In modern fly fishing culture, it’s easy to get caught up in the secondary components of the sport. The gear, the photos, the size of fish, etc, we all know this list. Not that these are bad aspects, but they can cloud our vision and lead us farther away from the real reasons we all started in the first place. The feeling of our first few fish on a fly rod can never be replicated. Fly fishing has changed our lives and takes us to places we would have never otherwise seen. The culture is expanding rapidly but we must steer it in the right direction. Use the power of fly fishing for the greater good. Like an army of rod wielding, torn wader wearing superheroes. Do we want to pass down Instagram followers and discount codes to the next generations of fly fishers? Or pass down the beauty of being outside and what fishing actually is about.
Fly fishing has hands down saved my life like it has many others. I feel indebted to the sport and, in particular, to Pyramid Lake. The extensive history of the lake and its fishery floats under the radar amongst the giant trout. And even farther under the radar is the most important reason the lake is what it is today, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. They were the first to fish and protect this beautiful resource. They have a longer history and a deeper spiritual connection to the fish and land that we as fly fishers could ever hope for. And still, to this day, despite all the hurdles Native “American†tribes go through in America, the Kooyooe Tukadu (cui-ui eaters) survived off of preserving our natural resources for the continued use of future generations. This is the message that needs to be passed down to this day. And the reason dedicated volunteers from across the country to support the first “Pyramid Lake Trout Camp.†We are honored to be able to teach an exciting twist on fishing to the amazing people who have made a culturally rich history of fishing at Pyramid Lake.
Assisted by many generous companies, we were able to put together a free 2-day beginners fly fishing course for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Allowing us to share our excitement, show how incredible this sport can be, and how it has positively affected our lives. Also, to give back to the people who so generously let us fish their lake day in and day out. The first day involved classroom talks on everything from fly fishing on a budget, fisheries history, rigging a fly rod, fish handling, casting, fly tying, and everything in between. Tribal members of all ages soaked in the information like sponges. Having such a close relationship to the Lahontan Cutthroat made for a very intensive setting.
The second day was on the water. This is where the grassroots of fly fishing flourished. It wasn’t about the fish as much as it was about community. Over fifty people exchanged stories, laughs, and high amounts of positive energy. Being lucky enough to share a day on the water with the tribal members helped solidify the real vision of why fly fishing is such an incredible sport. It wasn’t about catching, it was about what really surrounds fishing. Often some of our greatest outdoor resources and experiences get overlooked. Especially when they are in our own backyard. We need to look back in time to protect the future. Historically the pioneers of caring for natural resources and preserving land were Native Americans; leaving minimal footprints, not because it is cool, but because it was a way of life.
We all love fly fishing and it has given us more than we often think. Sometimes we need to step back and look at the “how” we are internally wired to the environment and the sport. Open your eyes, because the most beautiful places and most amazing people often are overlooked.
Casey Anderson is the president of Pyramid Fly Company, a fly shop located on Pyramid Lake, NV. Casey is also a talented tattoo artist and member of Pig Farm Ink. Be sure to check out his epic ink and fly fishing adventures on Instagram @caseyanderson_pfc and @pyramidflyco!
British Columbian salmon populations face a troubling future due to the cesspool that is commercial salmon farming. Currently, piscine reovirus, a deadly disease that can spread very quickly through populations of salmon, is infecting wild, Canadian salmon. Also, when farmed salmon escape their enclosures, a somewhat frequent occurrence, the identical genetic makeups of farmed salmon pose a life-altering threat to the varying genetic codes of wild salmon. The Canadian Government is actively trying to curb the effects of salmon farming by responding to Native American Tribes’ claims and implementing new policies.
I don’t know the exact data, but does it not make sense that a fully restored and healthy salmon population would be more productive than a farmed population? I view a fully restored Pacific salmon run as providing a significant and sustainable food source and positively impact the respective, regional economies.
First Nations protest of Marine Harvest Fish Farm at Swanson Island, British Columbia. Lead by Chief Ernest Alfred in small boat at right. Our flotilla circled the farm, while farm staff hid inside. First Nations are leading the fight for wild salmon, and removal of fish farms on their lands which are full of diseased fish and polluting the waters -Michael Reppy
Taking matters into their own hands the first nation and other protestors occupied the Marine Harvest Fish Farm in British Columbia for over 290 days.
