Here’s the second part of yesterday’s People in Fly Fishing post – the rest of the 10 question interview with Ivan Orsic, the man behind the Yukon Goes Fishing blog and vids.
Read part one here if you missed it yesterday…image credit to friend of Ivan Laura Verhaeghe.
Tell us a bit about that Alaska trip that opened your eyes to the world of fly fishing?
My grandmother took our family on a cruise ship tour of Alaska. During a stop in Skagway, my dad booked a half-day fly fishing trip that would take us to B.C. to fish for grayling. I remember the excitement building exponentially as the half-hour car ride passed. After a brisk boat ride, we were shin deep in a tiny stream that connected two lakes throwing flies in the general vicinity of some grayling. I think it was the rush of the surface take combined with the rhythm (albeit somewhat poor at the time) of the casting stroke that I really connected with. That, and the fish, the surroundings, the water and all that jazz. Oh, and my sister outfished me. Maybe it was my competitive nature, that drove me into fly fishing so I could outfish my sister, some ten years later.
That’s an impressive list of rivers to fish listed there on YGF – what’s on schedule for November?
November. The mighty mighty Madison River for some post spawn Brown Troutz. Maybe a final trip to the Big Hole. Then, some local rivers. Rock Creek with a dash of the Bitterroot.
You’re developing a genuine fan base around your vids; how did you get started shooting and editing these shorts?
I have always been a visual person. Writing well with ease has never been my strong suit. When I originally started YGF, I wanted to share my newly discovered passion for fly fishing with my family and friends. I figured I could share my stories with them more effectively through the visual medium. I started shooting with a Flip Ultra HD and edited the videos in iMovie.
Camera and editing software?
I am on a graduate student budget right now, so I am lucky to have a GoPro Hero HD. I know there are a lot of people who aren’t the biggest fans of GoPros. For my purposes, they are perfect. They are sturdy, small, and mountable. Combine those traits with wide angle lens, I am able to capture a great deal of material when self shooting. While I would love to move on to a more professional camera, but I am out there to fish. Shooting video is secondary. It would be hard to set down the fly rod completely and just shoot all day.
Currently, I edit my videos in Final Cut Express, but I am starting to mess around with Adobe After Effects. I have heard good things about AE.
If you could encourage fly fishers to do just one thing in terms of stewardship this next year, what would that be?
I think education is key. Like the old NBC saying goes, “The more you know.” (Cue the shooting stars across the screen.). Educate yourself about issues facing watersheds on the local, national, and global scales. There is more than just the Pebble Mine.
Tags: People of Fly Fishing
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Well done. YGF is the standard for video blogging, so it is very cool to see the attention he is getting for his excellent videos.
Great stuff. Awesome to see YGF getting the attention it deserves. YGF and Chi both of you keep up the good work.
I am a recent ‘convert’ to fly fishing and have very much enjoyed YGFs videos. I think I can safely say I’m not the only one in cyberspace who looks forward to when the newest one is released! Nice interview…always fun to ‘get to know’ a little more of a person’s journey. Keep it up Prospector!
Nifty name for your blog Jen….