Olive The Woolly Bugger Blog

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Olive the Woolly Bugger film: an introduction

October 7, 2011 / / 6 Comments

Olive the woolly bugger animated movie poster

Most recently I posted the movie poster for the Olive film. Now it’s time once again to share a bit about the Olive film project – not so much an update on my current progress in attracting Big Fish to the project as I’ve done in the past – but by sharing with my readership the actual concept for the film. A sneak peak, if you will.

For those familiar with the Olive books, you may wondering how the stories will make the leap to the big screen. I’ve been wondering that myself, and over the past few months have been developing the story. While the film will obviously draw heavily from the books, it won’t just be a recycled version of the Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, Olive and The Big Stream and Olive Goes for a Wild Ride – it’s much more than that. It has to be. The books are quite basic by virtue of the fact that they are children’s stories for ages 6 and up, and there is not “room” to tell a much deeper story. An animated film must have considerably more depth, and while it may visually look like something created for an audience of children, it has to be as much for adults as for their kids. There’s a reason grown-ups love the great animated films produced by the likes of Pixar (Cars), Dreamworks (Kung Fu Panda) and Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age).

Opening scene

The film opens with a scene that sets the stage for the adventure to unfold. A little girl named Olivia watches with great wonder as her father sits at his fly tying desk. In his vice is an olive-colored woolly bugger, which he describes to his young daughter. Once the final touches have been made to the fly, Dad removes it from the vice and hands it to Olivia.  The little girl is excited to use her new fly the next day, when she’ll be joining her father on her first fly fishing trip.  Filled with anticipation of the following morning, Olivia dashes off to her room, hops into her bed and gently places the woolly bugger into her fly box along with other patterns her father has tied for her.  She admires the many colorful, interesting patterns, then gently closes the lid to the fly box.

“Goodnight, olive woolly bugger,” she says as she turns out her light. She drifts off to sleep and begins to dream…

Stay tuned for more updates and descriptions of new scenes specific to the film. A strong undercurrent will be an important message about conservation, from respecting fish to caring for the river and the surrounding environment.  I’ll also be introducing new characters in the coming weeks–characters that I think everyone will find engaging and humorous.  I hope you’ll enjoy the progression and I welcome comments from those of you who have been following along since the beginning, as well as from those of you who’ve just come onboard.  Thanks for your continued interest and support in bringing this dream alive.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got more Big Fish to pursue…

Olive is a character

September 15, 2011 / / 1 Comment

A posting today on Facebook by Disney Pixar struck me as being very appropriate, and timely. It was a quote by Ralph Eggleston, an art director and animator at Pixar, who came on board during the development of Toy Story. I don’t know anything about him, but his quote sums it all up concisely:

“If you start from the character, everything else will follow.”

I am certainly no authority on character or story development, though I have done both with Olive the Woolly Bugger. In addition to the work I’ve done, I’ve also read articles about character development, and what constitutes a great character.

An excerpt from an interview with Michael Maurer, a screenwriter with an impressive resume for work he’s done on animated projects for film and television, says it well:

“Besides having a unique personality and some endearing character quirks, one of the most important things is that we (the audience) can relate to the character and his situation or his goals, and how he goes about dealing with the challenges that face him throughout the story or the series. Take Bugs Bunny – why is he such a likable character? In part, it’s because we can relate to him.”

Read the entire interview and article HERE.

A great character may be able to carry a sub-par story on their shoulders but I prefer to think that if you start with a great character, it will spawn (to cleverly use a fishing term) a great story.

When I created the character of Olive, I honestly didn’t sit down with a checklist of personality traits and construct her using that criteria. Who she was and would become happened organically, and by that I mean she grew on her own without me consciously trying to mold her.

Let’s look at some of the traits that make Olive a great character:

She’s likeable. Olive is sweet, a bit naive (at first, anyway), and endearing. She’s loyal to her friends and empathetic toward those whom she encounters.

She’s relatable. We’ve all faced some of the same situations that Olive faces. We can identify with her because she is us.

