American Angler Cover

Excited to have the cover of the new issue of American Angler. This shot was taken a few summer’s ago on Silver Creek on what was a truly memorable July day on Silver Creek. This was in the afternoon which meant the crowds had left after the morning hatch and the Creek was virtually void of fishermen—at least on the section I was on.

South Island, New Zealand (On A Mouse Year)

I just got back from a great trip down to New Zealand’s South Island. I was down there on a few different photo assignments both fly fishing related. The South Island is my favorite place to trout fish on the planet for a variety of reasons including the challenges of spotting / stalking the fish coupled with the fact that it’s just beautiful there. An added bonus is the Brown Trout can get really big as well despite the fact a great day on the water typically doesn’t mean catching dozens of fish like it can in the States and Patagonia.

This also happens to be a mouse year which, for those of you who don’t know, in short means: The native beech trees historically every seven or so years produce a great deal more (10x to 100x) the number of seeds which is called masting. Non-native mice and rats that feed off of the seeds have such an abundance of food they begin to reproduce at a much greater rate and all of sudden there are far more mouse and rats scurrying around South Island beech forests.

The South Island is known for large and wary brown trout to begin with but on mouse years some fish can add 40% more weight. The mice eventually make it down to the rivers edge on many watersheds where many believe, as I do, that mice actually try to cross the river. I’m sure some accidentally fall in but anecdotal evidence points to the intent to cross and generally mice do this at night and brown trout are known to be nocturnal feeders…

I’ll be posting more images but here are two images of the same fish both above and below the water. We estimate this brown to be in excess of 15lbs but unfortunately didn’t have a net to weigh it.

I’ve tried hard not to post many fish out of the water over the last few years but I’m including the first image below to show the size of the fish as you’ll likely agree that the second image below—which is of the same fish—appears smaller.

Emily Rodger holds a beautiful South Island brown.

Anglers Journal. Spring 2019

Excited to have a feature in the new issue—Spring 2019—of Anglers Journal. It’s portraits of 8 guides who work on Silver Creek. A long term project of mine is taking portraits of fly fishing guides, salt and freshwater, all over the world. This piece is great as it’s right in my back yard. Thanks to the 8 guides who not only took the time to be a part of this but let me take a portrait of them which is not always fun to do.

Pre-Runoff. Idaho

I’ve been working on, call it a project, imagery that is not perfect in some way, shape or form. Maybe it’s not tack sharp or even just flat out of focus. Something could be cut off. Perhaps there are other blemishes like the lack of water clarity in the image below. I’ve found that so much imagery these days is perfectly sharp and often so from foreground to background. It comes down to, for me at least, embracing the flaws and in some way how light and composition can supersede those flaws and illicit an emotional reaction from the viewer.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. It’s a favorite image of mine by Keith Carter called, Fireflies

Cody Catherall hangs onto one yesterday on an Idaho River…

Fly Fishing The South Island

I just got back from a trip down to New Zealand’s South Island. If there’s anywhere in the world that represents my happy place, it’s New Zealand. The people constantly blow me away with their kindness, sincerity, and self-effacing humor. It’s the land of 40 million sheep and only 4 million people. Roughly 75% of the total (human) population lives on the North Island.

It goes without saying, that New Zealand is also absolutely stunning. Mt Cook (12,218 feet) essentially rises up from sea level. That’s nearly twice the relief of our highest point in Idaho. It’s green. Super green in many places. There’s wine country. Glaciers. The rivers vary from tiny spring creeks, dry and windy Canterbury freestones, to wild blue-green glacial fed rivers. There’s a huge variety.

The fishing is the icing on the cake and the South Island is without a doubt my favorite place to trout fish. The fish population is not high by North American standards. The browns can be very, very wary. The brown trout can also exceed 12 plus pounds.

If there’s a problem—besides the sand flies—just knowing the fish get so big can set unrealistic expectations. Couple that with the fact that many South Island watersheds don’t have consistent prolific hatches like we do in the West. Sure there are mayflies and caddis but not to the extent that one can expect to see rising fish on any given river on any given day.

My advice to anyone, this really applies to fishing anywhere, is to first really appreciate who you’re with and where you are. I’ve found that if you truly appreciate both of these these things then the fish will often follow.

Scott Murray seconds before landing a nice South Island brown. Scott is the co-owner of River Haven Lodge located near Murchison on the South Island. I was fortunate to have just spent 7 days on the water with Scotty where there were plenty of shenanigans and nonsense. As a guide myself, I cannot say how much I’ve learned from fishing with Scotty over the years.

Anglers Journal Winter 2019 Issue

I’m excited to have a few images and a short written piece in the new issue of Anglers Journal. The third image below is not mine but the written piece is.

The Malleo River on a stunning fall day. Argentina.

Sebastian Salas, a fly fishing guide at Los Torreones Lodge, drinks mate. Chilean Patagonia.

Full Moon at Faraway Cayes

Excited to have a two page image in the new, issue 10.1, of The FlyFish Journal. It’s their 10th Anniversary issue. Check it out!

Below, Kendall Witt is hooked up to a bonefish on a full moon night just feet from Faraway Cay, Honduras last March. I know it took a lot of work, replete with ups and downs, for Steve Brown, owner of Fly Fish Guanaja, to set up the heli operation at Faraway Cay. It’s a special place and I feel really fortunate to have had the chance to experience Faraway. Hats off, to you, Steve.

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Full Moon. Faraway Cay, Honduras. Mosquito Coast. March 2018