Jimmy Gabettas

Age: 49
Years in eastern Idaho: 24
Years spent fly fishing: 31
Favorite type of fishing: Sight fishing for anything
Favorite spot for an afternoon: Hiking and fishing a creek somewhere
Favorite spot for a weeklong trip: Camping from a drift boat on the lower Deschutes River or the lower Salmon River.
How many years spent fly tying: 30
Favorite pattern: Everything John Stenersen tells me to fish with.
Favorite fishing book: Fishermen’s Bounty, edited by Nick Lyons
The perfect fishing partner is:Anyone who enjoys just being out there and not in a hurry to get home when the fishing gets slow.
Favorite rod: 9-foot, 6 wt Sage z-axis 4 piece
Favorite reel: Lamson/Waterworks F3
Awards: Sucker snagging award won decisively in 1984. Successfully defended in 1985, 1986 and 1987.
Favorite fishing memory: About 7 a.m. on Aug. 5, 1977. I hooked and landed my first steelhead on the Deschutes River.
Worst experience: Ripping a gapping hole in the side of my drift boat in a rapid below American Falls Reservoir.
Dry flies or nymphs: Dries.
Steelhead or trout: Day in and day out, it is trout, but in the late summer and fall it is steelhead.
Most exotic place you’ve fished: Some unnamed river in southern Brazil for Dorado.
Place you want to go next: Tierra Del Fuego
Years with TU/FFF: 23
Proudest accomplishment: After 37 years of blissful bachelorhood, I married a wonderful woman who likes to fish and camp more than I do.
Idea of a perfect day: The second day of an extended trip when I’m not rushed.
If you could fish with one person — alive or dead -who would it be? Robert Traver. His stories always describe all the other reasons you go fishing besides just catching fish.
Most embarrassing moment on a river: Every time I try to back my truck and boat trailer down a boat ramp.
Who would you want in a bikini in your boat Angelina Jolie or Helen Hunt? Who are they and what team do they play for?
Number of days fishing last year: 35

———–

Jim Gabettas

Age: 75
Years in eastern Idaho: 54
Years spent fly fishing: 55
Favorite type of fishing: Dry flies and nymphs
Favorite spot for an afternoon: Lower Henry’s Fork
Favorite spot for a weeklong trip: Steelhead fishing on the lower Deschutes.
How many years spent fly tying: 35
Favorite pattern: Sparkle duns and soft hackles
Favorite fishing book: The River Why by David James Duncan
Favorite rod: Sage SP, 9 foot, 6 weight
Favorite reel: Lamson Waterworks, Litespeed
Favorite fishing memory: Fishing Silver Creek in the 1960s
Dry flies or nymphs: Dry flies
Steelhead or trout: Trout
Most exotic place you’ve fished: Patagonia
Place you want to go next: Tierra Del Feugo
Years with TU/FFF: 20
Idea of a perfect day: A good hatch, lots of feeding trout. 75 degrees and no wind.
If you could fish with one person — alive or dead — it would be: Lee Wulff
Most embarrassing moment on a river: I buried a No. 4 stonefly nymph in my eyebrow while fishing in Box Canyon
Who would you want in a bikini in your boat: Angelina Jolie or Helen Hunt: Either one. I’m not particular.
Number of days fishing last year: 30
Favorite fishing partner: My son, Jimmy.