She works hard.  Olive works through adversity as she pursues her goals (which are many and varied as the stories progress). Through determination she perseveres.

She’s humble. Even when she champions the day she is never a braggart. She knows from where she comes and appreciates any successes she has.

She’s perceptive. Olive may not have all the answers, but because she is willing to listen to others and the world around her, she finds answers to questions, even some questions she didn’t know she was asking.

She is unique. The above character traits are who she is, but what she is also makes Olive a great character: she is a woolly bugger. Those who know fly fishing know the virtues of the woolly bugger fly. Those who have no previous knowledge of what a woolly bugger is will like the name for what it is—something that sounds as if it were made up for a children’s story or animated film. And as a woolly bugger, she stands alone. Nobody has ever brought a fishing fly to life, at least not that I’m aware of.

When I fish a woolly bugger I have confidence that the fly is going to produce, not because I’m a great angler but because it’s a great pattern. Similarly I have confidence that Olive will land a Big Fish because she’s a great character.

5 star Review: Olive Goes for a Wild Ride

August 19, 2011 / / 1 Comment

After two, 5 star reviews  by Jason Kirkfield on Amazon.com, I was not assuming that the third and remaining review would be a slam-dunk. Therefore, when the final review came in for the third book in the Olive series, I breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, I have confidence in my writing and story telling, but book reviews are still very much a subjective endeavor so you just never know. For me personally, the third book is my favorite (although that matters not to anyone else who reads the series). Mr. Kirkfield picked up on a subtlety that hasn’t been noted before, but is certainly worth mentioning.  It has to do with the maturation process for Olive the woolly bugger. Over the course of the first two books, Olive is the student. In the third, she becomes teacher. That’s how it is in fly fishing and in life. I’m pleased that the reviewer mentioned this. Characters must grow, and over the course of the stories, Olive does just that.

Having previously reviewed his first and second books, I knew that Kirk Werner had to do something special to maintain the same high level of awesomeness. He did.

Olive is, for anyone unfamiliar with the first two books, a woolly bugger. The author-illustrator’s skill at drawing fishing flies who can emote is impressive. (Whether or not they can molt is another question altogether!)

Olive Goes for a Wild Ride is the final entry in the Olive series*, at least for now. Even if Kirk’s dreams of seeing Olive on the big screen do not materialize, I hope we will see more of his hooked heroine in future books. Symbolically, he has ended this series by illustrating (both literally and figuratively) the circle of life.

Olive’s task here is aided by the hugely likable form of Clark, the small fry. Olive’s fly friends play a much smaller role in this book, perhaps emphasizing the maturing process as Olive gets older and begins to rely more on herself. Olive Goes for a Wild Ride is by far the scariest of all three books. Where the first addressed anxiety in a new school setting, and the second challenged the flies to catch real fish for the first time, this adventure has Olive lost at sea, or at least a river. Rest assured: all is well in the end. Still, I might suggest parents read through initially to best anticipate the story arc. You may also want to prepare your child for the inevitable questions that will follow. This book addresses some very real emotions and topics, even death. If your child is too young for such conversations, you could always enjoy the first two Olive books for now and save the third for when they are a little older.

“But don’t be sad–that’s just the way life is.” (Olive, final page)

* I also reviewed both previous titles in the series, Olive the Little Woolly Bugger and Olive and the Big Stream.

 

To read the review on Amazon and to see all other reviews by Jason Kirkfield, go HERE.

Olive partners with Montana Fly Company

August 7, 2011 / / 6 Comments

 

Breaking Insider Information–Olive the Woolly Bugger and Montana Fly Company have partnered to offer first-of-a-kind, functional fly fishing products for kids!

Columbia Falls-based Montana Fly Company, and Olive the Woolly Bugger (who hails from Duvall, WA) have partnered to produce a series of kids fly boxes and nippers. Using Montana Fly Company’s super cool digital imprinting technology, these high quality plastic fly boxes and durable nippers feature artwork from the Olive the Woolly Bugger series of children’s books.