Hopefully sound research and proper legislation will help rebuild and protect the wild salmon populations before its too late.
British Columbia is revered as a mecca for catching steelhead on the fly. With seemingly unlimited vast watersheds between our Pacific coastline and high mountain ranges, we pride ourselves, promoting our province as the cultural epicenter of the wilderness; with forests that stretch hundreds of thousands of kilometers and rivers that flow through unseen remote lands. However, British Columbia is facing a crisis. If our landscape, our wildlife, and our wilderness are so embedded into our wild psyches, why then, are we bleeding ourselves of our wild stocks?
Mention British Columbia to any steelhead angler and two rivers come to mind; the Skeena and the Thompson. In both of these river systems, wild fish stocks are under peril, threatened and vulnerable to Canada’s provincial and federal fisheries’ mismanagements.
The Thompson River, which is the largest tributary of the Fraser River and flows through the southern arid interior area of British Columbia, typically produces a population of steelhead revered for their size, speed, and strength. For decades, anglers from around the world have been making their pilgrimage to the infamous Baits Motel, a steelheader’s refuge, next to a log cabin pub and steps away from the silver sage brushed banks of the Thompson. This river, steadfast in its history of bright aggressive steelhead was a paradise amongst global anglers.
This year, a record low of 240 wild steelhead are predicted to make their return from the salt, through the tumultuous waters of the Fraser, and eventually back to the Thompson to spawn. So far, only 177 spring spawning steelhead have made it back. This run, which used to consist of 7000 spawners in the 1980’s is in a state of natural crisis; and without aggressive action taken by our federal fishery ministers, we will lose these wild anadromous Thompson fish forever. It should be noted, however, that this fishery started collapsing in the late 1990s, and with over two decades of no management changes, this typical reactive-approach happens when it’s almost too late.
Where Did We Go Wrong?
When habitat is destroyed, nature stops working. Interception of wild steelhead is undeniably acting as a barrier to successful migration and is unethically acting as the last play before checkmate. The federally managed commercial salmon fishery is catching steelhead in gill nets set for chum salmon. Seine (seine fish hauling) and gillnet fisheries are preventing Thompson River Steelhead from reaching their spawning grounds, with an estimate that one-quarter of these wild fish, are caught as bycatch, migrating through the south coast waters. Poul Bech, a Director of the Steelhead Society of British Columbia stresses that because ocean survival is so low, steelhead cannot adapt or adjust to current levels of bycatch.
Ocean conditions are changing and temperatures are rising, there is crucial habitat loss, climate change, and deforestation; all devastating factors in steelhead longevity. Ambient water temperature is one of the most critical environmental influencers of steelhead biology. Thermal changes cause extra stressors that will inhibit migration, affect reproduction, reduce growth and size, create disease and ultimately lead to salmonid lethality. While rising water temperatures are detrimental factors in our wild stocks’ health, it seems hard as a single citizen to make a difference against the global, governmental machine. Changing ocean habitat is complicated and is interfaced between ethics, politics, economics, ecology, human culture, geopolitics, and resistance. While it is something, we as a global community need to amend, there is one solution that if removed, could potentially save this species from collapse- stop interception.
What can we do?
Local British Columbian’s and anglers abroad petitioned the Canadian government with a parliamentary petition, and an online petition resulting in 47,000 signatures from around the world to stand up for our wild Thompson steelhead, which is quite literally on the edge of collapse; to save a wild stock that cannot be replaced and to make sustainable changes to our chum fishery. We are asking for the closure of non-selective seine and gillnet fisheries. Bech remarks how “this is less about shutting down fisheries and more about moving towards truly selective fishing methods;” such as traps and monitored beach seines. It is the non-selective approach to our fisheries that are dangerous to our migrating runs, and if continued will be an “international black eye for Canada.”
The Thompson River run is now listed as endangered, and something has to be done. This will not be the last fishery affected by mismanagement. Changing provincial and federal management approaches today, can and will have implications on saving future wild stocks in other watersheds that are in peril; such as Skeena Chinook and Chum salmon and many other steelhead fisheries. Conservation is the most complicated problem in the world; however, in an emergency situation such as this, actions must be aggressive and they must happen immediately because once they are gone, they are gone. Let’s not be the generation that allowed this.
With thanks to Poul Bech, Director of the Steelhead Society of British Columbia and Allison Oliver, Aquatic Ecologist and Biogeochemist.
