The Conservation Angler

Who else is counting down the days until there are cooler temps and some good precipitation?

Photo: Dave McCoy Photography

Captivating colors on a gorgeous Pacific Northwest steelhead.

Photo: Dave McCoy Photography

Meet Ed Fuhrken, owner of Waters West Fly Fishing Outfitters in Port Angeles and one of the newest Ambassadors for The Conservation Angler.

Ed’s connection to fish started early. Growing up in northern Mexico, he fished bass lakes with his father and made occasional trips to the coast. At age 11, he traveled north to Oregon and caught his first steelhead. Like so many of us, that fish changed something.

For years, fishing had to share space with another life. Ed built a career as a software engineer in Silicon Valley, but the pull of rivers eventually brought him back to the water. After moving to Washington, he learned that Waters West, his favorite fly shop, might close if a new owner could not be found. So he made the leap, left the technology world behind, and has owned and operated Waters West since 2018.

Today, Waters West is the Olympic Peninsula’s only fly shop and a gathering place for anglers chasing winter steelhead, Chinook, coho, sea-run cutthroat, and coastal beach fisheries. But Ed’s work is about more than flies and gear. It is about helping anglers understand fish, rivers, regulations, restraint, and responsibility.

At the shop counter, Ed teaches conservation one conversation at a time. He helps new steelhead anglers understand why wild fish matter, encourages careful fish handling, supports the release of wild salmon, and runs a swung-fly-only guide service to honor Olympic Peninsula tradition while limiting impact on the fishery.

Ed is a shop owner, angler, fly tier, conservation advocate, and trusted local voice in one of the most important wild steelhead regions in the lower 48.

We are honored to welcome Ed Fuhrken as a TCA Ambassador.

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Is it too early to be eagerly awaiting winter?!

Photo: Dave McCoy Photography

The Conservation Angler is proud to welcome Kyle Ostenson of Vancouver, Washington, to TCA’s Ambassador Program.
Kyle is a dentist, lifelong fly angler, former fisheries student, father, and wild fish advocate whose connection to steelhead began on the Washougal River. He learned to fly fish and tie flies there at age eleven, spending time at his family’s cabin and growing up in a river community shaped by anglers who believed wild fish deserved attention, respect, and protection.
That ethic runs deep. Kyle’s father, Gary Ostenson, is a longtime angler and river advocate with strong ties to the Washougal, Clark Skamania Flyfishers, and John McMillan’s father, Bill McMillan. Those relationships helped shape a generational understanding that fishing is not just about catching fish. It is also about learning from rivers and giving something back.

Kyle later earned an honors degree in Aquatic and Fisheries Science from the University of Washington before receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Indiana University. He guided on Alaska’s Alagnak River during college and has since pursued steelhead across Kamchatka, the Aleutian Islands, British Columbia, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California.
“Kyle grew up in a family and river community where fishing was never just about catching fish,” said TCA President John McMillan. “He carries that ethic forward in a way that fits perfectly with where TCA is headed.”

As an Ambassador, Kyle will help TCA connect anglers to wild fish conservation, support our angler science model, and strengthen the river community needed to protect wild steelhead across the Pacific Rim.

Welcome to TCA, Kyle.

theconservationangler.org/people

Nothing says optimism more than a two-handed rod and an underwater housing.

Photo: Dave McCoy Photography

Spending countless hours on the water in search of wild steelhead and salmon, anglers and guides are invaluable resources for scientists for collecting data and reporting on what is happening in the field. That is why anglers and guides are important partners for us in our efforts to use science to protect these fish and their home waters.

Photo: Guideline

Colorful cheeks on a beautiful Pacific Northwest steelhead ...

Photo: Dave McCoy Photography

Offseason activities.

Photos: Dave McCoy Photography