While we all have wonderful fishing holes, rivers and lakes in our hometown states, but sometimes it’s nice to get out and see what else is out there. And we can tell you, there is a whole lot.  Ben Smith of Arizona Wanderings helps you prep for an out-of-state fishing trip with the buddies. Safe travel!

Last summer, I had a great opportunity to head up out of the Arizona heat to the float the Deschutes River in Oregon, with my good friend, Eric. Since this was a do-it-yourself fly fishing trip, it was absolutely important that I show up with all the gear that I needed. Here is the list that I drew up that served me very well on our 4-day float down the river.

Fishing gear - I had a good idea of the type of fishing I was going to be doing, and with a little help from my contact there, I was able to pack accordingly.

• 2 Rods
• 2 Reels
• 3 Fly boxes (dries/streamers/nymphs)
• Leaders
• Tippet
• Forceps
• Gink
• Indicators
• Split-shot
• Camera
• Sunglasses
• Flashlight/headlamp

Clothing - We were planning on being on the river for 4 day and I would have access to a washing machine at the end of the trip.

• Waders
• Wading boots
• 1 pair of fleece wading pants
• Hiking boots
• Flip-flops (camp shoes)
• Goretex jacket
• Beanie
• Ball cap
• 2-3 handkerchiefs
• 1 jeans
• 1 shorts
• 6 t-shirts
• fleece
• 2 sets of thermals
• boxers and socks

Miscellaneous – These items were easier to get/borrow once I was at my location.

• License
• Sunscreen
• Bugspray
• Sleeping gear
• Food
• Dry bag (for river travel)

What would you add to this list?

Hi Filson Folks, I knew it was time when I saw my husband’s wool cape shirt jacket rolled up on top of the washing machine instead of hanging on his hook by the door. It’s been looking a little careworn for awhile, but I wondered when he would really let it go. Of course I couldn’t help but think back to the day 15 odd years ago when I bought that jacket for him under the elk horn arch in downtown (all one block of it!) Afton, Wyoming. It sure seemed like a lot of money at the time. We had just started farming and he was feeding elk in winter for the game and fish. I knew he’d be spending most everyday from here on out in everything Wyoming could throw at him. He never did ask me how much it cost, but I could see how happy he was with the coat by the fact that he wore it unceasingly! Well, it didn’t take long to realize that the ‘splurge’ on the coat was actually some good money spent! It has warmed him through countless early morning milkings, snowy spring vegetable harvests, middle of the night calving and more. I think it’s the fence fixing that ultimately did it in, though. We’re now farming just north of Seattle, on the Stillaguamish river. I’m looking forward to visiting the new outlet in Mount Vernon. I know now that the Filson motto isn’t just another cute Madison avenue ploy – its sound advice!

PS I just have to add the cutest thing I saw a few weeks ago: Our 10 year old son wants to be just like dad, of course. He’s always on the lookout for just the right hat, work gloves, etc. so I wasn’t entirely surprised that when I logged on to the computer I saw the most recent google search was ‘Filson for kids’. He was hoping…. Too cute!

Judith O’Keefe took on Washington D.C. with the Save Bristol Bay crew. She is a supporter of the cause and so are we, we’re proud of the efforts made by fellow sportsmen at The U.S. Capitol!

Did I hesitate when Trout Unlimited’s regional director of the Save Bristol Bay project called asking me to join thirty-nine fellow anglers and hunters from across the nation? Not for one second!  We were being asked join the Bristol Bay Sportsmen’s Summit, and descend on our nation’s capitol in an effort to prevail on the powers that be to support the EPA in it’s effort to utilize the Clean Water Act to save this pristine watershed from a proposed massive open-pit mine.

I’ve always had an interest in government.  Working for candidates running for various state offices in the nineties introduced me to the world of politics . . . the good, bad and the ugly.  The most surprising lesson was that an individual can, actually make a difference.  Combined with my love of the natural environment, ecology, fish and Alaska, this project was tailor made to suit me.  Yes, of course I was going.  I was a little nervous about what was expected of me:  Did I need to arm myself with the latest scientific data, the facts and figures relating to the economic impact the proposed Pebble Mine would have on Alaska, the Northwest and the world? Well, no matter, I would do what was necessary.  This topic needed to be addressed in a big way, and as soon as possible.

The proposed Pebble Mine would generate up to 10 billion tons of toxic mine waste that would have to be treated in-perpetuity. Mine waste disposal in the Bristol Bay watershed is a direct threat to the tremendous wild salmon habitat that supports the Bristol Bay fishery and supplies the world with a healthy and sustainable source of wild salmon. The salmon fishery is the economic engine of the region, generating an estimated $450 million in revenue each year and providing some 12,000 jobs.