Kirk Werner, author and illustrator of the Olive series, says that partnering with Montana Fly Company on this venture brings the appeal of Olive to a new level. “Prior to now, the only way to get kids hooked on Olive was through the books,” says Werner. “Now kids can take Olive with them to the water and she can be there when they catch fish. It’s a very exciting opportunity.”

Adam Trina, President of Montana Fly Company, says this about the new partnership:  “Should be fun!”

Indeed. Let the fun begin! The Olive-branded products are included in the 2012 Montana Fly Company product catalog and will be available through retailers soon.

 

Because this unofficial “leak” comes ahead of the actual press release, any formal inquiries should directed toward Outside Media, which handles such matters for Montana Fly Company.

 

The future looks bright, despite everything

August 5, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Watching the news lately, as in the last several years, is like self-inflicting painful punishment. With the ten year anniversary of 9-11 just a few weeks away, I realize that in so many ways, the last decade has not held much to be glad for when it comes to the state of the world and the economy. The war in the Middle East drones on, costing more money each day than I can comprehend. Aside from the expense of having our troops over there,  it seems as though there is little chance of ever resolving the conflict/issues. Closer to home, The Great Recession doesn’t seem to be getting any better as reports on jobs and housing continue to indicate a slump, while costs of goods seem to be doing just the opposite. The federal deficit is too big for me to even wrap my head around, and those who were elected to run the country seem to have no better idea at how to fix things than I do. Now Standard & Poor’s downgraded rating of the U.S. credit rating to a AA+ has caused the Down Jones to plummet.

And what’s up with Mother Nature?  The past year has seen severe weather, from deadly tornados that destroyed entire towns, to phenomenal flooding caused by unbelievable snowpack in the Western mountains, devastating heat waves, and of course there was the earthquake-induced tsunami that devastated Japan. We still don’t really know the extent of radiation contamination from the damaged reactors, do we?  Really?  Maybe the Mayans were right afterall…you just never know.

Despite the depressing paragraphs above, I remain optimistic about one thing: the prospects of making Olive the Woolly Bugger, an animated film. This blog has been filled recently with several entries describing what I want to accomplish, and while I am no closer to attaining my goal, I am making progress: I’ve thought out what my pitch will be when I do get the attention of a movie industry professional willing to hear my ideas. My pitch is nothing too fancy, but it’s honest, realistic and I hope, convincing. I just need to get it in front of the right person. And that is, I believe, going to be the biggest challenge.

While the internet is a tremendous resource for gathering information, it does not seem to provide what I really need:

www.PersonalcontactinformationforHollywoodFilmIndustryProfessionals.com

(Admit it–you tried to click it, didn’t you?) Yes, I need a listing of movie industry types with personal contact information: emails and phone numbers, please. For obvious reasons, celebrities and highly-sought-after entertainment industry professionals want to protect their privacy as much as is possible given their highly-visible public status. There are millions of people out there who would love to talk to these people so a fortress has been erected to keep out the masses, of which I am one.

So, how does one attempt to contact these people? Well, a few have Twitter accounts, but one never really knows who is operating those accounts.  It’s not likely that the stars themselves sit down daily and post their tweets, although Henry Winkler’s Twitter account, @hwinkler4real, does seem as though it may be coming directly from Henry Winkler. I’ve tweeted him, but to no apparent avail. Yet. I remain hopeful. You just never know.

In addition to Henry Winkler, I’d like to establish contact with Tom Skerritt, Jimmy Kimmel, Liam Neeson, Jane Seymour, Michael Keaton, Lawrence Fishburne, Tom Selleck, Harrison Ford, Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams, Robert Redford and several other Hollywood actor types who have a passion for fly fishing. Why? Because that passion for fly fishing may make them sit up and take notice about a movie called Olive the Woolly Bugger.

Maybe they’ll be interested in participating as voice actors. Maybe one of them would be interested in an Executive Producer role. Or maybe one or two or all of them will lend their support for such a film and their clout will open the doors of an animation studio. Maybe I can speak with the folks in Ted Turner’s camp and Ted, with his well-documented passions for fly fishing and conservation, will agree to chip in a few million dollars (chump change for him) to help get the movie made.

