We’re back today with the second installment of our interview with artist and fly fisher Ethan Markie of Bozeman. See Part 1 here if you missed it yesterday, or just scroll down below.
What do you consider your home water and what about it keeps you coming back time after time?
The Madison. Hands down. Or the Yellowstone? Maybe the Gallatin? Damn, hard question. The diversity of the Madison River is hard to beat for me. From a classic tailwater feeling below either of its two dams, to the fast feisty pocket water stretches of the upper wade area, to the braided channels of the Ennis stretch, I love it. The more waters I am fortunate enough to fish, the more I realize that each and every fishery has something unique and special to offer. I am spoiled out here, but I hope to reconnect with some of my old stomping grounds someday soon back in New England. It would be really neat to eventually team E Markie Art up with some of the places that sparked the original passion back in the day, and maybe work with local conservation and education groups close to my roots in Southern New England.
You live in one of the epicenters of the fly fishing scene in the Lower 48; what do you like best, and least, about fly fishing out of Bozeman?
The best part about fishing in Bozeman and Montana in general is our ability to access water. It is probably the number one reason I live in this state. The river channel is considered public land, allowing anglers to travel upstream and downstream away from the point of access. This really helps spread anglers out and helps preserve the solitude feeling most seek out on the water. It also opens up endless possibilities for exploring new stretches of water. In the the 9 years I have lived here I am just starting to scratch the surface of all the amazing water this state has to offer. It is more than one could cover in 3 lifetimes.
What do I like the least? You get spoiled out here. I try not to ever take it for granted and to always see the positives of any fishing situation abroad. It is easy to become accustomed to wild trout and miles of water. I would like to always stay humble and remember that if it were not for stocked trout and put-and-take fisheries growing up, (and I dearly miss the lily pad covered largemouth bass ponds of Connecticut) I may have never developed the passions and life I have so far. Every fishery no matter where it is has something unique to offer. Even if you are fishing for carp out of city park in some big metropolitan area, you are still enjoying time outdoors and somehow connecting to your wild surroundings. I think that is what it’s all about.
Who are some of the artists you follow and how has their work inspired and encouraged you?
It is tough to think of an original idea that someone hasn’t already painted. It is also impossible not to be somehow influenced or inspired by all of the other great artists out there. I think leaning on that inspiration and blending it with personal experience and style is what leads to new polished ideas.
I definitely am a hardcore Derek DeYoung fan (no big surprise there) and that was probably a big part of my desire to tweak colors and and attempt to make them pop off the page. He is by far and always will be one of the original gangsters of the fish art world and am thankful to have met him in person several times.
Another cool source of inspiration and support has come through a more local group of artist peers. Creative people who live in Bozeman, have seen your art, or maybe are at a similar stage in their art career have been super supportive and encouraging, and I hope I can reciprocate that back to them.
What’s on your art bucket list for the next 5-10 years? How about your fly fishing bucket list?
I’d love to tackle a mural at some point. I love painting in a scale large enough to cut in a lot of detail. Painting a mural on such a large scale would be a new challenge and fun to put together.
Partnering with more conservation focused groups would be a big part of the long term plan for E Markie Art. I want to connect with more groups and work together to help raise awareness and funding for wild spaces. Stream restoration has been of particular interest to me, so I’m hoping to build bridges in that direction.
As for the fly fishing bucket list, I just want to continue to see new places and new fisheries. Wild, urban, or somewhere in between, fishing has always been my best excuse to travel and explore, and I hope to continue to grow that aspect of my life in the future.
If you could encourage fly fishers to do just one thing in terms of stewardship this next year, what would that be?
There are so many worthy causes and directions this question can go. From protection, to preservation, conservation, youth education, and public access, many things need attention in order to show future generations similar experiences outdoors.
For me personally, stream restoration hits close to heart. Growing up in Connecticut, wild trout were hard to come by. Some of my favorite memories of trout fishing back east were stalking up on small streams that had been classified as “wild trout management areas”. These areas were set aside to provide habitat for wild brook trout. They also were eligible for special funding to restore damaged areas of streams to encourage trout to live there. Basically these streams were brought back to a natural state through stream restoration projects. As much as I loved and still do enjoy chasing stocked trout, there was something extra special about fishing these tiny little natural waterways. It seemed more pure in a way.
Even out in Montana we see stream restoration in action. Projects include culvert replacement under roads to allow for fish passage, or working with private landowners to fund restoration projects on tributary streams to our larger rivers. All of these smaller projects work together to ultimately promote healthy ecosystems.
Stream restoration also seems to be fairly bi-partisan. Most people can get behind it and see the long term benefit. It can be equally important in both rural and urban areas, and the effects can be studied and tracked. To me, this is an area I personally enjoy and believe in. In Montana, a lot of the funding comes through fishing license sales and non-profit organizations.
Other than that I would just say respect the outdoors, and inspire others to do the same. Take time to introduce someone new to fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, camping, anything. The more people that care about wild spaces, the bigger the voice to help stand up for them.
Many thanks to Ethan for taking time out his busy schedule to share a bit with us here. Please visit his site and enjoy his work…
