of what we need

Flylords: What was it like filming in Yellowstone?

Chris: Filming in Yellowstone … It was pretty incredible. I mean the terrain there is beautiful… It was a haul in there, but luckily, we had horses to carry a lot of our gear. We were riding horses with the camera pack, which is kind of annoying and you’ll notice most people don’t ride horses wearing a backpack and there’s a reason for that. It hurts the shit out of your back.

I mean such a wild place out there … It’s the furthest from the road you can get in the U.S, which is kinda crazy. It’s not even that far, but it felt really remote, like really wild, you know?

Flylords: What were some of the challenges the crew faced?

Chris: The biggest thing to contend with was the weather, it’d be raining, thunderstorms would come in and change to extreme heat. Then there was the river, but other than that it was just swamp and creeks everywhere. Being in your waders all day carrying around these big camera packs was a challenge.

The mosquitoes were pretty bad at times and trying to hold a camera still with like 700 mosquitoes buzzing around your head sucked. And that’s literally all you can hear…

There were grizzly bear signs every single day; even though we didn’t see them there’d be fresh scat or there’d be prints. It would rain and then an hour later we would see prints in the mud by our camp, and like, “Oh, this bear came in the last hour…’ So that was definitely a concern.

Flylords: Was the fishing as good as you expected?

Chris: There was a little tension the first day because we started pretty high up on the creek and we weren’t seeing any fish at all in the river. Dave’s like, “Man, I’ve been hearing the fish are coming back, but are they really coming back? Maybe it’s really low numbers, maybe we missed the spawn, maybe we’re just doing this trip and nothing’s gonna happen.” Later that day we went further downstream and we came around a corner, saw a couple fish. Everybody got excited and breathed a huge sigh of relief; however, we weren’t really able to catch any. Then we came around two more corners and it was like the heavens shown on us and there were maybe 15 fish stacked up in this little run. That’s when we started catching fish, everybody was cheering.

Once we started catching fish and he got into that, it was like, okay, the fish are back. We’re gonna have some time, we’re gonna get this.

Flylords: Do you have a favorite moment from your film that comes to mind?

Chris: The creek is freakin’ cold because of snow melt. So I brought my wetsuit, underwater camera, flippers, snorkel mask, and I swam a stretch of the creek. We got some good shots and seeing all the fish, insect life, and little reds everywhere was just mind-blowing.

It reminded me of a salmon run. They were just everywhere you went… You’d come over a little ripple then there’d be fish holding on the left and right. There’d be fish moving up and down the creek. That was really the moment where I was like, “holy cow, this is a serious run.” Crazy to think that just five years ago it was almost not even there.

Flylords: What did the crew look like and what were you guys using to shoot everything?

Chris: The crew was me and Matt Hines, who is our other main guy. We were like the main filmers. Then we had Sam Pope who was taking photos, third camera, angle whenever we needed, time lapses, and audio. We had kind of three main camera sets. We had a RED Epic, a 287Rs, with one of those in the underwater housing, and we had a 5v as photos and time lapse. No drones… You can’t drone wilderness area.

Flylords: Was there a low moment on the trip that comes to mind?

Chris: There is, and I guess in the trailer we kind of allude to it, so it’s okay, but there was … Day two going in, five minutes out from camp we had a horse break its leg, and that was pretty intense. You know, you always hear that saying when a horse breaks its leg you gotta go shoot it. It’s one thing to kind of say that and think it’s funny. To actually have to be there when it happens, it was pretty intense.

At that point, I thought the trip was over. I was like day two, we’re done. But then again, Pete and Dave were pretty strong and kind of dealt with the situation. Cause that was one of our pack horses we had to put the load on a different horses, so then me, Matt and Sam just switched off walking the rest of the trip. Actually when you’re talking with no backpack, no water, anything, you can kind of keep up with horses.

Flylords: If people wanted to learn more about the conservation efforts going on with these fish, where is a good place for them to look for that stuff?

Chris: Save the Yellowstone Cutthroat. https://www.yellowstone.org/what-we-do/native-fish/

Flylords: If you guys have a message that you are trying to convey through this short movie. What would that message be?

Chris: I think the one messge of getting involved in conservation. As outdoorsmen it’s up to us to keep these places wild and as pristine as possible. The message to me is that never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens or individuals can really make a difference. You know, Dave didn’t really know what he was doing. He just thought that hey, this is something that’s an issue to me, I don’t want to see this fish disappear, I’m gonna help out wherever I can.

As he got involved, he started to figure out more and more things he could do. So hopefully this inspires people to either do more and get involved, even when they feel like there’s nothing they could do. Or at a minimum at least donate some time or donate some money here and there about issues you care about. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the Yellowstone Cutthroat, it could be something in your own little backyard stream.

The older I get I realize the more that you can’t just buy a fishing license and go fishing and say I’m doing enough. You gotta kind of put your money where your mouth is. Whether that’s with time or just sharing information.

Then really, it’s a success story. You don’t hear that many success stories in the conservation movement these days. Most of its doom and gloom and I think that this film will resonate with people because it is a success story. It does show that if you get involved, you speak up and you do some stuff, you can actually make a difference. And I think that’s gonna be Dave Sweet’s legacy.

Flylords: Are you excited to see the films?

Chris:  Yeah, I’ve seen the film tour and I saw every film in there. They did such a good job of kinda putting that together and taking the good, diverse selection of film. I really liked “Movements” and think that was visually cool.

https://theflylords.com/2019/05/31/epic-gt-eat-caught-on-camera/

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