————-

Bruce Staples

Age: 63
Years in eastern Idaho: 38
Years spent fly fishing: 32
Favorite type of fishing: Big fish in small waters
Favorite spot for an afternoon: Anywhere in Yellowstone National Park’s Fall River Basin.
Favorite spot for a weeklong trip: Kodiak Island for steelhead and fresh silver salmon.
How many years spent fly tying: 30
Favorite pattern: A dry muddler
Favorite fishing book: Any of Charlie Brook’s six books
The perfect fishing partner is: Anybody with skills, a high appreciation for fly-fishing and a low number of unbelievable stories
Favorite rod: Any fast-action 6-weight
Favorite reel: Pfleuger Medalist made before 1985
Awards: 2001 Buz Buszek Memorial Award for fly tying excellence, Federation of Fly Fishers Charlie Brooks Life Award, WRMC Fly Tier of the Year Award in 1990
Favorite fishing memory: A 30-inch rainbow on a dry fly.
Worst experience: Dunking a camera
Dry flies or nymphs: Dries!! Dries!! Dries!!
Steelhead or trout: Trout: you can fish for them year-round
Most exotic place you’ve fished: Roberts Gravel Pond
Place you want to go next: Smith’s Fork of the Bear River
Favorite fishing T-shirt: “The more I talk about it, the bigger it gets.”
Years with TU/FFF: 20
Proudest accomplishment: Recognizing the accomplishments of other anglers and tiers.
Idea of a perfect day: Good fishing, good company, good food and good drink.
Beer or whiskey: Red, Red Wine.
If you could fish with one person — alive or dead — it would be: My Uncle Joe who tried to instill fly-fishing in my teen-age bait-fishing years.
Most embarrassing moment on a river: Hooking someone on my back cast.
Who would you want in a bikini in your boat; Angelina Jolie or Helen Hunt? Rosie O’Donnell in a bikini would be less of a distraction to my fishing.
Number of days fishing last year: 40
Favorite fishing partner: Mrs. Staples when she decides to go.

———–
Tim Woodard

Age: 29

Years in eastern Idaho: 9

Years spent fly fishing: 12

Favorite type of fishing: Sight Fishing.

Favorite spot for an afternoon: Robinson Creek

Favorite spot for a week long trip: If  I got a whole week to do nothing but fish, I would be happy anywhere!

How many years spent fly tying: 7

Favorite pattern: Depends on the hatch

Favorite fishing book: The Earth is Enough: by Harry Middleton

The perfect fishing partner is: Moose, my Golden Retriever

Favorite rod: Sage 590-4 Z-Axis

Favorite reel: Lamson Velocity

Beer or Whiskey: I don’t drink… But if I did? It would be Beer!

Favorite fishing memory: Catching my first Steelhead on Halloween 08. I was fishing on the Salmon River, it was my first day Steelhead fishing ever! I caught it on my spey rod with a fly I tied… Freaking Awesome!

Worst experience: Motoring down the canyon of the South Fork while it was snowing really hard in a drift boat. I hit a riffle and lost the motor in the river. Then I had to row out 17 miles to Byington with my wife, wet cold, miserable, and not happy, at all! She was right; it was going to snow that day. We were engaged at the time and she still married me.

Dry flies or nymphs: Dries

Steelhead or trout: I’m becoming fascinated with andromonous fish, but I love to catch Trout!

Most exotic place you’ve fished: A secret high mountain Idaho lake hosting golden trout

Place you want to go next: I want to catch Rooster Fish in the Baja

Proudest accomplishment: Graduating from College

Idea of a perfect day: One of two things: A blue bird powder day in the Tetons, with my snowboarding buddies, and no one else to track up the snow, or some friends and I fishing with a good hatch, and no one else in sight. (you asked for perfect not realistic)

If you could fish with one person — alive or dead -who would it be: My Grandma Woodard.  She taught me how to fish when I was little, but she never learned to fly fish. She is directly responsible for obsession for fly fishing because she gave me my first fly rod as a gift.

Most embarrassing moment on a river: I had finished bathing nude in the South Fork Canyon, and I didn’t notice the drift boat coming down the river full of middle aged ladies.

What Famous person would you want to fish with: WIll Ferrell or Jack Black

Number of Days Fishing last Year: If you ask my wife this question she will tell you “Too many!” Including my guided trips for work around 175…I think?…I really don’t know…I fish a lot!

