It was a hot summer night in 2014, so hot that I couldn’t sleep. I started scrolling social media to pass the time and was bombarded by ads for cheap, mass produced fly fishing gear. The next day I decided to find cooler weather by heading to a group of alpine lakes. As I was packing my gear I noticed how much cheap plastic had made it’s way into my fly tackle, and thought back to those ads. The few cherished rods and fly boxes I had as a kid had blossomed into a closet full of gear I had no connection to, and most of the my fly boxes and accessories I largely viewed it as disposable.

I had the immense fortune of growing up in Southeast Idaho surrounded by the best trout fly fishing on the planet. From the age of 11 the Henry’s Fork became my home, best friend, and teacher. Taken under the wing of an old retired Marine from the local fly fishing club, we spent countless summer mornings heading to the river in his old tan and red F150. I can still hear the sound of that truck creaking over the potholes of Wood Road 16 as he kept one eye on the road and the other looking for rises.. If you’ve been there, you know the exact corner I’m talking about.

The sound of an old Battenkill reel, the color of a peach DT 444 line, the snap of the button on a canvas fly wallet. These sights and sounds were the building blocks of my journey in fly fishing. Flash forward a decade and somehow fly fishing felt less personal. My emotionally connection to the tackle was gone. My old fly wallet stuffed in a drawer somewhere, replaced by plastic fly boxes with cracked exteriors and torn foam.

Sure these boxes had gone on some amazing adventures with me, but in my mind they weren’t permanent pieces. They weren’t meant to hold onto for decades, something to pass on to the next generation. There was a lifeless quality about plastic and rubber fly boxes compared to the metal box I watched my Dad use, or even the cheap canvas fly wallet that held my small selection of nymphs when I was a kid. The paradox of fighting for conservation while supporting an industry that churns out an endless supply of non-sustainable plastic items was becoming hard to ignore.

As I hiked to that alpine lake The Grey Drake was born. Yes, perhaps starting another no-name fly fishing brand would just be adding more products to an already crowded market. But I believed then as I believe now that the products you purchase can make a difference, the brands you support can make a difference. Shop small, shop local, and support brands that stand up for the fish.

Conservation and Activism

My first encounter with a summer run steelhead on the Sol-Duc in 2012 changed my life. Pursuing anadromous fish with the swung fly has quickly become an all consuming life style. From chrome winter fish on the OP to Bomber eating Atlantic Salmon in Nova Scotia, I’m obsessed.

The bad news is we are losing anadromous fish at a disastrous rate, and unfortunately the outlook isn’t good. Are we the last steelheaders? Unless we take immediate action the answer is most likely, yes. If you fish for trout, salmon, or steelhead and are not actively involved in conservation, quite frankly you are a negative impact on the resource. Please consider becoming involved with a nationwide organization, local club, or simply a stream clean up with your local shop. The time to act is now, don’t be the reason we lose what we love.

The Grey Drake is proud to donate a portion of profits, as well as gear and fly donations to groups like; The Wild Steelhead Coalition, Wild Steelheaders United, Trout Unlimited, Native Fish Society, The North Umpqua Foundation, and the Atlantic Salmon Federation.