FFFT & Boulder - A Classic Combo

Once again the home town did not disappoint with a fantastic showing at the Boulder Theater for the Fly Fishing Film Tour. After a 1-year hiatus, the Tour was back and better than ever as an eager crowd ate it up.

With a few changes in the line-up there were films that appealed to everyone and once again the footage of a winter midge hatch on the Roaring Fork got great response (The volume of that response had nothing to do with a crowd ready to take on the challenge thrown down by Tour organizers: The last time the FFFT was at the Boulder Theater the bar posted its all-time best sales. What? That's right. Could we beat it this time around? I'm not sure if we did but as I closed out my tab the boys working the stick were very pleased...).

A beautiful Boulder Boat Works drift boat (pictured) added some spice out front and the raffling of a new SST Jacket and Sage Z-Axis rod got the crowd fired up during intermission. I have to admit, we were all psyched on the number of women in the house and a lucky lady went home with the jacket. Nice.

The folks from Rocky Mountain Anglers and Front Range Anglers also threw in some great prizes. The staffs of both shops came out in force and although I never saw him, the ever entertaining Randal Hicks of Rocky Mtn. made his presence felt throughout the evening.

To all of those who showed up, thanks again. It is a pleasure to live in a town with so many bug-throwers ready to support the pursuit we love, the groups that protect the resources we treasure and the film makers that get us fired up in the middle of winter. See you on the water!

How's this for a classic Boulder Theater line-up?!?

Early Reef Session...

Sometimes... You just have to get out there. Mikey, Blake and I got to take advantage of some unseasonably warm February weather and floated the Reef this past Saturday. Water being cold as it was it took a little while for the fish to wake up and they hit the bottom as soon as the sun took the low arc but in between we got a few hours of quality action.

Afterwards we joined over 450 Casper locals at the Parkway Plaza Motel for the Wyoming Wilderness Association benefit concert benefiting the Rock Creek campaign. Patagonia was a title sponsor along with Mountain Sports and it was inspiring to see so many people motivated to protect this beautiful place. Well done everyone!

All in all, a great day.

The NEW SST!

Bristol Bay, Tierra del Fuego, the Russian Arctic – they all share three things: good fishing, bad weather and a whole lot of SST Jackets. Since its introduction in 1989, the venerable SST has continually set the standard for on-the-water weather protection and this new iteration sets the bar even higher.

The 2009 version features our latest advances in shell design and technology, along with a host of new, angler-friendly details. We're building this jacket from 3-layer nylon double ripstop fabric with our completely waterproof/breathable H2No® barrier and Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish. The new SST is durable and windproof yet still extremely light. Plus there are two features that you might not expect: 1) The jacket hem is folded over and glued which eliminates the conventional tunnel that can hold water. 2) The SST is fully recyclable (Common Threads Recycling Program).

The feature list continues with a new integrated hood with single-pull adjustment and waterproof, corrosion-resistant Aquazip center front, hand/cargo and back pocket zippers. The iconic large, gusseted chest pockets are seam sealed (waterproof) up to their opening and set high for deep wading. Each large pocket has a zippered tippet pocket inside. Our latest streamlined cuffs lie extremely flat and are virtually snag-proof when worn loose or tightened to seal out water.

More details include: Large back pocket, zippered inside pocket, hidden rod holder/accessory clip, lined collar/chin flap and two Beastie D-rings on front, one on back. For comparison, the SST is 2" longer than the Deep Wading Jacket. The Guidewater Jacket is our longest option - 2" longer than the SST.

Thanks to all of you who weighed in with advice on the Setting the standard post back in 2007, to YC who tested prototypes across the globe and who made sure the jacket worked with our favorite packs & techniques and huge thanks to the Patagonia design and development teams for jumping hurdle after hurdle to make this jacket the best. Onward.

Photos courtesy of Yvon Chouinard, Brian Bennett and Alistair Stewart Illustration by El Pescador

Fly Fishing Film Tour Launch Is In The Books!

The Fly Fishing Film Tour got off to a great start February 12th with the event benefiting Project Healing Waters down in Colorado Springs at the Black Sheep - a classic long-standing music venue in the heart of the east side of town. The owners were very generous in their donation of the space as the main purpose of the event was to generate funds for the CO Springs chapter of this non-profit dedicated to helping vets overcome their wartime experiences through the simple joy of fly fishing in beautiful places. Very cool, to say the least.

Benefiting Project Healing Waters in a town with a strong armed forces community brought out a lot of folks - probably 250. I heard from David Leinweber of Angler's Covey that the door took in $1500 - a good haul considering the entry fee of $5. Some excellent raffle prizes, including a Patagonia Deep Wading Jacket, also opened wallets. The impact of the event and the emotional responses of some of the vets in attendance was reiterated Sunday morning on ESPN when the all-sports network aired an exceptional piece on the program as a whole. Well done.

A classic new-school blue grass band called Grass It Up got the crowd in a jovial mood. They did some hilarious covers of Prince and KC & the Sunshine Band - as well as some excellent originals. If you are in CO Springs and have a free evening take a look in the local paper to see if you can catch them live - you won't be disappointed.

The film selections were excellent and everyone left stoked to get on the water. There was some great footage of the Frying Pan and the Roaring Fork which was special - a nice reminder that you don't have to go half way around the world for an amazing angling experience. A couple photos for you (the urinal shot is a just a little reminder that Fenway and Gill Stadium are not the only places on earth with such fine receptacles!)…

FFFT To Kick Off In The Rockies With Project Healing Waters And Angler's Covey!

Project Healing Waters

Fly Fishing Fundraising Event

By David Leinweber (Pictured)

Project Healing Waters will be hosting a fundraising social event for fly fishers at The Black Sheep on February 12 th at 7:00pm. Fly fishers and their friends and families can socialize with other fly fishers, enjoy the open bar, and watch the films brought together for the Drake Magazine's Fly Fishing Film Tour. All attendees get the chance to purchase raffle tickets to win a Patagonia Wading Jacket, free passes to Colorado State Parks, a gift certificate to Sportsman's Warehouse, and other great prizes! Organizers request a minimum donation of $5 a person for entrance and all proceeds will go to benefit Project Healing Waters.

Project Healing Waters is a program dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing, fly tying education and fishing outings. Project Healing Waters has been a great benefit to the solders at Fort Carson and the program has grown a lot the last few years. When David Leinweber, the owner of Angler's Covey, looked at bringing the Fly Fishing Film Tour to Colorado Springs, the opportunity to create a fund raising event became a no brainer. This event is win-win event for everyone involved. The Fly Fishing Community gets the change to see some great films and our local Project Healing Waters group gets some needed funding. Anyone who misses this event will regret it, says David, who has spent many hours planning and coordinating this event which will also include some local talent from Grass It Up, a local Bluegrass band.

Read more here. Hope to see you there!

There Is No Business To Be Done On a Dead Planet

Three Dollar Bridge from felt soul on Vimeo.

(Via: Way Upstream)

Felt Soul Media has produced another gem. Check out this 3 minute profile on 1% For the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. Founded by Yvon Chouinard and Craig Matthews, 1% has grown to over 1000 members since it's launch in 2002 and has donated nearly $42 million to approved environmental non-profits. This particular film highlights the Three Dollar Bridge (Madison River) project that was made possible by 1% funds. The two founding members tell the story.

Music by Neil Halstead & Jack Johnson | Brushfire Records