At the turn of the 20th century a handful of pioneers carried their fly rods into California’s remote north coast and gave birth to a culture that would revolutionize their sport. For a select few, steelhead fly fishing became an obsessive pursuit without compromise.
Leading the pack was the mythical, Bill Schaadt, an off-kilter angler famous for his ruthless pursuit to be “in the fish”. The new endeavor was littered with unchecked passions and bitter tears, where the last thing you did was bring someone new to the party.
By the early 1980’s the Golden State’s coastal fisheries found themselves caught in a spiraling decline. As California searched for it’s disappearing salmon and steelhead, these men foraged for their souls.
