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fly fishing

close up of an African American man wearing a long sleeve blue shirt fly fishing
Profiles

Casting Comedy and Conservation: Eeland Stribling

For fisherman, outdoorsman, and comedian Eeland Stribing, comedy and fishing are very similar. Creating a joke and making a cast both take thoughtful preparation, the perfect setup, and impeccable timing to land the hook.

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5 Min
top down view of a green dry fishing waist pack, open full fly lure box, fly fishing rod and the completed wooden landing net
How-To's

DIY Wooden Landing Net

A wooden landing net is not only one of the angler’s best tools to ensure the swift catch—and, where necessary, release—of a fish, but also a durable part of the kit that can be passed down from generation to generation.

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6 Min
chuck featured
Profiles

Chuck Ragan: The Flow

Music would still be his mistress but being outdoors on the water was his true love. His business, Chuck Ragan Fly Fishing, introduces others to the haunts he knows so well near his home. As he ties flies for clients and they swap tales as all anglers do, he knows that he has found his home, his place in the cosmos. It’s next to the ever-flowing water.

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5 Min
Fly Fishing Los Angeles River_HERO
Profiles

The punk rockers of fly fishing – angling on the LA River

Few Angelinos are aware that prior to the 1930s, the LA River was home to native rainbow trout and seasonal runs of steelhead and Chinook salmon. The Los Angeles River was, in fact, a trout stream. Then, in 1938, the Army Corps of Engineers began a nearly 20-year process of channelizing the river, encasing its banks in concrete in an effort to control flooding. Today, the concrete canyon of the LA River is not the idyllic, catalog-ready backdrop that comes to mind when most people think of fly fishing. When the water is low, it makes a great location for Hollywood car chase scenes, but it’s not a typical destination for the average fly angler. Luckily, the community of misfit fisher-folk who call the LA River their home waters is anything but average.

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5 Min
man holding oars while standing in boat
Profiles

Lael Johnson – Olympic Peninsula Fly Guide

Lael Johnson is a fly fisherman and guide on the Olympic Peninsula. His passion for the anadromous fish of Washington’s coastal rivers is contagious. He loves these fish, these rivers, and the people he is lucky enough to experience them with. Filson Contributor Ben Matthews spent a few days on the river with Lael to ask a few questions about guiding, steelhead, and life in general. If you’re interested in heading out on the river with Lael yourself, check out his website and book a trip. You won’t regret it.

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5 Min
sun shining through pine boughs on the side of a river meandering through piles of river rocks
Profiles

Why the Skagit River Watershed Matters

Nothing feels small on the Skagit River. It emerges from the Cascade Mountains, the ridgelines rising suddenly and severely, compressing the landscape and framing the view with their immense, sharp mass. For much of its length, the river is wide enough that three or four drift boats could easily pass side by side with plenty of room to spare. Anglers standing in its flow could never dream of reaching the far bank with a cast. If that angler is fly fishing, then they are likely to be using a two-hand rod to throw a Skagit head, a short specialty fly line developed on its namesake river a generation earlier to deliver big flies and sinking lines to winter steelhead-holding water.

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4 Min

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Man with rifle slung over his shoulder standing on rocky outcropping looking through field glasses wearing NeoShell Reliance Jacket
Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 2

When looking at pictures of rain jackets on a web page, they all kind of look the same. How does one choose? Simple: honestly prioritize your needs as a user and choose the jacket that best fits those needs.

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5 Min
filson rain proof jackets laid out on cloth surface various colorways olive green, tan, navy, brown, etc.
Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 1

When you’re outdoors and can’t escape wet weather, staying dry is a very real need. Quality rain gear not only keeps you more comfortable—in cold temperatures, it can prevent life-threatening hypothermia. Rain gear that strikes a balance between conflicting criteria such as water resistance vs. breathability, mobility vs. simplicity, and packability vs. durability solves problems for the outdoorsman. This article takes a look at some of the modern technologies available to keep us dry, and how they work.

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5 Min
hiking along the river with fishing gear
How-To's

What to Pack for a Backpack Fly Fishing Trip

Backpacking is a great way to re-familiarize yourself with the often-elusive feeling of spare time. With a little extra planning, you can turn a backpacking trip into a fly-fishing trip. We asked Sage Elite Pro and backcountry fishing expert Seth Blackamore about what he packs for a minimalist backcountry fishing kit.