All lofty goals, but you never know.  You just never know. The passion that drives fly anglers, no matter who they are, is not to be underestimated. Especially when you factor in conservation, which really cannot be separated from fly fishing. Famous people lend their support to conservation issues because their notoriety can invoke change. Their status can get things done.

While I may sound like a dreamer, I firmly believe that one has to dream big or not dream at all. But I’m also a practical person– a realist. And the realistic voice in my head says to give up on trying to attract celebrities to champion Olive’s cause. After the movie is made they’ll go see it, and they’ll take their kids or their grandkids, and then they’ll sing their praises.

The practical me says that it might be easier to gain access to a screenwriter who will buy into my pitch, and their esteemed reputation will open doors at an animation studio. This level of dreaming seems entirely within the realms of possibility, and so while this is the angle I am currently working, I’ve not given up on the celebrity thing just yet.

Why, you ask, am I telling you this?  You’re just a regular person like me–not some Hollywood big shot, right?  Well, right there you’re possibly wrong. The internet has a nearly infinite reach. If everyone who reads this were to pass it along to another person, it could spread far and wide: it could go viral. Every blogger dreams of having an entry achieve viral status, and I came about as close to that as possible with a post on my other blog, The Unaccomplished Angler, titled Fly Fishing Needs Dirty Harry. I don’t know if Clint Eastwood ever saw it, but he might have (it generated thousands of page views). The point is, once you hit the publish button on a blog, the content is launched into cyberspace and you never know who might read it. It might just be you, but it could be someone else. You just never know.

5 Star review: Olive and The Big Stream

August 1, 2011 / / 0 Comments

A while back, the first book in the Olive series, Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, was reviewed on Amazon.com by Jason Kirkfield. Mr. Kirkfield recently did the same for the second book, Olive and The Big Stream:

 

July 31, 2011

As with the first entry from this series*, author/illustrator Kirk Werner offers a uniquely enjoyable means of learning about flyfishing. Where the first book sees Olive the Little Woolly Bugger attending camp, here she gets her first chance to catch a real fish. Olive is in fact a fishing fly, and the anthropomorphized heroine is a perfect stand-in for a young child. Kirk’s illustrations are energetic and expressive, and his story is both empowering and educational.

Olive and the Big Stream is obviously a perfect choice for kids going fishing for the first time. In broader terms, the Olive books are just as wonderful for any new activities your child may be starting. Olive continues to set a good example with her positive attitude, using both physical as well as mental strength to catch a fish, thus earning a coveted top-row spot in The Fly Box.

This book continues to champion Catch and Release: “Olive was glad that the trout was set free because she wanted nothing more than to come back to The Big Stream and catch him again.” Indeed, the co-star of this second book (Mr. Trout) is immensely likable, even with no dialogue. Kirk Werner entertains the dream of seeing Olive turned into an animated film, and I would love to see that happen.

We recently took our kids fishing for the first time, and these first two books were the best preparation I could have hoped for. In addition to learning about the equipment and mechanics of fishing, Olive and her pals share the real joy of fishing: just being out there in nature is a worthwhile endeavor. We even used woolly buggers. (To no avail, sadly.) The best part? The kids can’t wait to go fishing again. That’s an unqualified success for Olive and for Kirk Werner, too.

The appendix of a dozen photographs of real flies (again, not real “live” flies, but real photographs of flies used in flyfishing) is the same as in the first book, and I frequently referred to it both during the story, and especially afterward during our preparation for the trip.

* I also reviewed the first title in the series, Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, and will be reviewing the third and (at the moment) final title, Olive Goes for a Wild Ride.

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]

 

To read the review on Amazon and to see all other reviews by Jason Kirkfield, go HERE.

Olive is fishing for Hollywood

July 28, 2011 / / 19 Comments

 

Right now I am trying to wrap my head around the daunting prospect of getting Olive the Woolly Bugger made into an animated movie. It’s daunting because the odds are stacked WAY against me (and Olive)—not because it isn’t a great idea, but because finding the right person who sees the incredible value in the project is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Or maybe it won’t be so hard to find the person, but finding ways to actually contact them and convince them to hear my idea may be the real challenge. It’s always about finding that right person who believes. The old adage that “it’s not what you know, but who you know” has never seemed more painfully true.

