Meet the Winner of our $500 Gift Card Sweepstakes

A recent transplant to Southern California, our winner plans to spend some dough on saltwater gear.
Photo by Jason Cauwels

More than 3,100 people took part in our latest giveaway, and our randomly selected winner of a $500 Orvis Gift Card is Jason Cauwels of Valencia, California. I asked Jason to give us a description of his fly-fishing life, and here’s what he sent:

I started fly fishing a few years ago and was mostly going to small spring creeks in Wisconsin and Iowa in the Driftless Region, until I started fishing for small- and largemouth bass around my home in Chicago – sometimes you just can’t get away.
I now live in Southern California, which especially with our drought, has a limited window on stream fishing in the winters. I am still trying to get up to Hot Creek and King’s Canyon, but with two young boys, I need to make the drive time shorter to keep them interested in fishing.

I’m really looking forward to trying some saltwater shore fishing, so I can get out more often and not have to drive to the Sierras each time I get a fishing itch (which is nearly twice a week – thank god for fly tying).

Attached is a picture of me fishing on the Eagle River in Avon, Colorado, when my best friend lived there.

Thanks to all who entered the sweepstakes. We’ll be launching another in the near future, so stay tuned. . .