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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Book captures Idaho fly-fishing scenes

The Spokesman-Review

KETCHUM, Idaho — Randy Ashton did the impossible for a fly fisherman. He spent a year on the road going from one Idaho trout stream to another without casting his line in the water.

But he has a gorgeous new coffee table book to show for it. And, in the process, he found a peace he thought at first would be unattainable.

“It was hard not to fish but I learned that fly-fishing is as beautiful to watch as it is to do. Sitting on the bank watching others and photographing them became very enjoyable for me,” he says.

Ashton, who lives in the Wood River Valley, signed copies of his new book, “Fly Fishing in Idaho,” recently at a Ketchum bookstore. The book, which sells for $35, was published locally by Stoecklein Photography and Publishing.

David Stoecklein, who has photographed more than two dozen coffee table books of his own on cowboys and cowgirls, cow dogs and cow horses, had seen pictures Ashton had taken for the North Atlantic Salmon Fund and asked if Ashton would be interested in doing the book since he didn’t have time to do it.

Ashton, who has lived in Ketchum for five years, jumped at the opportunity, even though it meant spending a year on the road, living in a tent and covering thousands of miles of dirt roads behind the steering wheel, on horseback and on foot.

It seemed the perfect fit for a youngster who had been the one who carried the camera around on family vacations to Nantucket and Jackson, Wyo., before going on to work at F-Stop and study at the Brooks Institute of Photography.

“My father, who bought a house here with my mother eight years ago, has been fishing ever since I can remember,” said the 28-year-old photographer. “Just knowing about the sport, I thought this would be a good way to create a platform for my photography as I start to take pictures of mountain biking, skiing and other outdoor activities.”

The 167-page book features pictures of morning mists and evening campfires, along with stunning backdrops like Mesa Falls of Henry’s Fork and the uncanny blue waters of Wildhorse Creek in the Copper Basin.

It features close ups of brown trout and mayflies and wide angles of such fishing meccas as the South Fork of the Snake River.

It features summer fishing at Silver Creek and winter fishing along the Big Wood River.

And it features a history of fly fishing in Idaho and descriptions of Idaho’s fishing waters — although it doesn’t go so far as to reveal any secret fishing holes.

Ashton, who attended boarding school in Connecticut before pursuing a history degree at Hampton Community College, likens Idaho to the Eden of fly fishing.

“Idaho is an absolutely amazing state with amazing people and amazing scenery. And the outfitters were wonderful about showing me the perfect places to shoot fishing pictures.”

Ashton said he was not prepared for the grandeur he encountered as he photographed 400 rivers — all beautiful and all different, each with their own personalities.

In particular, he fell in love with Kelly Creek, a catch-and release stream in north-central Idaho that’s “in the middle of nowhere.”

“It’s a slice of paradise, situated into the mountains and flowing into the North Fork of the Clearwater,” he said.

Ashton said many of the fly fishing images out there have gotten stale. He worked hard to create new ones, with the help of Stoecklein, who suggested different shooting angles and ways to get fishermen to relax while maintaining the integrity of the photos.

“It’s the image I’m in love with,” said Ashton. “And I’m also trying to preserve the past for a better future. That’s why I shot pictures for the North Atlantic Salmon Fund, which rescues salmon from commercial overfishing. And that’s one of the reasons I shot pictures for this book.”