I was up at o-dark-thirty on April 14^th, headed to Washington DC, as part of the sportsmen’s summit.  Our group met that evening in a downtown hotel for introductions and a training session.  To say I was awed and inspired by the individuals that made up this coalition would be a gross understatement; commercial fisherman, sportsmen and women, business owners, scientists and representatives from the Bristol Bay Native Corporation – an unlikely group of bed-fellows.  Under typical circumstances, these folks would be on opposite sides of the fence.  One of the unique aspects of the Save Bristol Bay project is that those who would usually support the “development of our natural resources” are staunchly opposed to the Pebble Mine.  Also, I was relieved to hear that in my upcoming appointments on Capitol Hill, folks who had the fact, figures, and the day-to-day experience of living in Bristol Bay would accompany me.

My three days meeting with White House staff, the EPA, and the Oregon delegation on “The Hill” were interesting, exciting and most important productive.  It may be an anomaly, but in the saga of Bristol Bay v/s a multi-national mining corporation, I believe that the good guys have a fighting chance.  After the events April’s Sportsmen’s Summit for Bristol Bay, our decision makers have been reminded again how important this issue is for the people of Bristol Bay and all who treasure it. To find out more about Bristol Bay and how you can make a difference, go to: www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org/about.html orwww.savebristolbay.org

Filson Life guest blogger Dennis Lynch, knows  good horses when he sees them. If you’re planning on throwing some cash down this Saturday on the Kentucky Derby or just want to be able to “talk shop” at a Derby Party, take some advice from Dennis. We’re going with, Bodemister! Let the races begin and best of luck.

International intrigue, rivalries, princesses and paupers all come together this Saturday in Louisville, Kentucky in hopes of grabbing the most sought after prize in thoroughbred racing… The Kentucky Derby.

They spring the latch at 6:24 pm and the hopes and dreams of hundreds will be sailing past the stands along with the horses. The winner gets $1,459,600 out of the total pot of $2,196,500 but that’s not the real prize everyone is after. “Just win, baby” is what it’s all about!

Following are snippets on the 20 horses scheduled to start this Saturday, hopefully enough to increase your appetite for the sport, intrigue and of course the chance at financial gain.

In post position order:

#1 Daddy Long Legs- Aidan O’Brien , Ireland’s leading trainer brings this guy across the Atlantic, only one race on dirt—busto- probably not

#2 Optimizer-  79 yr. old 4 time Derby winning trainer D.W. Lukas tries to become the oldest to ever train a Derby winner- I hope he tries next year at 80

#3 Take Charge Indy - Cajun jockey Calvin “ on the rail”, Borel guides this regally bred colt who is a live longshot- don’t overlook this one

#4 Union Rags- Mrs Phyliss Weyth a du Pont heiress and JFK intern, who sold this colt once for $145,000 only to find him and buy him back for $390,000 has a true love story going with this colt-Don’t miss this story and he’s going to run “Off the screen”

#5 Dullahan – Louisville homie, Dale Romans wants this race bad and he has the most “fun loving” group of owners in the field—this one is LIVE

#6 Bodemeister - This once removed name sake of skier Bode Miller, Trainer Bob Baffert named his son after Bode and the horse was named after his son—owned by Asia’s largest non-alcohol beer distributor- big chance here and probable favorite

#7 Rousing Sermon- California connections headed to Louisville will need a sermon Sunday morning to pick their heads up

#8 Creative Cause -Beat “Bode” last time –shows up every race- use him!

#9 Trinniberg- Father/son combo team up as trainer/owner respectively, named after their native land of Trinnidad-great story but this guy will be looking for a cab at the head of stretch

#10 Daddy Knows Best- Top trainer and jock, this is a real sneaky longshot –listen to your Daddy

#11 Alpha- Great trainer owner by one of the world’s richest men-money can’t buy everything-looks too skinny

#12 Prospective- Florida bred trainer brings this one in from the Sunshine State-possible

#13 Went the Day Well- Sounds like a British movie starring Anthony Hopkins- owned and trained by last year’s winning owner and trainer-lightning won’t strike twice

#14- Hansen-Last years champion, owner tried dying this white horses tail before last race-racing officials said no—they will feel blue after the race

#15 Gemologist-Top trainer Todd Pletcher brings this undefeated colt into Louisville – he ain’t done nothing wrong!

#16 El Padrino- Another Todd Pletcher trainee- going the wrong way

#17 Done Talking- Kinda Cinderella story but this guy is Done Talking and Done Running

#18 Sabercat-Top trainer in Steve Asmussen but looks overmatched here

#19 I’ll have Another- Outside post but his guy always shows up-might be bellying up to the bar saying “Ill have another “ after the race

#20 Liaison- Bob Baffert or not- stick a fork in him he’s done

Top pick- Union Rags

Best of rest- Take Charge Indy, Bodemeister, Creative Cause, Daddy Knows Best, Gemologist, I’ll have Another

*these picks are worth exactly what it cost to read them

Have fun, enjoy the spectacle and the beauty of these wonderful animals!