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2 Min
rowing the drift boat
Field Notes

With The Flow: WA Winter Steelheading

When you picture father and son fishing trips in a metal row boat, you might picture a pristine lake with a bobber and worms, goofy hats with oversized boots and dozing off in the warm sun. For my dad and I, we picture something different entirely. Basalt boulders the size of Volkswagens, yesterday clearly exposed, are now lurking millimeters beneath the surface. On days like this, there’s about a 5% margin for navigation error as you’re flying through white water, oars digging hard, unable to change trajectory more than a few crucial inches. It sounds reckless (maybe it is), but the payoff is worth every risk.

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3 Min
fly fisher casts into lake with pine trees and low lying clouds
Profiles

Cooper River Trail

Some of us like hiking and some of us like fishing; a lot of us like both. The Cooper River Trail is the perfect trail for those who like both. Just outside of Cle Elum, WA, the Cooper River Trail is just that, a trail that follows along the Cooper River.

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1 Min
fisherman holding large fish kneeling in river wearing red and white flannel and green trucker hat
Field Notes

Brown Trout of New Zealand

Jack Kos is a self-described Kiwi trout bum. What began as a passion for fishing soon developed into a desire to know more about the fish he sought. That pursuit led Jack to dive deep into the rivers and the history books as he wrote his dissertation and earned a PhD in history on the

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portrait of Larry Ford, owner of Blue Heron Lodge
Profiles

Blue Heron Lodge: Forks, WA

“I love teaching folks how to appreciate the water; the ruggedness and beauty of the river are something special. I like to share with people a means by which they can experience these places. A drift boat and a fly rod are just my preferred means. Passing on some of my knowledge to my clients,

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fishing guide russ rowing boat as woman behind him casts
Profiles

A Normal Life

Living the life that you love does not shield you from loss. Fishing the remote waters of Alaska’s Alagnak River is a dream job for Russell Owen, but that dream has come at a cost. The life of a guide is not a normal life, but what he has learned from fishing has shaped him into the man he has become. Watch Now.

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3 Min
Alaska Fisherman reeling in fish
Profiles

Life of a Guide

Alaska’s Alagnak River is a place where there are no roads. A place where the weather does what it wants. A place where humans are no longer the apex predator. The life of a guide on this river is one of resourcefulness, persistence, and dedication. Watch Now.

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3 Min
andrew miller steelhead man in river with rocky riverbed
Field Notes

Solitude and Steelhead

Many a man has felt the pace and stress of life wash from his soul while standing mid-river, fly rod in hand. Solitude is perhaps the thing most often sought by the seasoned fly-fishermen; the thrill of landing a fish is a welcome addition to an already fine experience. Read along as we follow once

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kevin davis food over fire
Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Bringing Fish to the River with Chef Kevin Davis

For Seattle chef Kevin Davis of Steelhead Diner and his crew of charismatic anglers known as the “Good Guys,” catching fish on the river is seen as a plus, but being out in nature with close friends is what really matters.

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2 Min
two story brown log cabin in forest clearing
Profiles

Navajo Fly Fisher: A Journey Towards Understanding

When I was 5 my dad put a spinner rod in my hands because he just couldn’t wait any longer for his future (yet nonexistent at the time) son to be born. Little did he know he was planting a fishing seed that would grow and grow with an insatiable thirst. Being born and raised

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three quarter gloved hand holding fish above water
Profiles

Cast Hope: Share What You Love

Cast Hope is a nonprofit organization focused on providing kids in the Northern California community with the gift of the outdoors. Bringing youth and mentors together outside through the sport of fly fishing. On the latest Filson Life, Hogan Brown of Cast Hope shares with us his love of fly fishing and dedication to fostering an environment

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river runs through dark black rock mountains canyon
Profiles

Experience the Wild: Fly Fishing in the Frank Church Wilderness

On November 21st, 2016, we launched the Filson Experience the Wild Contest. Participants were asked to choose one out of four expereinces for a chance to win the trip of a lifetime for themselves and a guest of their choice. Thousands of entries and twenty-one days later, we announced the winner of the Filson Expereince

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Man casting fly-fishing rod in clear water with waterfall and alpine ridge backdrop
Field Notes

In the Fall: Fly Fishing Washington State’s Hidden Gems

Before trucker hats were a fixture of his wardrobe, Paul Moinester spent years wearing a suit and tie championing major conservation initiatives as a senior legislative aid in the U.S. House of Representatives. Tired of being an armchair-conservationist, Paul escaped from his deskbound life and spent the next two years wading waist-deep into endangered waters across the United States and Ireland.

