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Welcome to our second “Trout Bum of the Week” post, in which we’ll highlight one of the guys living the good life…of a sort. Most of them are guides who have turned their passion into a vocation, spending their time in an outdoor “office” that may include a drift boat, gorgeous mountain scenery, and crystal clear water. Others do have day jobs but manage to spend every other available minute on the water with a fly rod in hand. Whether you aspire to one lifestyle of the other, it’s illuminating to explore the different paths these men and women have taken on their way to achieving “trout bum” status. Plus, if you leave a comment below the post, you can qualify to win a FREE shirt from our new Trout Bum Collection.
Bryan Eldredge has been fly fishing since 1974, and he works as a guide at Falcon’s Ledge Lodge in Altamont, Utah, in the foothills of the Uinta Mountains. But he isn’t you average Trout Bum, by any stretch of the imagination. One clue is the three letters that often appear after his name: PhD. When he’s not on the water, Bryan is a professor and coordinator of the American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Program at Utah Valley University.
One of the things Bryan loves about guiding is that it brings together his favorite pastime, fly fishing, and his mission in life, teaching. He’s managed to bring his love of fly fishing and professional expertise together even more concretely in a remarkable series of fly-fishing how-to videos for the deaf. Check out Bryan’s “Sight Casts” series on DeafTV. Here’s the Youtube trailer:
UPDATE: To see episodes of “Sight Casts,” check out the show’s page on DeafTV.
We asked Bryan a series of questions about his favorite sport, and here are his replies:
When did you start fly fishing? 1974.
What’s your favorite water? Southern slope of the Uinta Mountains.
What’s your favorite type of fly fishing? Sight-fishing to trout with a dry-and-dropper set up..
What’s your most memorable fly-fishing moment? Catching a six-inch cutthroat on a Renegade when I was eight years old. My mom and dad were following, and they both cheered..
What do you love most about fly fishing? The concentration of the hunt, topped off by the adrenaline of the take.
What’s your favorite piece of gear and why? The Helios 864 Mid-Flex. It’s the bomb!
What’s your next dream destination? Baja for roosterfish.
Remember: Leave a comment below, and you could win a Jackson Cowboy Shirt from our new Trout Bum Collection. We’ll pick a winner at random on Friday, April 15!
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