Thanks to our founding father, we have been around since 1897 and the road to get to where we are today was one of dedication, hard work and development. While our motto stays the same, “Might as well have the best” and so does our fabric and methods, we continual strive to make the best products for fishermen, hunters, travelers, ranchers, and everyone in between.

Here at Filson, we like to continually remind ourselves of our history and what got us here. Today we sat around talking over coffee and browsing through the archives, and remembered our ancestors helpful contributions during the cold and hard days of the Klondike Gold Rush. C.C. Filson saw a demand for quality goods during the distressing times in the Yukon. Bringing his pioneering spirit to Seattle in 1897, C.C. Filson found himself at the cusp of the Klondike Gold Rush and opened his namesake store, Filson’s Pioneer Alaska and Blanket Manufacturers. With the Gold Rush underway, Filson thrived in providing gear and apparel for miners to survive and function in the arduous conditions.

The Kentucky Derby is a day for fine and talented horses, good company, mint juleps, lucky spirits and of course a handsome outfit. We pulled aside some daper and gentleman Filson looks, for those of you headed to the actual event and even those who have RSVP’d to a friends annual derby party. Have fun and good luck!

Tin Cloth Blazer:

Whipcord Pants:

Vintage Plaid Shirt :

Clip Suspenders:

Spinnaker Slip-on:

John Townes Van Zandt returns home to Texas after a successful film festival tour with the fishing documentary “Low and Clear” and picks up where he left off in building the pristine “Sea Dart” fishing boat.

What a wonderful and exciting experience it has been to take our movie “Low and Clear” to multiple film festivals over the last couple of months. So far the movie has shown at Camden Film Festival, True/ False, SXSW, Dallas International Film Festival and will continue to show in Toronto, Telluride and other prestigious festivals. It has been very rewarding for everyone involved with the project and a huge validation for the film makers themselves who saw the promise in the story of my friend Xenie Hall and I with the dramatic contrast in our personalities, our love for fishing and the need to be outdoors. I would very much enjoy to follow the film to other festivals, but for me, I must get back to my wife and baby in Austin as well as my passion for woodworking. I manage the cabinetry and millwork division for Escobedo Construction which is a general contracting company made unique by our self performance of all trades in the construction process. Our company utilizes modern machinery and software, employs highly skilled craftsmen and is capable of innovating and building anything made of stone, steel or wood. One example of our capabilities is the “Sea Dart” which is the wooden watercraft that I fish from in the Texas marsh shown in the movie. We are now in the process of building 4 of these boats for customers and having been distracted by the film tour, I need to get busy completing these boats for the June deadline.

Boat building is a meditative process that requires much care and discipline. It is an ancient craft that summons man’s greatest capabilities. I say craft rather than art because the term artist has become over used and self proclaimed by too many these days as a shortcut to becoming a true craftsman. It is the responsibility of society to determine what art is. Van Gogh considered himself a painter, not an artist. The discipline of learning a craft requires years of tedious repetition until the exercise is second nature and becomes woven into the fabric of an individual. This is true for a multitude of professions: woodworking, welding, sewing, painting, film making, cooking etc… My thought on the decline of modern society is that few are willing to dedicate to this level of discipline opting for the easier route and thus trades are lost and quality is forgotten.

Quality is a commitment, involves respect and is an obligation to the resources that comprise the creation of any man made object. To slight that which could have been of quality is to throw away something valuable and is a true sin against the natural world. To intentionally design something of lesser quality in order to increase profitability is a perversion, is non sustainable and is certainly wrong. Sustainability has become a huge topic lately as the world’s natural resources rapidly diminish but in the beginning when man naturally created things to last, sustainability was a given. True sustainability is a result of creating quality goods that last and do not need to be replaced. This is my goal as a student of the craft of woodworking, it is the commitment of Escobedo Construction and it is the reason that we love, use and respect Filson products.

If you are looking for more fishing stories check out some of our other guest blogs.

Paul M Warmbier swears by the chest tackle pack on the river.

A few years back, I served in the Marine Corps Infantry, and really loved wearing chest rigs to hold all my Radios, Ammunition, Grenades, etc.. right up close on my chest where I needed it. When I go fishing I have always really disliked wearing vests, backpacks and other contraptions for all my fishing equipment. I really missed having everything right in front of me, like I did with my Combat Chest Rigs. Once I found it, I will only wear the Filson Tackle Pack. It is convenience, quality, and functionality at its best.