——–

Rollin Towler

Age: 18

Years in Eastern Idaho: 18

Years Spent Fly Fishing: 13

Favorite type of fishing: Streamer Fishing

Favorite spot for an afternoon float: Wolf to Heise on the South Fork of the Snake RIver

Favorite spot for a weeklong trip: Alsaka

How May Years spent Fly Tying: 3

Favorite Pattern: Clouser Minnow, or a Parachute Hopper

Favorite Fishing Book: I don’ read books

Favorite Rod: Sage 590 XP

Favorite Reel: Lamson Litespeed

Favorite Fishing Memory: King Salmon fishing in Alaska with my Dad and catching fish on my fly rod.

Worst Experience on the River: Rowing all day and wasn’t allowed to fish.

Dries of Nymphs: Dries

Steelhead of Trout: Trout

Most exotic place you have fished: Alaska

Place you want to go next: Chile

Proudest Accomplishment: Out fishing my father… Mike Towler!

Idea of a perfect day: Overcast with no one on the river, and throwing streamers

If yo could fish with one person dead or alive, who would it be: My Dad

Most embarrassing moment on the river: Breaking my fly rod on a whitefish

What famous person would you want to fish with all day: Jimmy Gabettas

What hot chick would you want to take fishing: Edyta Sliwinska…Hottest dancer from “Dancing with the Stars”

Number of days fishing last year: 50

———-

Tom Banyas

Age: 54

Years in Eastern Idaho:31

Years Spent Fly Fishing:30

Favorite type of fishing: Stillwater

Favorite spot for an afternoon:Springfield Reservoir

Favorite spot for a weeklong trip:Yellowstone Park

How May Years spent Fly Tying:25

Favorite Pattern: Dry Damsel Fly

Favorite Fishing Book: I can only read music

Favorite Rod: Sage 690 XP

Favorite Reel: Lamson Litespeed- of course

Awards: FFF Rocky Mtn Council Man of the Year 2007, Simplot Outstanding Teacher Award 1999

Favorite Fishing Memory: Always fishing in Yellowstone Park

Worst Experience on the River: I was up in Montana by the Slide-Inn on the Madison river and I left my fly rod on top of my truck and drove off. This was after I had my back window shattered by a rock that had been kicked up by a passing car. The total estimated cost of this trip was around $800.

Dries of Nymphs:whatever catches fish

Steelhead of Trout: Mostly Trout

Most exotic place you have fished:San Juan Islands, Washington

Place you want to go next: Alaska

Years with TU/FFF: On and off for the last 10 years

Proudest Accomplishment: Teaching middle school kids how to fish and appreciate what they have here in Idaho.

Idea of a perfect day: Big Lake fish actively sipping callibaetis, with now win.

If you could fish with one person dead or alive, who would it be: Dave Whitworth…He brings the cornuts

Most embarrassing moment on the river: don’t really have any

What famous person would you want to fish with all day: Richard Dean Andersen (Macgyver)

Number of days fishing last year: About 70

——

Everet Evans

Age: 20

Years in eastern Idaho: Since I was born

Years spent fly fishing: 17

Favorite type of fishing: Streamers

Favorite spot for an afternoon: Gifford Springs

Favorite spot for a weeklong trip: Fishing for Steelhead on the Salmon

How many years spent fly tying: 13

Favorite pattern: Modified version of Barr’s Slumpbuster

Favorite fishing book: The Old Man and the Sea

Favorite rod: Sage Xi3 8wt

Favorite reel: Loop Opti Speedrunner

Favorite fishing memory: Any memory catching big fish

Worst experience: Leaving my expensive net and rod on the bank and losing it, or leaving my pontoon on the bank for five minutes and having it stolen.

Dry flies or nymphs: Nymphs

Steelhead or trout: Carp or Bass?

Most exotic place you’ve fished: The Henrys Fork

Place you want to go next: South American to catch Animara

Years with TU/FFF: 9

Proudest accomplishment: Working at Jimmys!

Idea of a perfect day: Fishing a rocky shore loaded with aggressive smallmouth

If you could fish with one person — alive or dead -who would it be? My Grandpas

Most embarrassing moment on the river: Any of the times I took a swim!

What famous person would you want to fish with all day: Brian Chan

Number of days fishing last year: ??? A lot