Get to Know Howie Fischer:

The other day I had the privilege to get on the water and interview Howie Fischer, a special educator from Washington State who currently resides in the Frederick area. After a long day of fishing at one of our favorite streams, I sat down with Howie to get a little more insight into his life on and off the water. Here is what Howie had to say…

What was it like growing up and fishing in Maryland?

“Growing up in Maryland was always interesting for me because I am not originally from here and honestly didn’t really like it. I went to middle school and high school in Maryland, but was always a little skeptical about the state after coming from Washington. I actually grew up Bass fishing here all on conventional tackle and didn’t really get into trout fishing until I was a little older.”

What got you into fly fishing and tell me about your first interaction with the sport?

My first time fly fishing was actually in Colorado believe it or not. My dads friend took me and one of my buddies up to an alpine lake where we fished for stockers with indicators It was an absolute blast! I lost a lot of flies on that trip I felt so bad for the guy. But it was a great experience overall, and from that point on fly fishing really became my getaway.

How does the fishing in Washington compare to the fishing here in Maryland?

“Fishing in Washington is a whole different ballgame. There is just so much more water and such a wider variety of fish species there. Washington has Sea Run Cutthroat Trout, Westslope Cutthroat, Steelhead, and Salmon. There are some really beautiful mountain streams out in Washington it is unreal. Sometimes I would go out to fish in the mountains for a couple days and wouldn’t see a single person the whole time. I would have to pick fishing in Washington over fishing in Maryland to be completely honest. Having said that, Maryland has been a pleasant surprise for me as far as fishing goes. One thing I really like about Maryland is that you can get on native Brook Trout here, whereas in Washington you can’t.”

If you have any advice for the younger generation regarding conservation or fly fishing in general what would it be?

“With conservation it’s really important that everyone does their part. Whether it’s cleaning up trash or listening to fly shops and people when they tell you certain things about our streams. Take Redds for example, you would never know what they looked like, or not to walk on them if other people didn’t point them out to you. As far as fly fishing for the younger generation goes, the best advice I can say is to find someone who is older and more experienced than you and learn from them. Often times those kinds of people are out there, but you have to take initiative and meet them for yourself. Once I started fishing with Brian Wallenbeck (manager of Hunting Creek Outfitters) I really learned a lot because of how much experience he has.”

How do you bring fly fishing into the classroom?

“I try to bring fly fishing into the classroom as much as I possibly can. Something I find really cool is when I get to use fly fishing as a topic to help kids that are frustrated or upset. I will often use pictures of fish on my phone to help kids calm down and it is amazing to see the response they have to this. It is like a switch flips and all of a sudden they feel better.”

Tell me about your most memorable catch.

“My most memorable catch has to be from Mossy Creek. My buddy who actually got me into fly fishing came out here from Washington. We had fished Beaver Creek in VA during the day, and had an awesome day. As it got later , we decided to move to Mossy Creek and throw streamers. For about an hour we fished with no success and to make matters worse it was pouring down rain. We got to this 90 degree bend in the river that looked like it had to hold a fish. I told my friend CJ to stop walking and back up slowly. I casted my Lowfat Minnow into the pool and as soon as is it hit the water out came this massive Brown Trout. The fish rolled on it and I literally thought it was a whale. Ultimately we brought it to the net, or “nets” I should say because it took both of our nets to land the thing. It was a 21 inch hen Brown. I will never forget that moment.”

Keep an eye out for some of Howie’s flies on the market from Eclipse Fly Co, and others coming soon!

Instagram: @Howardtheduck23