Katy Watson is the Flylords conservation writer. She is a fly fishing guide, casting instructor, competition caster and steelhead dirtbag. But more importantly a passionate steelhead conservationist, be sure to check her out on Instagram @katywat!
This installment of the Video of the Week features a film created by Ben Kraushaar about the public lands of Wyoming. We were able to sit down and ask Ben some questions about the film:
Flylords: What was your inspiration for the film?
Ben: It’s hard to pin down all the inspirations for this film. First, I grew up in Durango, Colorado and my entire life has revolved around outdoor recreation and access to public lands, so it made sense to make a film that touched on our wild places that belong to all Americans. Additionally, my amazing girlfriend, Anna Ortega, is a P.h.D. student at the University of Wyoming and is studying the World’s longest mule deer migration.She loves research and mule deer just as much as she loves fly fishing so I wanted to tell a story that combined her passions.These deer travel 150 miles twice a year from the Red Desert to Hoback near Jackson Hole and rely on public lands and open spaces to complete this annual journey. I made this film with the hopes that I could help shed light on the importance of public lands for both angling and for the conservation of big game species. I encourage all of you to tune in to all the amazing research that Anna and her colleagues are conducting on big game species in Wyoming. You can check them out at http://migrationinitiative.org/ an on Instagram @migrationinitiative.
Flylords: How long were you on the road with the anglers in the film?
Ben: Unfortunately, I was only able to join Anna and her two friends Emily and Rica out in the field for two weeks. They collected field data for three months, but I was only able to document a small portion of their summer.
Flylords: What was the most memorable part of making the film?
Ben: That’s a tough question. The entire two weeks was very memorable but if there is one moment that stands out, it is probably our encounter with a grizzly bear. Its always a treat to see such a powerful and amazing creature.
Flylords: Can you give us some backstory to the trips 4-legged companion, Harper?
Ben: Harper is Rica’s rescue pup. I’m pretty sure she is part coyote and is in her element romping through remote places in Wyoming.
Flylords: Where in Wyoming was the film shot?
Ben: This film was shot all over Wyoming. Some clips were from the Laramie area, some near Pinedale, some near Hoback, the Red Desert and Dubois.
Flylords: What was the most memorable catch of the trip?
Ben: Anna’s big brown was the most memorable. That big fella munched a tiny RS2 on 6x tippet and some how didn’t break Anna off. We were all stoked she landed that one.
Be sure to check out some more of Ben’s work on his Vimeo and Instagram.
The Video of the Week is written and selected by FlyLords team member Conner Grimes.
It’s that time of year! Tarpon season is here! Guides and anglers alike are getting ready for their upcoming trips… I have going on 15 years in pursuit of… in my opinion the greatest game fish on the fly in the world. So to help you catch these magnificent beasts here are a few simple tips that maybe articles or videos have not touched on…
Tip 1. Proper practice habits
I’m constantly teaching my clients whether it’s casting, tying knots, building leaders you name it I teach it. One of the most common mistakes I see when clients get on the boat is when casting to fish they tend to mimic how they practice. I see clients watching the loop in their backcast… The problem with watching your back cast is you are not watching the fish… A moving fish at that! Which, results in them losing sight of the fish and missing the shot. So when you are practicing, practice like you are fishing find a target aim and fire without watching your back cast. Learn to FEEL the rod load as opposed to watching your loop unfurl and load your rod.
Another bad habit formed in practicing incorrectly is letting go of the line when shooting on your final cast. When practicing most people tend to want to hero cast rather than cast to what is more than likely how you will be fishing. They want to get every inch out of the cast because they want to reach that magic number that someone has manufactured that you need to cast of 80’… This is just not true. Learn to cast to 55-65’ accurately without letting your line go. Learn to do cast it every time overturning your leader that’s all you will ever need.
Tip 2. Proper Leader Design
Without proper leader design, the leader will not efficiently turn over for a proper presentation of the fly. To be more specific on the leader design let’s talk about the butt section of the leader. Specifically the diameter of the butt section. The butt section should be at least 80-90% the diameter size of the fly line. This will ensure a proper and more efficient energy transfer from fly line to leader. When tying a leader it’s best to use at least a medium hard mono until you get to the bite tippet as it is a stiffer material which will help in proper energy transfer and floats higher than Fluorocarbon…
Tip 3. Check your backing
With all the improvements in the backing material, the past decade I.E. different braided material and gel spun backing you still need to check the condition it is in and especially if you still use Dacron backing. When you hook tarpon and it blazes off into the distance dragging fly, leader, line and backing alike when your backing hits the saltwater it soaks it up and will weaken the strength of your backing… I always advise changing out backing every year before your saltwater trip.
