Fly Fishing Friends Friday

Fly fishing guides hold a special place in the angling community: they spend time teaching new fishers and fine tuning experienced vets alike. There is much more that goes into the profession than just being able to catch fish, and that quickly separates good guides from great guides. One of the best in the business is Israel Patterson, a full time guide out of Colorado. ​

Israel Patterson

There's a well known saying that goes something like, "trout don't live in ugly places." This is mostly true and the places trout and fly fishing bring us lend themselves to photographs. It's only natural, then, that many anglers start to dabble in picture-taking after seeing the breathtaking vistas and stunning fish colors that are commonplace in the fly fishing world. Israel is a testament to this; however, he has done far more than dabble in the photography world. 

"My GI Bill was running out and I was looking at loans to finish my degree. I was ditching lectures to go fishing more often than I was sitting in them. One day my wife said to me, "Why don't you become a fishing guide?"

 ​​To him, fly fishing is more than just a passion or hobby. "It's life. It feeds my family and pays the bills," says Israel. The fly fishing life has brought him to places from Georgia, to Baja, and Alaska, but one of his favorite things to do is fish for bluegill. He says it hearkens back to a simpler time during his childhood, and even if there's five-pound bass lurking about, he'll gladly spend the day chasing bluegill. These days though, he's spending his time searching for new species to cross off his bucket list. If his past work is any indication of things to come, we will be seeing plenty more of Israel!

​One of the household names in fly fishing brands is RepYourWater. They have incredibly cool gear centered around individual states or regions, encouraging one to "rep" their own home waters. Israel is an ambassador for this conservation-minded company and his works have been featured by them more than a few times.  On top of this he has been published in multiple editions of the Umpqua catalog and in 2016 he placed second in the Backcountry Hunters & Anglers photo contest. Needless to say the name Israel Patterson is starting to become synonymous with excellent and unique photography. ​

Follow Israel on Instagram @israelpatterson and check out his website here!