Meet the New Guy: Evan Jones

Work on the Orvis Fly Fishing blog began in April 2010, and the first post appeared on September 20 of that year. For more than eleven years, it’s been a mostly solo effort, but I’m happy to introduce our first assistant blog editor, Evan Jones. He comes to us with a breadth of fly-fishing experience in both fresh and salt water, as well as a history of writing about this sport we love. We’re excited to add a new voice to the Orvis Fly Fishing blog. Join me in welcoming Evan to the team.

You’ll be seeing his byline quite a bit from now on, so here’s a little bit about him:

Stats

From: Loveland, Colorado
Also lived in: Patagonia, Argentina (2 years) and Sarasota, Florida (12 years)
Home Waters: Big Thompson drainage/Sarasota Bay area
Also fished in: Alaska, Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Cayman Islands, Chile, Christmas Island, Hawaii, Mexico, and all over the continental US. 
Favorite fly: Renegade
Favorite fish: Snook

Background

My grandpa bought me a Mickey Mouse pole for my fifth birthday, and we used it to catch a big ol’ carp, which began my lifelong fascination with fishing. In college at CU Boulder, I fell in with a group of fly-fishing guides who often invited me on their personal trips, and we floated all over the West while they slowly brought my skills up to par.

Eventually fly-fishing began taking over my life, until one day I quit my job, sold most of my stuff, and bought a one-way ticket down to Argentina. That adventure spanned more than two years and culminated in the publishing of a guidebook on the region that remains popular today. I then moved to Sarasota, Florida, where I spent the next decade learning how to fish saltwater while heading up the largest fly-fishing club in the state and working at a nearby college teaching an “Intro to Fly-Fishing” course for adults.

Recently, I moved back to my home state of Colorado, where I’ve been guiding and teaching for a few old friends, and now writing about my favorite subject for many new ones.