Announcing the Winners of the 2012 Orvis Guide, Lodge, and Outfitter Awards!

Massachusetts-based striper specialist Capt. Kalil Boghdan was named 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide of the Year. photo by Tom Rosenbauer

For over twenty years, the Orvis Company has been recognizing excellence in sporting experiences through its Endorsed Lodges Outfitters and Guides (ELOG) program. Each endorsed operation has its own character, but all share the same high standards: great service, great fishing or wingshooting, and an experienced, professional staff. These standards of excellence are continually reviewed by the Orvis staff and evaluated by visiting guests in post-visit critiques sent directly to The Orvis Company. Orvis-Endorsed operations cater to every ability from beginners to experts.

“Every year here at Orvis we ask how we can possibly have a better selection of quality lodges than we do now, and every year we are gratified with an ever remarkable collection of lodges that make up the Orvis endorsed group,” explains David Perkins, Vice Chairman of Orvis. “The difficulty in choosing who to recognize is indicative of the quality of the people who are part of the program. The good news is that winners are selected as a result of the feedback from the people who matter most to all of us, and that is the customer. Each of these operations adhere to the highest Orvis standards for customer service, professionalism, commitment to conservation, and respect for our natural world as well as continue to be an example not only to their peers, but to us at Orvis as well.”

This year’s honorees were named at the Orvis Lodge Retreat in Key Largo, Florida, and at the Western Endorsed-Guide Rendezvous in Missoula, Montana. Join us in congratulating these individuals and organizations for a job well done, as judged by the toughest critics: their clients.

The 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide of the Year is Kalil Boghdan (above), a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain with over twenty-five years experience on Massachusetts’ Essex River and the waters of Crane Beach and Plum Island Sound. He earned his Ph.D. in biology and is a retired science teacher and principal. He is thoroughly versed in the behavior of striped bass and bluefish, as well as the natural history and ecology of the area. Conservation of our natural resources is very important to Kalil, and he is currently a member of several conservation and wildlife associations and serves or has served on their board of directors. Kalil is a past president of the Massachusetts Wildlife Federation.

Dave Danley, Spencer Higa, and Jason Danley (from left) of Falcon’s Ledge display the 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Lodge of the Year award. photo by Carol Ellis

The 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Lodge of the Year should be no stranger to OrvisNews.com readers. The folks at Falcons Ledge have provided us with many great pictures, videos, and stories over the last year. Set in a private 600-acre canyon, Falcon’s Ledge provides a bird’s eye view of the surrounding cliffs, stillwaters, and wildlife. Utah’s finest fly fishing on unpressured mountain freestone streams, blue-ribbon tailwaters, or trophy stillwaters is available within minutes of the lodge, and adventures are led by Orvis-endorsed guides and instructors. Falcon’s Ledge also won the 2001 Orvis Endorsed Fly-Fishing Lodge of the Year award.

Jamie Rouse (holding award) and his team pose with Orvis’s Dave Perkins and Jim Lepage after being named 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide Service of the Year. photo by Tom Rosenbauer

A guide service specializes in putting together custom trips and handling all the details, from lodging to fishing tackle. Our 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide Service of the Year, Jamie Rouse Fly-Fishing Adventures, is led by Jamie Rouse, who has 17 years of guiding experience in both Arkansas and Alaska. He and his team lead trips year-round for trophy trout on Arkansas’ famous rivers. Their trips to area lakes and streams provide exciting action for stripers, hybrids, smallmouth, largemouth and walleye all on a fly.

Damien Nurre of Deep Canyon Outfitters displays his 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Expedition of the Year award. photo by Tom Rosenbauer

Orvis Expeditions are caretakers of the wilderness, guardians, and ultimately teachers. They have an understanding of the importance of the wilderness and the fact that without it, life on this earth would be a poor proposition at best. By introducing their customers to this experience, they not only share it, but perhaps more importantly they give their clients a new love and respect for the wild. Our 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Expedition of the Year, Deep Canyon Outfitters, has over ten years experience in Central Oregon and specializes in one-day to five-day guided Oregon fly fishing trips on the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. They are the only Orvis-Endorsed operation on the Lower Deschutes.

Dave Leinweber and crew from Anglers Covey clearly enjoyed being named 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Outfitter of the Year. photo by Hannah Perkins

The very center of the fly-fishing business is the fly shop with resident guides. It offers not only the tools, but the expertise to help the fly angler enjoy his or her experience. The 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Fly Fishing Outfitter—Anglers Covey in Colorado Springs, Colorado—has been providing the services, products and expertise that enhance the experience of the fly fishing angler for over 30 years. Their state-of-the-art facility allows for inside casting when the weather is bad, as well as two casting ponds outside the store.

Buzz Cox received the first Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide Lifetime Achievement Award. photo by Tom Rosenbauer

“There are many who guide, but there are select groups who make it their life’s passion and excel over a period of many years,” explains David Perkins, Vice Chairman of Orvis. “This award goes to an individual that has dedicated his life to that of a professional guide and host. The career of Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Buzz Cox spans three decades and ranges from the Northeast to the Rocky Mountains. He has specialized not only in sharing the great outdoors with his guests, but he also teaches them to respect and honor natural resources. Whether it is sharing the secrets of a small stream, river or lake, or teaching the importance of safety in the field or on a mountain top, he has been a steward of conservation, professionalism and a lifestyle we all can admire.”