The first step, if one listens to conventional wisdom, is to rule out many of the big animation studios. It seems that they cultivate their ideas in-house and are not interested in outside submissions, so one should look toward an independent animation studio. Next up is to find an agent who believes in the concept and will work to get the idea in front of a suitable studio for a pitch. Then, of course, one has to convince the studio that the idea is worthy of their time and money.  No-0-0 problem…

Daunting? Yes.  Doable?  Absolutely.  Like Olive, I shall forge ahead—to persevere. However, I’m wondering if perhaps Olive might bend the rules just a bit little bit and do things a little differently.  After all, nothing about Olive has been done the traditional way to date. If I had followed traditional guidelines and listened to a particular literary consultant early on, Olive would have spent the rest of eternity as another unfulfilled dream: a crumpled piece of paper in the round file, or an antiquated Word doc buried on my computer hard drive, eventually lost to subsequent computer upgrades. But that didn’t happen. Despite the odds, Olive did things her way and succeeded.

In a previous blog entry I talked about the actors whose voices would lend themselves well to the film project. Jane Seymour as Olive, Henry Winkler as Clark, and Wilford Brimley, Lawrence Fishburne or Tom Selleck as Mr. Muddler Minnow would make for a stellar lineup of talented people who also share a passion for fly fishing. Other well known actors, who are also fly fishing folks, will round out the ensemble of supporting characters. The key element is that each of the talents assembled to participate in the film share a love of fly fishing, because these are the people that will get it. They will bring their passions to their characters.

I joked about putting the cart before the horse by selecting these voice talents without having first gotten a contract with a studio. And you’re right: I can’t very well hand-pick character talent just yet—first, I have to get an Executive Producer on board the project: someone with some familiarity with fly fishing and a passion for the environment and film making; perhaps someone with previous experience as, say, director of A River Runs Through It.

Once Robert Redford signs on, animation studios will line up for the contract. Then the voice talents I’ve recommended will fall into place. When the film is released, millions of movie-goers worldwide will flock to theaters, curious about this unique film about a woolly bugger named Olive. Audience members young and young at heart will marvel at the entertaining storyline and engaging cast of characters. Those who have a familiarity with fly fishing will be amazed at how the sport they love has been made into an animated movie, and those who previously knew nothing about fly fishing will learn a thing or two. After seeing the movie, millions of kids will put down their game consoles and ask their parents to take them fishing (and exploring, and hiking and camping). Maybe a few hundred thousand folks will seek out their local fly shop and inquire about lessons. There will be a wave of new stewards of our natural resources who will gain an appreciation for our fisheries.

I realize there will be people who’ll say this lofty goal of mine is just a silly dream that will never be fulfilled. Well, if this is just a dream, I hope I never wake up.

If you happen to read this, and you like the idea of Olive the Woolly Bugger as an animated film, please consider posting a link back to this entry. Tweet it. Shout it on Facebook and Google+. Ask others to do the same. And if you happen to know Robert Redford, Jane Seymour or Henry Winkler (or at least their agents), please feel free to pass this along to them as well. Thanks.


If you would like to participate in a grassroots campaign to Help Send Olive to Hollywood, simply copy and paste the code (provided  in the right column) into a widget. You will have my gratitude!

 

 

 

 

A real school visit

July 15, 2011 / / 8 Comments

I’ve written before of school visits I’ve done in the capacity of an author. I’ve done author visits at brick and mortar schools and done virtual author visits to online schools. Whether a physical reality or virtual experience, the presentation is largely the same, and the audience is always kids. Recently I had another opportunity to visit a local school and do something a little bit different.

Eagle Rock Multi-Age school is an alternative elementary school in the Riverview School District, and each year the school holds a week-long program known as “Young Author Week”.  I was flattered to be one of the authors invited to present at this years’ event, even after I realized that “Young Author” was not in reference to the authors themselves. The kids learn about what it is to be an author, so the “Young” designation pertains to the kids themselves. Still, I was honored to be able to participate over the course of two days.

Day One: Rather than talking about the Olive the Woolly Bugger series of books from the standpoint as an author (the writing part), I talked about creating the books from an illustrator’s angle (the drawing part). The kids seemed to get a kick out of hearing how I got the idea for the books (while mowing the lawn) and seeing how the characters in the book came to be (my hope is that kids will come to see mowing the lawn as more than just an arduous chore forced upon them by their parents). After presenting a brief slideshow in which the kids see the progresion from early pencil sketches to finished art, it was time to teach the audience how to draw Olive the Woolly Bugger.

Sweating under the lights and pressure as a classroom of eager young artists watched and waited for me to make a mistake, the lesson began as a demonstration in which I quickly drew Olive on a whiteboard. “This is how Olive looks,” I announced to the kids. The next step was to erase my masterpiece, much to the horror of my onlookers. “Now I’ll draw her step-by-step.” As I did so, the kids followed by copying each line in a systematic process of duplication until their papers all bore the likeness of Olive. The third step was to turn the kids loose to draw Olive without my guidance. As the young artists each branched out on their own, I walked around the room and admired their creative interpretations.  It was great fun to see the varying results of their individual efforts. All were excellent and enthusiastically created.

I did this demonstration in front of three different classrooms, each room filled to capacity with kids of different ages. After the workshops had concluded, we broke for lunch. Following that the kids were given an opportunity to have books and other items signed. The other items included post-it notes and body parts. Yes, it’s true–scores of eager autograph-seekers presented pens and extended arms which they requested be decorated with the signatures of the authors in attendance. One little girl asked to have her forehead signed, which I politely declined to do. As a parent myself, I may not have appreciated my kids coming home from school with the signature of some author scribed across their forehead with a Sharpie. Sound judgment won out of youthful enthusiasm in this case.

The second day of the Young Author Week presentation involved an actual physical demonstration of something pertaining to the books. Showing the kids what fly fishing is seemed an obvious choice, so we moved outside for a casting demonstration. My first thought was to have the kids stand a few paces away with an inflated balloon clenched in their teeth. I proposed to demonstrate my casting prowess by tossing a woolly bugger at them and popping the balloons*. This idea was met with less than lukewarm reception from the school staff, and my insurance policy is not that good, so I decided to eliminate the balloons and keep the kids at a safe distance while I did a casting demonstration. I also cut the hook off of the woolly bugger just for safe measure.

*For those who have their sarcasm filter turned on, I’m kidding and never actually planned the balloon-popping stunt.

Under cool, drizzly skies I showed each group of kids what various flies looked like and talked about the different fishing situations in which dry flies, nymphs and streamers are used.  Most of the kids had gone fishing before, but only a couple had ever gone fly fishing. Those who had were very eager to tell me about it. Those who hadn’t were very interested in how fly casting delivers a fly to fish in the water, or in this case to grass that held no fish. Obviously I didn’t catch any fish, so in that regard it wasn’t much different from actual fishing.  There was less than 10 minutes for each group to spend at my station, so I wasn’t able to have each of the kids try their hand at casting. Still, they got a sense of what it was all about and nobody got hurt so I’d say it was a success.

When the second day concluded, one young girl rushed up to me, stuck something in my hand and ran off.  Intended for Olive, the post-it note reads: “You Rock!”

No, Emma, YOU rock. And so do all the kids at Eagle Rock.

Thank you everyone for the opportunity to participate in Young Author Week!

Imagine the possibilities

July 12, 2011 / / 0 Comments

You’re a talent scout for a major animation studio. Or perhaps you’re an executive for Dreamworks Animation, Pixar, Sony Animation, 20th Century Fox Animation (Blue Sky Studios) or Walt Disney Animation Studios. Your studio just released or is about to release the likes of Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Smurfs, Winnie The Pooh, Happy Feet Two. Life is good–audiences love these movies.