Tip 4. Get the slack out
Not even the best casters in the world are perfect every cast. When presenting the fly a lot of times you will “pile†your leader up… At this point every second counts! Get the slack out as quickly as possible… Get the fly moving! You don’t want the fly to start sinking straight down. Generally fish don’t like this because it looks unnatural and they will spook. Shot blown.
Tip 5. Know the situation
When pulling into a spot familiarize yourself with what is going on… Ask your guide questions such as water current direction and speed (this determines how far you want to lead the fish), where do the fish generally come from, are they laid up, or are they cruising? What is the wind direction? This way you can run through all the casting situations while you search for fish. Then, hopefully, have all the situations worked out and minimize problems that may arise…
Captain Joel Dickey is a guide in the Florida Keys who specializes in sight fishing for tarpon, bonefish and permit in the Big Pine Key and lower keys area. He started his guiding career over 20 years ago in North Georgia guiding for trout on the tailwaters and small streams in the area and also guided for bass and striped bass on the local reservoirs. He has been a captain in the Florida Keys for going over 15 years. He was also a certified casting instructor through the Federation of Flyfishers. He is on the advisory staff of Thomas and Thomas Fly Rods, Scientific Anglers, an elite ambassador for Simms and pro staff of several other top companies in the industry. Captain Joel has been featured on several covers of nationally distributed fly fishing magazines along with being featured in one of the industries top selling DVDs “Rise”. His website is www.captainjoeldickey.com and can be reached at captsilverking@aol.com for bookings. You can also follow him on Instagram at @captjoeldickey.Â
Earlier this week, the United States Supreme Court heard a 17 year-long legal battle between the State of Washington and Native American Tribes over fishing rights. The Supreme Court was deadlocked in a four to four tie, leaving the previous decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit intact. This decision mandated that the State of Washington expend billions of dollars for repairs to infrastructure that threatens and degrades salmon habitats and populations. While this primarily represents a win for Native American Tribes, this ruling will assist salmon recovery efforts in the region and should not go unnoted. In a never-ending battle for fish conservation in the Pacific Northwest, this is a huge win!
Melissa Erkel, a fish-passage biologist with the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, looks at a culvert along the north fork of Newaukum Creek near Enumclaw, Wash., on June 22, 2015. (Ted S. Warren / AP)
This week’s featured video is one of my favorites from this year’s run of the F3T. Beyond the Horizon is a film about some of the best saltwater fishing on the planet, and the battles that it takes to get to such remote places. Follow along as some ambitious anglers do everything that it takes to start a fishing destination at a place that “doesn’t exist on the map”.
This film was created by Cold Collaborative, be sure to give them a follow and check out their amazing content.
The Video of the Week is written and selected by FlyLords team member Conner Grimes.
Though she wasn’t born into a fishing family, April somehow entered this world genetically programmed to fish. She’s been on the water ever since. Today, when she’s not guiding the fabled rivers of British Columbia, teaching fly tying and casting, writing about fishing and appearing in fishing films, April fights to protect wild fish. On her days off, she goes fishing. via Patagonia Ambassador PageÂ
Photo: @OutsideMagazine
Flylords: I know you are always traveling somewhere cool, so my first question is where are you right now? April: Currently in Manly, Australia and getting antsy.Flylords: Tell us about the first time you picked up a fly rod… Did this moment change your life? April: I’d been keen to try fly-fishing when I was a gear-fisher in my teens, but I couldn’t get my hands on any fly equipment. My fishing buddy (a salty dog who was forty years my senior) had an old Shakespeare glass 8wt collecting dust in the corner of his tackle room. As he had no interest in fly-fishing, he gifted it to me. He also gave me a handful of VHS tapes about single-hand casting and fly-tying. I watched all those tapes on repeat; sitting on the edge of the couch mimicking the cast with my hands, tying flies with my mom’s sewing thread and random materials from around the house. Our VCR didn’t have a remote control, so I spent most of my time getting up and down, pausing the tapes so I could catch up to each step.