While back in college I used to pass a local retail store in Columbia MO that I knew carried the Filson line. I believe it was a friend who first told me about filson, but I thought of this each time I drove past the store. One day while I had some time I stopped in and discovered a rack of what they considered odd sized clothes drastically discounted. Basically if you were really skinny or really large it was the holy grail of hunting clothes. I purchased a pair of shelter cloth bib overalls on that day. I remember thinking as a student that this was quite an expensive purchase for something to go hunting in but I had to give them a try. I wore them on my hunt that weekend with my almost one year old bird dog. I was amazed how easily I was able to cut through heavy brush and get around without being stuck by the usual briars and burs. It was great how durable and comfortable these new bibs were. Welll needless to say I continued to enjoy those bibs and am happy to say I enjoy them still to this day. 18 years later! You never think about a pair of pants or clothing out living your beloved bird dog, but I ended up burying my Brittany Spaniel a couple of year ago that went with me on the first hunting trip in my Filson bibs. I read about Filson brief cases and things that “went 100′s or even thousands” of miles. Most were riding in a car or plane. I however am proud to say my Filson bibs were not so lucky. My bibs have been drug through brush, cattails, briars, and the harshest conditions some 4 states or more could throw at me. A barb wire fence did create a pretty heavy tear on one pant leg a few years ago but overall these pants have outlasted anything I could have imagined. Im sorry to say my matching coat I bought blew out of a tote in my truck one time, but these bibs remain with me and are used to this day. I always like to give credit to companies that do something right and will tell you this one thing. “spend the money and only cry once”, I’m glad I did.

Filson Life guest blogger Dennis Lynch is one traveling man. He’s been on the road for the last 8 weeks scoping out the finest thoroughbreds for the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky horse sales this summer.  Ever wonder what a man like himself packs for these long hauls? A whole lot of Filson gear, Dennis takes us in his suitcase and on the road with him through this incredible journey.

1 wheeled carry-on

1 travel Kit

1 twill travel bag

1 20 pocket travel vest

4 lightweight chambray shirts

1 antique tin cloth blazer

2 heavy weight pique polo shirts

2 pair lightweight travel pants

1 Filson orange ball cap

2 pairs of Filson shorts

Armed with the above list of Filson products I have spent the last eight weeks on the

road. The main objective was trying to locate and identify promising Thoroughbred

yearlings and recruit them for sale at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky and Saratoga New

York sales in July and August, respectively.

The 25th of February found me boarding a flight to Detroit connecting through

Amsterdam and landing in Doha, Qatar. (A later blog will detail an interesting Filson

happening in the airport in Amsterdam.) The Qatar trip was to make contacts in the

rapidly expanding Thoroughbred business there. Thoroughbreds were the main

attraction, but camels, falcons, and Saluki hounds also played a role.

The first week of March we were inspecting horses in South Carolina and Georgia.

Some wonderful low-country fare was enjoyed there. The second week was a flight to

Oklahoma City with driving stops at ranches through Oklahoma, Louisiana, and ending

up outside of Houston, Texas. Wonderful Cajun cuisine was enjoyed outside of

Lafayette, Louisiana. Back to Lexington and Niece Shannon’s St. Patrick’s day

wedding. (No Filson gear was used, nor any damaged at this event.) Palm Beach

Florida followed up the wedding for the 2-year-old in training sale. Prominent use of

Filson shorts and polo shirts.  Lexington for a day and then a flight to Baltimore for Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware,

and New Jersey inspections. Everywhere it is SPRINGTIME! We have been fortunate

to be following the bloom of the daffodils and forsythia, redbuds and dogwoods moving

North from Florida, Louisiana the Carolinas, Georgia, and Mid-Atlantic regions. Not

much floral display in Qatar.

Miles and miles of beautiful farmland being plowed earlier due to the early spring in

most parts of the country. April began in San Diego driving north with stops in

Temecula, Chino, Lake Piru, Santa Ynez, Colinga, Pleasanton, and all through the San

Joaquin Valley, certainly one of the most fertile growing regions in all the world. Groves

of pistachios, almonds, kiwis, oranges, avocados, fields of cotton and strawberries.

Flew out of San Francisco after a beautiful, delicious dinner on Fisherman’s Wharf.

Back to Kentucky and then to Ocala Florida one day later. 35 farms stops in 2 1/2 days.

Next week will include upstate New York and then home to start on the Kentucky

inspections. Through all this, plane flights, rental cars, hotel check ins and outs, miles

and miles of countryside, all make and manner or horses, dogs, cattle, chickens, row

crops and blooming flora my Filson gear was always rough and always ready. The one

day stops at home always included washing and drying the clothes, and then back in

the carry on.

It’s hectic, but I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world with the best job. I couldn’t ask

for better or more practical gear then Filson to keep me on track.