Conserve

Fly fishing is a sport steeped in a long tradition of conservation dating back well before our time. We, as Montana fly fishing anglers, guides, and outfitters, enjoy the benefits of the hard work of the great conservationists that came before us every day we are on the river. We have people to thank like Theodore Roosevelt, George Griffith, Dan Bailey, Aldo Leopold, Bud Lily, and Lee Wulff, among many others, for the wonderful fly fishing opportunities we are afforded today in Montana. We also have groups to thank like Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, the PLWA, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Upper Missouri Watershed Alliance, and the Madison River Foundation, among many others, that have done so much for public land access, wilderness conservation, river restoration, and fishing preservation. We have countless rivers and streams that provide cold, clear, and connected water for wild trout populations across the state, plentiful public access, and world-class fly fishing opportunities as a result of these efforts of these groups and individuals. We fish in their shadows.

As fly fishing anglers, outfitters, and guides we all have a responsibility of continuing this long tradition of conservation and stewardship of our rivers and wild places in order to afford the next generation of anglers the same, or even better, opportunities that we have been able to have. This means we are all conservationists and have a role to play in the future of fly fishing as there is always another looming threat for rivers, trout, and wilderness. In Montana we are faced with inconsistent snowpack, multiple water-use conflicts, mining, urbanization, and public land access, all conservation issues that impact us today and will continue to in the future. We all have the ability to make an impact and join in conservation at the local, regional, or even global level and continue the legacy of conservation and fly fishing.

We work closely with many non-profit groups that have done a lot for conservation in the past and look to continue to in the future. We donate our time and money to these groups and their causes because what they do has a direct positive impact on coldwater fisheries and fly fishing across Montana and the United States. We would encourage you too to lend some of your time or make a donation to one of these groups or a local organization in your backyard that holds similar conservation values. Every effort counts. Getting involved in protecting our fisheries today means a better future for us as anglers tomorrow.