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5 Min
Chuck Ragan, Father's Day family with two dogs father mother and baby at river's edge
Profiles

Celebrating Filson Fathers with Chuck Ragan

Chuck Ragan is a family man, an outdoorsman, craftsman and musician. From The Blanco River in Texas, the woods and water of Eastern Tennessee, North Georgia, the marsh and bayou of Southwest Louisiana and the salt and freshwater of Florida, Ragan was raised chasing fish, game and adventures in the outdoors while at the same

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fly fisherman in river with alpine lined mountain ridge backdrop
Profiles

Chasing Wild Winter Steelhead with Russell Miller from Sage Fly Fishing

  Russell Miller is the Marketing Coordinator for Sage and RIO Fly Fishing products, as well as a member of Team USA Fly Fishing. In the latest Filson Life, follow along as he recaps the extremes of the wild winter Steelhead season in the Northwest. If you’re an angler, now is the time to get

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fly fisherman casting in rocky river
Profiles

Fly Fishing on the Outlaw Trail with Michael Cevoli

Photography by Michael Cevoli. Michael is a commercial and documentary photographer. A graduate with honors of both the bachelor’s and the master’s program at the Rhode Island School of Design, he lives in southern New England.    Words by Grant Smith. Born in Butte, Montana, raised in the prairies near Conrad, Montana, and pursued his

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sunburst silhouette of man approaching river holding flyfishing rod
Profiles

Fly Fishing the Yuba River with Chuck Ragan

Chuck Ragan is a family man, an outdoorsman, craftsman and musician. Ragan was raised chasing fish, game and adventures in the outdoors while at the same time, sharing music worldwide from an early age.  As a newly licensed fishing guide, Ragan guides part time for the non profit organization Cast Hope to share his passion for the outdoors, fly fishing and the importance of conservation to under served or low income kids and their mentors.  

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6 Min
two fly fishing rods and spools protruding out of snow
Profiles

Fly Fishing Through the Winter with Justin Salem Meyer

Justin Meyer is a photographer based in Des Moines, Iowa. He explores trout fishing his home waters of Northeast Iowa year round. — There is a solitude found on the winter waters. The hustle and bustle of the summer has died, the farmers have tucked their combines away for the cold season. A silence is

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rainbow trout, fisherman walking back on trail
Profiles

Field Guide: Winter Steelheading on the Olympic Peninsula

Winter Steelhead are some of the most difficult and rewarding fish to search for, as weather conditions and swollen rivers with low visibility all stand between the angler and their prize. Don’t let that scare you off though, December on the Olympic Peninsula offers good numbers of these tough fish if you’re willing to spend the time swingin’.

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Man with tensed fly fishing rod standing in lake
Field Notes

Fly Fishing the American West with Tyler Sharp

Tyler Sharp is a documentary photographer, writer, and filmmaker based out of Dallas, Texas.  Today, Tyler explores the American West in Montana with a fly rod and his family.

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pine forest with rolling mountain peaks
Field Notes

Red Slashed Gills and Yellow Days: Late Summer Cutthroat Fishing in The Rockies

Blaine Peetso is a mill worker in Northern Alberta and a self-described daydreamer. With a penchant for the outdoors and for photography, he created The Borealist blog as an excuse to capture images of his part of the world and to rearrange the alphabet as he sees fit. Follow Blaine as he spends the last

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fly fisherman fishes in rocky river at sunrise
Profiles

Giving it All to the River: Fly Fishing the Sierras with Elias Carlson

The massive trout rose gently from a deep shadow between the boulders. A muscular shimmer in the green water. It seemed unconcerned with the unusual strength of the tiny nymph in its jaws which dragged it slowly towards the surface. For a split-second the three of us froze. Then the size of the fish registered

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