About the Author

Steve Joyce

Steve is one of the original partners at Red's Fly Shop. He was born and raised in Billings, MT. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics from Carroll College where he played football for 4 years. His wife Natalie is from Choteau, MT. Together, they have 3 wonderful children and feel lucky to raise a family in Ellensburg WA. Steve has guided extensively throughout MT, WA, and South America. His fly fishing travels have taken him around the world. He works in the shop and continues to guide fly fishing and bird hunting on a full time basis. If you have any specific questions for Steve, email him at steve@redsflyshop.com

Youth, Outdoor Events, and Conservation - Thank You!

May 9, 2017

With the river running high and dirty, we have taken advantage of the nice Spring weather to host and participate in some great events that support community, youth, conservation, and education. The Red's Rendezvous on April 22 got the ball rolling with a host of educational seminars. This event was well supported by some great fly fishing manufacturer's including Sage, Simms, G Loomis, TFO, OPST, Rio, Winston, and Redington, as well as the FFF, Project Healing Waters, TU, Hunting Works, and numerous others. A specific fundraiser that we hosted at the Rendezvous was a sporting clays tournament to benefit the Ellensburg Class of 2017. We donated the course, prizes, and staff support to the cause. A great time was had by all, and they were able to raise $450 in proceeds that goes towards the senior party! Thank you to all of the volunteers and our Red's staff members for another successful Rendezvous. We are already talking about next year's event! We'll be hosting a wingshooting/fly fishing event on September 30th, so mark your calendar. It will be the Red's Shootout III - YEP we are bringing it back!

The very next week, we hosted a WDFW Hunter's education field test certification that was attended by 18 aspiring hunters. It was really encouraging to see the effort put forth by the instructors to ensure a positive learning experience, as well as the wide range of students ranging in age from 10 to 30 and over half of them being females. Red';s and Canyon River lodge were able to donate the lodge facilities for the classroom sessions, as well as the clays area for the field training component which made a great venue to conduct the course. It's worth noting that two Red's staffers, Joe Rotter and Joe Schliesman, are certified instructors and were teachers at this course. Thank you to them for their efforts. Here are a couple of photos of the class. We certfified 16 new sportsmen and sportswomen. We have another class coming up on May 17th and you can learn more by visiting WDFW's Hunter Ed site here http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/huntered/

The Federation of Fly Fishing Fair was held in Ellensburg this past weekend. The event was well supported by fly shops, manufacturer's, reps, and conservation groups from across the state. This is another great venue that gives everyone from beginner's to advanced anglers a great opportunity to get off to a good start in fly fishing with a positive experience. We consider ourselves fortunate to be a part of this, and have promised Carl we won't use tape on the floor in our booth ever again:-)

Finally, this week is the start of 5th grade camp in Ellensburg. Over 200 fifth graders will converge on the Lazy F guest ranch on Menastash Creek during the next 3 weeks for the annual event. A component of this is fly fishing and it is led by Red's guide and lead instructor, Mike Milligan. Mike has done an amazing job in making the fly fishing outing the camper's favorite. Imagine lining 30 kids up around a pond and handing them loaded fly rods! Several more of us at Red's join the volunteers in providing gear and instruction to ensure this is another great experience in fly fishing

All of these events are the result of a tireless effort by those in the fly fishing and outdoor community to share their passion with others. We recognize that these new faces and young outdoors men and women will be our stewards and conservationists in the future, and they are essential to healthy resources. We appreciate the effort made by all.

For the Love of Jim - Lane Family Benefit

We also want to invite anyone that can attend a special dinner and fundraiser for a person that helped inspire Red's partner Joe Rotter at a young age. Jim Lane was a young and enthusiastic Hunter's Education instructor, more of a helper, during Joe's youth when he took hunter's ed as an 11 year old. Jim was the "young teacher" that was excited to not only help the kids pass the course, but to learn real information that will make them not only safe, but successful outdoorsman in general. Unfortunately Jim suffered a stroke recently and this has meant a life change for his family.

Red's has donated a guided fly fishing trip with Joe Rotter to help raise some funds for his family to make the necessary adjustments needed for his wife Tanya and 12 year old daughter and his 15 year old son. Get a ticket to the event and bid that up for the Love of Jim!

You can buy tickets to the event or donate here, https://www.fortheloveofjim.com/

Anyway, thanks so much for the support you readers show us and know that we appreciate and give back to you guys as much as we can. Our entire team is very grateful to be able to work in the outdoor industry and we hope that you are encouraged and inspired by a few of the things we do here.