Flylords: How would you describe your job title? April: Busy AF. In all seriousness though, over the years I’ve figured out which roles to sub-contract out or simply get rid of in order to make me more time and money. After ten years of guiding, I gave it up to better maximize my time. Same with television, though that may change in the near future. So I suppose these days I am technically a podcaster, writer, instructor, booking agent, public speaker, etc.
Photo:Â @andrew_burr
Flylords: Tell us about the last fish you caught! April: Good question… probably a small tuna. We’ve just now come to the end of the rut here in Australia and I’ve literally spent almost every waking moment stalking deer with a bow in hand.
Flylords: Do you think fly fishing is growing as a whole? What about the number of ladies Vs men? April: It appears to be. It’s always an interesting topic of conversation for me. While I can’t speak on behalf of license sales, it sure feels like it’s growing. The rivers are busier than I remember them ever being, there are far (FAR) more Spey casters on the water (I’m noticing many gear/bait anglers have picked up fly-fishing over the last seven or eight years), and there are more fisherman and women on social media than I ever could have predicted (in a million years). But to be fair, I’ve also heard that many of these rivers were booming before I was even born. It makes me wonder if a lot of the older anglers (many of whom we have unfortunately lost) have just been replaced by younger, more public ones whose presence on the internet make us assume that there are more people on the water? Maybe there were always this many people, but we just didn’t see them as blatantly…? I’ve been actively fishing BC’s river since I was sixteen years old (and playing in them for over a decade before that), so I feel confident in my observations over the last twenty to thirty years… but I’d be a whole lot more confident with my answer if I had fifty or sixty years of changes to reflect upon. As far as women vs men. Absolutely. I remember when there was a handful of us (in BC anyway) and a handful in some states of the US. These were pre-internet days when fly shops and fishing buddies went out of their way to introduce many of us gals to one another. When I first started guiding in BC, I could count the women who guided before me on one hand. Again, all of this to say “in my opinion, from what I’ve seenâ€â€¦Â It really doesn’t mean much without any stats or numbers to prove it one way or the other.Flylords: How do you think social media has influenced the sport? April: O let me count thy ways… Social media has done some pretty wonderful things, but it obviously has some drawbacks. The main positives are that we can now easily network with like-minded people and drum up action for causes that need public support. On the other hand, we can tend to love a fishery to death by bringing it more attention than it can handle. But that’s me referring to the fisheries…. How does it influence the sport? Well, I suppose it encourages some people to get into it? I’m not sure really. I know that not a single one of my friends who doesn’t fish has been inspired by my social media posts to get into fly-fishing, so it’s hard for me to really stand by the optimistic perspective that it “gets more people into the sportâ€. I dunno… it gives people a way to offer discount codes in their profiles and weigh out their importance by how many followers they have? Sarcasm aside, for me it gets my podcast into far more ears than I could otherwise access. Many of my guests don’t use the internet, let alone social media, so their stories may otherwise become lost. I admit that it’s pretty special to have a 20-year-old message me for the contact info of a 90-year-old, and then find out later that they met for coffee. In summary, I honestly don’t know how great it is for the sport apart from helping to sell gear, destinations, and sponsors… it’s a debatable subject depending on personal viewpoints: are fisheries better or worse because of social media? Are fisheries and sport one in the same? It’s all a matter of perspective. Personally, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed almost all of the people I’ve met on Instagram (Facebook is a different beast). They’ve all just been really, truly cool. Plus, as a new mom, Instagram has been an invaluable tool for me to connect with other outdoorsy moms/dads to share our experiences/ideas about spending time with our children outside!
