Over the past year, I penned a piece for Sage Fly Fishing about the "One & Done" approach to steelhead angling. On the surface, it seems like a straightforward proposition (catch a fish, put your rod down for the day). But the truth is, it's much more complex than this.
Head on over to the Sage blog to read the story in full (link will be in my bio for a bit). It's a manifesto of sorts, and it allowed me to say what a lot of people are thinking. Many of these people have made me the outdoorsman (and person) that I am today. The bottom line is this: Beyond limiting your impact, being an angler today means that you must also act as an advocate, a conservationist, and a steward of the river. If you fish, it is your responsibility to do what you personally can to promote public investment in watershed and population restoration.
So for you personally, what does this stewardship look like?
Deepest gratitude to Sage for being willing to stand up and use its voice to advocate for the proliferation of wild fish in what can often be a polarizing arena.
On a more personal level, I also want to thank a few people like Yos Gladstone for the advice on fishing and fatherhood, some of which was directly contributed to this piece. People like him, Clint Goyette, Tom Derry from Native Fish Society and the teams at Frontier Steelhead and Epic Waters – who one might otherwise dismiss as biased industry folk – are actually the ones doing the hard work of fighting for these fish that we all need, while educating people every day on their importance in connecting with them.
Last but not least, thanks to my compadre Asher Koles for joining me on a magical day last year, where he masterfully captured an impactful moment and graciously provided the images for use here, which truly means the world to me. There's really no one else in the world I would rather have an otherworldly encounter with.
Thanks for all of the support, gang. I appreciate you all.
You can read the piece in full here on the Sage blog:
