The new issue of The Drake Magazine is now on the newsstands! It’s been interesting times for our little sport and I’m thrilled to see things are getting back on track with the industry.
It takes a team effort to make these images come to life. A big thank you to all those anglers and people involved in the process and to the print magazines who still hold credible journalism in high regard. In the day and age of sensationalized online media, it’s comforting to see that not all magazines are willing to sell-out for quick sloppy “likes”.
You can help keep print alive! Grab yourself a print copy or order a subscription, you won’t be disappointed and won’t ever miss an issue.
We were commissioned by Thomas & Thomas Fly Rod Company to create a few portraits fly fishing for marketing advertisements. The idea of the image was to showcase a Western fly fishing theme.
I had the fortunate opportunity to work with Brandon Prince and his daughter this past summer. Brandon is a Western Rocky Mountain Thomas & Thomas rep. He is also a long-time close friend, we’ve known each other for over two decades. Fun fact, at one time Brandon and I were roommates on the famous Henry’s Fork River in Idaho. I remember when his daughter was born and how excited he was to have a new fishing buddy. It was really special to see them fishing together years later. She is just as into is as her father is. I guess the old saying of “like father, like daughter” is fitting. I am looking forward to seeing what the future has planned for this amazing father and daughter duo.
CAMILLE EGDORF + THOMAS & THOMAS FLY RODS Rocky Mountains, Montana
We were commissioned by Thomas & Thomas Fly Rod Company to create a portrait fly fishing Ad. The idea of the image was to showcase a Western fly fishing theme. We hitched up the drift boat, called the talent, and decided on a location. This was easier said than done.
We had the boat and an amazing angler, Camille Egdorf, but mother nature threw us a curveball, wildfires. The hard part was finding a location. The smoke was so thick you couldn’t see the mountains and the river in the same frame. Everywhere had a hazy look and feel. We had to re-schedule, schedule, re-schedule again, then re-schedule and repeat. Our deliverable deadline was fast approaching. Weather stations were constantly being checked. We really needed what some might call a fly casters adversary, wind. We needed some wind to blow the smoke out of the valleys. To make matters even more difficult, we needed wind from a very specific direction. The entire West was on fire, we needed the jet stream to shift the wind direction from blowing smoke into the state to blowing the smoke out. We needed a miracle.
In the 11th hour, we found one lone random location with what we call a “sucker hole”— a tiny spot where it’s clear amongst the clouds, or in this case, the smoky haze. With the right lens and distance from the subject, we shifted our composition to fit within the only clear spot in the entire valley. We were able to create a great image, meet the deadline, and get to print. Miracles do happen!
I’m delighted to see the new Cover and Exposure Section of the current issue of Northwest Fly Fishing Magazine. It’s always a humbling honor to be accepted for a cover and photo essay piece.
See this and much more in the current issue. Head on down to your local shop and grab yourself a print copy or order a dual subscription and get it on your iPad, you won’t be disappointed and won’t ever miss an issue.
Big thanks to anglers: Rick Matney, Tom Melvin, Camille Egdorf, Austin Trayser, James Warren
The Fly Fisherman Magazine 2017 Gear Guide has recently hit the newsstands! I’m happy to see that an image from our Alaskan shoot last year made the cover. This image of angler Camille Egdorf was taken in while on location shooting for Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures. We were searching for the elusive Sea Run Rainbow Trout with Rick Matney when she hooked into this gem. It was a great trip with great friends. I hope to one day see to the temperate rainforest of the great white north again, it really is the last of the salmon (and steelhead) forests.
Head down to your local shop and grab a copy, or better yet, get a yearly subscription and never miss an issue.
I was certainly happy to get the call to head to Southeast Alaska this past spring. This remote temperate rainforest is a place of adventure, wonder and some of the best wild steelhead fishing around. The weather, the climate, the tides, the terrain and just trying to get there also makes it one of the most vigorous angling exploits imaginable, the temperate rainforest is not for the faint of heart. However, besides the constant uphill battle, this is also one of the most thrilling adventures a fly angler can have! It was a fun week of crab, prawns, and steelhead. I can’t wait to return.
For more on the trip and to book your trip be sure to check out the Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures trip report on the blog and the link to the complete stock image archives.
DRAKE MAGAZINE | EDITORIAL Published Editorial Fall 2016
I am very pleased to see a few of my images made their way into the new issue of The Drake Magazine. It’s great to see these on printed on paper! A big thank you to all those who helped make these images a possibility.
Anglers: Brad Miler & Camille Egdorf.
If you’re not a subscriber, just head down to your local so and grab a copy — or if you want it on the go download it to your digital tablet — just think of it as an early worthwhile Christmas present.
KING SALMON | NUSHAGAK RIVER, ALASKA Protect Bristol Bay Alaska
Chinook Salmon (or King Salmon) in full colors is a beautiful sight to see. These fish have only one job: to travel back to spawn and to die. They unselfishly and willingly give up their life so the next generations can survive and the ecosystem can utilize its decaying body to gain nutrients. The cycle of life, it is so fragile.
ANGLERS
+ Tom Melvin – Yellow Dog Alaskan Program director
+ Camille Egdorf: Head Guide Egdorf Western Alaska Sportfishing