Photo:Â @andrew_burr
Flylord: I know you have been on some pretty wild adventures, have you had any life-threatening moments out there? April: You bet. I had some pretty interesting bear run-ins when I used to guide on the Dean, but they weren’t as scary as when I flipped my raft on it. I was coming up on a steep 90-degree bend — one that I’d portaged around the year before. I thought I could run it in my Watermaster, but I started too far mid-stream (I’m embarrassed to admit that I cut a wide berth around my husband who was wisely walking his raft downstream… in retrospect, I was doomed from the start). I got swept into the mess and, while I made the first drop, the second one was bigger than my boat was and it simply ate me whole. I’d prepped for the worst (kicked the dog off, zipped up my jacket, ran my fingers over where my PFD pulley was (which I found out later was foolish… serious rafters don’t rely on inflatable PFD’s with cartridges), ensured I was in wading pants (I don’t think I would have made it out if I’d been wearing full waders), and told my husband I loved him (he thought I was kidding and being dramatic). When I flipped, I was tossed around and everything was just instantly murky and eerily quiet. I didn’t know which way was up, but I pulled the life jacket tab and floated to the surface. That was only the first part of it… then I had to manage to get to shore.Â
My boots felt like concrete and I started to feel the water creep in under my zipped-up vest and jacket. I just remember thinking that I was going to drown ten feet from shore. I could see it — it was so close — but I just could not get to it regardless of how hard I kicked. I just kept trying… dreading the upcoming rapid that was coming up quickly downstream. Foolishly, as soon as I felt the bottom underneath me, I went to stand up (argh, everyone knows not to do that) and was swept out again. There was a bush extending over the riverbank and I was able to grab it. It swung me in and I crawled like hell onto the shore. My nails were literally scraped raw from clawing at rocks to get back on land. Needless to say, I won’t run a rapid like that again without better scoping, a bigger boat and a lifejacket that doesn’t require cartridge activation.Â
Note, when I called to sign up for an advanced rafting course, they told me that something like only 30% of people actually remember to pull the chord in the moment of panic (assuming they don’t get knocked out).
Flylords: What is your favorite species to target and why? April: Steelhead. They’re wild, they’re resilient, they’re in some truly gnarly places, and they’re in my blood. Flylords: I know you recently had your first kid, first off congrats, tell us a little about her? Has it been difficult to keep up with your crazy schedule with a newborn around? April: I’ve never laughed so much in my life — kiddo is hilarious. I’m going to sound like such an ass right now, but nothing has changed (except that I need to pay attention to someone else’s appetite). I keep waiting for the exhaustion and “handcuffsâ€, but they haven’t kicked in yet. She’s been hunting with me since she was three weeks old, has been fishing with me in NZ and AUS, whines less on road trips than my husband does, and is an absolute superstar when it comes to entertaining. If I had to really nitpick, it’s that I can’t bring her offshore on a boat. I don’t feel it’s responsible taking her marlin fishing (she was born in December as marlin season started). She has a little PFD, but it makes everything awkward trying to hold her, etc. That said, a breast pump and in-laws ensure that I still get plenty of boat time. So yeah, really not that many changes. I definitely have to stay up later to work at night and I’ve gotten pro at editing/writing with one hand, but I usually just involve her in the process (she’s doing this interview with me right at this very moment). I read my articles to her, and she loves watching the audio clips of my podcast peak and drop… At this rate, she’s going to have one hell of a vocabulary.
Photo:@adam.greentree
Flylords: Tell us a little about the evolution of your podcast, I am assuming it’s one of the biggest out there in the industry. Do you have one interview you can recommend our readers to listen to? April: It all started when I used to have Shorelines with April Vokey, a WFN exclusive series that I wrote about the parallels between steelhead and Atlantic salmon. The show was made up of a collection of interviews from anglers and biologists from around the country. With each television episode being limited to 24.5 minutes, my hour long interviews were being cut down to three or four minute blurbs! It was then that I decided a podcast might be the best method of sharing my interviews without mass editing or censored content. Flylords: What was it like meeting Donald Trump Jr. April: I had scheduled to meet Don Jr at the Trump tower in NY. It was surreal having to go through the secret service to get upstairs. He was welcoming, straight-forward, and seemingly relieved to take a couple of hours to talk about something other than business. Plus, he didn’t rush me to “get on with it†as I assumed he might. After the interview he showed me his fishing journal, compound bow, some outdoor pics… he was just like any of my fishing buddies who are passionate about the sport. And, just as I do with my fishing buddies, we avoided talking about politics.
Flylords: Do you have any fish on your bucket list? April: I would like to actually land a marlin. I’ve hooked them but haven’t landed one yet.Flylords: If you had to pick one mentor for you in the fly fishing industry who would it be? April: I’ve had a lot of wonderful fly-fishers contribute bits and pieces to the person I am today, but there is one in particular who stands out above the rest. Aaron Goodis helped me study for my CCI, helped me with my Spey cast, gave me fly-tying inspiration, was there for me when I started my business, was patient with me when I was young and selfish, and most importantly, reminded me that every day is a gift. Aaron is the most incredible mentor I could have ever asked for.