But an animation studio cannot rest on its laurels and must constantly be on the lookout for the next blockbuster hit.

Certainly the fact that there are many sequels being produced indicates that animation studios can get added mileage out of a good initial movie. Cars, Kung Fu Panda, Happy Feet and scores of other movies have all spawned sequels.  Similarly, producing a movie based on long-established characters such as Winnie the Pooh or The Smurfs offers instant recognition in the marketplace.  It’s easy to see why remakes and sequels get made: it’s easier to build on an established and successful film than to create something totally from scratch. But are sequels always as good as those that preceeded them? That’s discussed often: HERE is one such website.

This is not to say that brand new ideas aren’t being made into animated movies. Earlier this year we saw Gnomeo and Juliet, Rio, and Rango. All seemed to be at least reasonably popular given their box office ticket sales.

But what about the next great, truly unique storyline?  Where does the previously unheard of idea come from?

I’m glad you asked, and the answer is right here.

A catchy title. A unique concept. An engaging cast of characters. The framework for a storyline which can be built upon. All the elements of a good children’s story. A strong underlying message of environmental conservation and awareness that also promotes getting kids outside and exploring nature. Olive the Woolly Bugger offers all this.

So, if you’re that talent scout or studio executive, consider this food for thought. You may not have heard of Olive the Woolly Bugger, but a lot of people have. And with your vision, a lot more people will.

Tag, you’re it.

Fishing for Big Fish

July 7, 2011 / / 2 Comments

When we fishing types head out to a stream or lake or other body of water with rod in hand, what is it that we are really doing? Some will say that they’re just out to enjoy the fishing, and catching is just icing on the cake. Others are less philosophical: their desire is to simply catch a fish. Others still may be more specific with their intent, admitting (openly or not) that they want to catch a big fish.

Those who fly fish know that the biggest fish rarely rise to a dry fly.  Several reasons account for this, none of which may or may not be right, but let’s speculate.  When a fish rises to the surface to take a real bug or an imitation fly, they momentarily leave themselves vulnerable to attack from raptors, among other things. There are also other critters that would also love to make a meal of a fish should the opportunity present itself. That opportunity is created when the fish leaves the relative safety of deep water and the shelter provided by a cut bank or structure (weeds, sunken logs, rocks, etc).  So it stands to reason that the fish that remain in the safety of deeper, darker waters tend to survive to feed another day.

Big fish don’t reach their esteemed position in the food chain by being reckless or chasing every tiny bug that presents itself. That’s why when we fish with dry flies we’re not often going to catch the bigg’uns. I enjoy throwing dries and catching cookie-cutter sized fish. It’s fun. It provides entertainment. It fills a certain need. And while fishing is about much more than catching fish, I’ll admit that sometimes what I really want is to be holding onto a taco-bent rod. Sometimes I want to catch that big fish. I’ve caught some nice fish, but nothing extraordinary.

Therein lies the beauty of the streamers, of which the woolly bugger is one of if not THE best overall patterns.  If the author angler presents a woolly bugger in the desired depths of the water column, they are putting their fly where the fish are. The big fish.  Streamers represent substantial meals that are high in protein. Big fish don’t waste their time chasing snacks—they want a return on their investment in energy spent to chase food. They’re selective. Big fish are eat meaters.

I’ve fished the surface and been rewarded with small fish. Don’t get me wrong—I am grateful for the opportunity and privilege to play these small fish, and I do not take them for granted. Every small fish has made me a better angler and caused me to appreciate the sport much more so than if I had landed a 48″ steelhead on my first cast. I will always seek out small streams with game little fish that provide much-needed action, but the time has come that I am admittedly hankering for something much, much bigger. Will I actually catch that big fish?  I only know for certain that I stand absolutely no chance unless I go fishing.

So fishing I am. I’ve tied on a woolly bugger, and her name is Olive. It’s time to see what she can entice out of hiding. I’m confident there’s a big fish out there, somewhere, looking for a tasty meal.

(The author may have been engaging in the use of metaphors in this article)

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