R.I.P. Doug Rose

Sad news as one of the Pacific Northwest's steelheading legends, authors, and champions for wild fish has lost his battle to cancer. Doug Rose died peacefully at home on Monday surrounded by family and friends.

Take some time and explore Doug's website and blog to get a feel for the large legacy he leaves.

RIP - Jon Ain

I first met Jon Ain at the Fly Fishing Retailer show in Denver when he approached me about Patagonia sponsoring his March Merkin Permit Tournament. Despite not having the budget there was something about the man and his passion for permit that persuaded me that we should be involved. So that first year we scraped together some shirts and Patagonia's involvement with the tournament, and my friendship with Jon, grew over the years.

Every year Jon would invite me to his place in the Keys and every year either work or family obligations prevented me from making the trip. It wasn't until last year's Fly Fishing Retailer show in New Orleans that we had a chance to chase some redfish together. After a great day on the Bayou he insisted I make the trip to his place in the Keys for some permit fishing.

I'll never have the chance to make that trip, Jon passed away yesterday morning after a courageous battle with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and many friends. Jon was a true gentlemen, a great angler, and his legacy will live on in those of us he inspired to protect the fish he loved.

RIP

Mongo only pawn in game of life.

Republicans and the Environment

Russell Train, who led the Council on Environmental Quality under President Nixon and then the Environmental Protection Agency under Gerald Ford, died Monday, September 17. The New York Times in its obituary said that Mr. Train, "shaped the world’s first comprehensive program for scrubbing the skies and waters of pollution, ensuring the survival of ecologically significant plants and animals, and safeguarding citizens from exposure to toxic chemicals."

In 2004 Patagonia published an essay Train wrote that is as timely today as it was seven years ago.

I’ve been a Republican all my life. For eight years, under the administrations of Nixon and Ford, I was Undersecretary of Interior. I was the first Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality. I was the second head of the Environmental Protection Agency.

I list these things not to boast, but to establish both my credentials and my point of view when I say that the environmental clock is now running backwards. Environmental quality is a key determinant of the quality of our lives – of our health, the health of ecosystems, our economic well-being, even the security of our nation.

LINK (via:The Cleanest Line)

RIP - Neil Armstrong

My family took pictures of the images on our TV set when Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon.

Armstrong fishing in Iceland.

RIP Bonefish Folley

Born Israel Rolle, Bonefish Folley was a local celebrity in West End, Grand Bahama, where for more than 60 years he delighted in taking his clients on bonefish tours. Considered the master in his field, he appeared on numerous television shows and documentaries and has been featured by National Geographic.

LINK (via: Tribune242)

And he inspired a song.