History
In the late 90s during the dot com gold rush, NWTrout.com was established with the goal of being a fly fishing resource for residents of and visitors to the northwest United States. With time and resources it was hoped NWTrout.com would quickly grow into a thriving, free, fly fishing-related web site. However, time quickly became a premium and resources were nonexistent. In the early days NWTrout.com would move along slowly, rarely being updated except for the occasional moves to more stable web servers and photos of trips and outings

In the fall of 2000, we registered the full NorthWestTrout.com name. Content was also added - first and foremost listings of fly shops in the region.  This was followed by links to gear manufacturers and we began adding links to fishing related news in the region.

In mid-2002, the site underwent a complete redesign and was re-launched in its current format.

Who, What and Why?
Since the re-launch in late 2002, a number of visitors have emailed NorthWestTrout.com asking variations on these simply questions. As we continue grow, add content and refine our direction, we wanted to take some time to answer these questions and explain the goals of the website. Our masthead reflects the main purpose of this site – to inform visitors, promote conservation and educate. These goals help define and direct our ongoing efforts.

Information - Knowledge of specific events or situations that has been gathered or received by communication; intelligence or news

It’s rare that a fly fisher ventures out to the water with looking first for information. Be it the levels of a river, the likely patterns and hatches, the weather or regulations, information is usually first on the list for a successful outing. To that end, NorthWestTrout.com’s Shops section has numerous links to fly shops in the region. The local fly shop is our “encyclopedia.” The folks that own and work in the fly shops are some of the most knowledgeable people on fly-fishing. We look to them, support them and promote them as their success directly impacts our fishing success.

One could spend all day searching the region for fishing related news. We know this because we try to do this. We review the many newspapers from our region for articles on fly-fishing, environmental news, state regulation changes and more – anything with a connection to fly-fishing. The results are compiled and highlighted on the News section of the site. By providing links to these stories we hope to help keep people up-to-date on news in our region.

Also, the Gear page includes links to many of the top and popular gear manufacturers – from rods and reels to waders and boats. This allows visitors to read, review and compare the various offerings and make an informed buying decision when its time for that 4-piece 5 weight rod and large arbor reel from their local shop.

Additionally the Gear page includes links to fly-fishing groups and clubs along with state and federal agencies such as Fish and Wildlife offices and the US Geological Survey’s River gauge pages.

The more information, the better equipped we are to make decisions.

Conservation - Preservation or restoration from loss, damage, or neglect

The northwest region of the United States is arguably one of the most beautiful areas in the lower 48 states. It comprises a literal laundry list of natural variety: rugged coast lines and sandy beaches, mighty rivers like the Columbia, Snake and Salmon along with their tributaries; the picturesque mountain ranges such as the Olympic, Cascade, Bitteroot, Lemhi, Beartooth, and the Gallatin; rain forests; alpine and high desert lakes; along with wide open plains. It’s a bewildering at times when you look around to see the waste and lack of concern of shown by some residents and visitors to the northwest.

By promoting conservation minded groups such as Trout Unlimited, the Federation of Fly Fishers and the Save Our Wild Salmon and participating in theirs and others efforts, we hope to raise awareness to just how important caring for our region is – and not just for fishing but for all outdoor recreation opportunities.

Education  - The knowledge or skill obtained or developed by a learning process.

Maybe as the son of a teacher, it must be somehow coded in my genes the importance of education. The Irish-born poet W. B. Yeats said about education “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” I always find joy in watching a person hook a fish on a fly for the first time. You can see a variety of emotions on their face - excitement, fear, and pride - as they bring the fish to hand.

Education comes in many forms. The one we often will employ is story telling. Listening or reading the tales of others is a great way to learn. Not long ago in a fly shop, I watched two complete strangers begin talking about fishing and discussing an outing in Idaho that was weeks away. One had already been on the particular river. The other was heading there shortly. They talked hatches, runs, riffles, and gear setups. As information was shared and knowledge gained, both became more excited about the prospects of hitting the water. It was education, pure and simple.

So by telling our stories, and sharing those of others, we hope to educate and light that fire.

Who We Are

At the core we are long time friends and family with a common interest in fly-fishing. In some instances our normal work and family lives pull us away from the water. In others, they afford us more and better opportunities. In that regard we are like many of our readers – we’d rather be fishing than at work. NorthWestTrout.com helps stoke and maintain our passion in fly-fishing. It’s not a true business, rather another fly-fishing related interest or hobby. It allows us to combine our enjoyment of fly-fishing with our technical and journalism skills and share that with a wide audience. It keeps us “on the water” in our minds. We fully realize that there are numerous web sites just like ours devoted to the sport. The more voices the better. As NorthWestTrout.com continues to mature, our hope is it will keep growing into an important resource for the fly-fishing community.

If you have any questions, comments or would care to contribute to our efforts, please contact us via email.

Fish on…

-John F. Comes & the rest of the NorthWestTrout.com Team