Flylords: Can you give us three Instagrams you recommend our followers to check out. April: Adrienne Comeau @adriennecomeau Nick Kelley @ngkelley Jillian Lukiwski @thenoisyplume
Flylords: Can you recommend a good read? April: For casting, Al Buhr’s Two Handed Fly Casting. For fun, Miles Nolte’s The Alaska Chronicles.
Flylords: What’s next? April: The little lady and I leave for Fiji in two weeks and then will be making our way through BC, Florida, Norway, Oregon, Exmouth, and then back to BC for four months in camp. It’ll just be the two of us on most of our travel, so I fully expect this to be the most challenging year I’ve had so far. Maybe this will be where I eat my words about how difficult it’s been to keep up with a baby around. Only time will tell.
For more from April be sure to check out her podcast and instagram @aprilvokey
Yup, you read the title correctly. The high-running Potomac River flooded parts of Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, leading to quite the opportunity for Arwel Evans. Evans, who had traveled to D.C. all the way from Wales on vacation, decided to take out his fly rod and head down to the flooded areas of Washington D.C. for one of those exploratory sessions that we have all attempted. Except he was successful and lucky enough to have his session documented by local photographer, Loic Pritchett. We were unable to get in contact with Evans, but according to Angela Fritz of the Washington Post, he hooked into some carp where people normally eat picnics–congrats, Arwel! It’s always a cool trip when that unorthodox plan works out! For more on the story, check out this Washington Post article.
Photos Courtesy of Loic Pritchett and Angela Fritz, Washington Post.
Have you ever heard of Back Bay in Virginia? If not, you’re not alone. If so, you may be one of the lucky bunch who had the opportunity to fish it during its heyday, back in the time that Lefty Kreh said was the best bass fishing he’d seen anywhere.
Photos from the heyday of Back Bay fishing.
I personally hadn’t heard of Back Bay until Cory Routh of Ruthless Outdoor Adventures contacted Flymen Fishing Company looking to collaborate on producing a film chronicling the rise and fall (and the beginnings of the current resurrection) of Back Bay. Cory, a member of the Flymen Guide Program, had already filmed interviews with Lefty and Walt Cary, the content of which left the Flymen team intrigued about this legendary fishery.
About a month later, I packed my bags and headed up to Back Bay with the Flymen crew so we could work with Cory to shoot some final content for the film.
The filming happened to be timed perfectly with Flymen conducting pre-launch testing for the new Surface Seducer Double Barrel Bass Bug foam poppers, which later won Best of Show — Freshwater Fly Pattern at the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show.
Working with Flymen Fishing Co. and Ruthless Outdoor Adventures on this project was an eye-opening experience, and it was an incredible honor to be part of a project that Lefty played a major role in.
You may have heard the saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself.†One of the most inspiring aspects of the story of Back Bay is the Back Bay Restoration Foundation. After the destruction of the fishery (you’ll see what happened to it when you watch the film), the local community banded together, taking ownership and action to begin bringing it back. Todd Barnes, who is President of the organization and is featured in the short film, generously let us use his property as a base camp during the weekend of filming.
Back Bay premiered at the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival, was part of the Orvis Down The Hatch Film Festival, and will be featured in a Hobie TV episode airing on the Pursuit Channel and CBS Sports Network in late April and early May 2018.
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The second day was on the water. This is where the grassroots of fly fishing flourished. It wasn’t about the fish as much as it was about community. Over fifty people exchanged stories, laughs, and high amounts of positive energy. Being lucky enough to share a day on the water with the tribal members helped solidify the real vision of why fly fishing is such an incredible sport. It wasn’t about catching, it was about what really surrounds fishing. Often some of our greatest outdoor resources and experiences get overlooked. Especially when they are in our own backyard. We need to look back in time to protect the future. Historically the pioneers of caring for natural resources and preserving land were Native Americans; leaving minimal footprints, not because it is cool, but because it was a way of life.
We all love fly fishing and it has given us more than we often think. Sometimes we need to step back and look at the “how” we are internally wired to the environment and the sport. Open your eyes, because the most beautiful places and most amazing people often are overlooked.
Flylords: Tell us about the first time you picked up a fly rod… Did this moment change your life?
My boots felt like concrete and I started to feel the water creep in under my zipped-up vest and jacket.
Flylords: If you had to pick one mentor for you in the fly fishing industry who would it be?
 For more on the story, check out this Washington Post 
