Brown Trout SquareTop Oar

Ty Hallock is a Fishing Guide for Ugly Bug Fly Shop in Casper, Wyoming with a passion for art. Being up close and personal with wildlife gives Ty his inspiration which includes customizing fly boxes and Yeti coolers.

Q & A with Ty Hallock

What was the inspiration for your Artisan Series design, and why is that species of fish meaningful to you?

So I drew a Brown Trout. Not really a fish that people think about when talking about salmon and steelhead. However, I thought this might help bring in people outside the PNW. I live in Casper, Wyoming where I am a guide on the North Platte River. The Brown Trout in this river are few and far between. Like catching a salmon or steelhead in the PNW. They are known as the rare purple unicorns of the Platte! Rare and very hard to find! I absolutely love trying to catch these fish. They are all very different and each of them are unique. Spots and coloration are always different in these fish and people come from all over to try and catch these bad boys. I draw a lot of these fish for clients and are always a good seller. They are by far my favorite fish to catch and draw.

Salmon and Steelhead are iconic species in the PNW. What do you want people that aren’t familiar with the efforts to save them to know about the work and your art being done on their behalf?

Even though I drew a Brown Trout for the Artisan Series Salmon and steelhead have a special place in my heart. I was a pretty serious fly fisherman when I moved to the Columbia River area in 2002. I instantly fell in love with the area and all the fish found in this amazing place. I was living alone when I first moved to the area. I fished everyday for three months until my wife could join me from California. It took me a long time to catch any steelhead but once I did it increased my passion for fly fishing. I noticed some issues while fishing all the areas around hood river. I was working for USGS tracking salmon through this river system. The dams had/have passage issues and it was great being apart of this tracking to help identify problem areas in the Columbia. I always want to do more to help but never really know what to do. I give art to many different agencies that help protect and help preserve habitat for many fish species. To have my art help these iconic species is a true honor and I am happy to help!

For more info on Ty and his artwork visit tyoutdoors.com

Pacific Rivers

A percentage of each oar sale supports Pacific Rivers' mission to protect and restore the watershed ecosystems of the West to ensure river health, biodiversity and clean water for present and future generations.

Learn more at www.pacificrivers.org.