Dylan Tomine

My earliest memories—as well as a great portion of the subsequent ones—involve fish. I was obsessed as a toddler: all I wanted to talk about, eat, see and play with was fish. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on who you talk to) not much has changed since then.

As a child of the Pacific Northwest, a lot of that obsession was, and continues to be, centered around steelhead. And now, even after spending thousands of hours fishing from Argentina's Rio Santa Cruz to Southeast Alaska and guiding in Bristol Bay, I’m still completely stoked every time I step into moving water. But I’ve also realized that the time when we could just fish and not worry about "the resource" is long gone. Inspired by mentors and fishing buddies like Bill McMillan, Nate Mantua, Bruce Hill, Tom McGuane and Yvon Chouinard, I’ve been forced by circumstance to become what you might call a reluctant conservationist.

Another factor in the evolution of this steelhead bum is that I now have two small children. That not only ups the ante on the conservation angle, but also changes how you spend your time. I am blessed with kids who love water and fish, and so we chase salmon, trout, perch, spot prawns, crabs, clams and oysters in the waters around the island we live on. It’s a good life.

I will always be a steelhead bum. I will veer dangerously every time I drive across a bridge. I will obsess over river levels and rainfall. I will spend more than my fair share of hours submerged waist-deep in icy water. But I think I have it under control. Really.

Recommended links:
Wild Steelhead Coalition
Trout Unlimited

Fly Fishing Ambassadors