Waller's Legacy, a Huge Trout, USA Youth Fly Fishing Team, and a Delaware River Cleanup

Lani Waller Leaves a Lifelong Legacy

Steelhead legend Lani Waller passed away in Mexico on August 11, 2024. He was born April 24, 1940 and was 84 years old when he passed away. Waller lived an adventurous life, and fished around the world, but was perhaps best known for his three award-winning videos: Fly Fishing for Pacific Steelhead, Advanced Fly Fishing for Pacific Steelhead, and Fly Fishing for Trophy Steelhead, which were produced by Scientific Anglers/3M and released on VHS in 1984. In the final video, Waller hooks and lands a Babine River steelhead on his fly the Waller Waker and in that moment, multiple generations of steelheaders became convinced of the efficacy and the joy of catching steelhead on waking flies.

Waller’s life also had challenges. He was the sole survivor of a small plane crash in 1992. The Cessna was on approach to Silver Hilton Lodge on the Babine River and crashed in Trotter’s Pool, Lani’s favorite piece of water. The pilot and two other incoming guests on the plane were killed. Waller suffered life-threatening head injuries but managed to swim to shore. His physical and emotional recovery took years. He wrote about the experience in his book River of Dreams (West River Publishing, 2004).

He was the West Coast field editor of Fly Fisherman magazine for more than two decades. He was the founding director of The Babine River Foundation and the North Coast Steelhead Alliance and was influential in setting up the Babine River Corridor Park. He was inducted into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame in 1997.

“I have had the extreme good fortune to be able to work with Lani on several projects—including one of the best books on steelheading ever written, A Steelheader’s Way,” said Jay Nichols, owner of Headwater Books. “I have also fished with him on his beloved Babine River. I have never met someone like him. Fishing for him was a spiritual exercise, a meditation. Anyone who has been gifted time with Lani can’t help but feel they were in the presence of a man who has a deep understanding and appreciation for the magic and mysteries of life that most of us will never comprehend.”

Lani spent most of his life in California but passed away in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico, where he retired with his wife Judi in 2010. He called it “Mexico for beginners” because so many American and Canadian expatriates lived there. He suffered from dementia since at least 2019 and had been in deteriorating health. Waller also leaves behind twin siblings, a sister and a brother who live in Arizona and Montana, respectively.

24-Pound on a Mouse

Tom Ossoff and his father—both from Oil City, Pennsylvania—have been doing DIY summer fishing trips together for 24 consecutive years. Their dedication paid off with the fish of a lifetime.

They used to camp on their annual sojourns, but now his father is 80 years old and is battling cancer, so this year they stayed at the Rainbow Drive Resort in Cotter, Arkansas, for 16 consecutive days. Tom fished the White River with the elder Ossoff during the day, and often drifted by himself at night in his River Rat raft looking for “the big one.” In August 2024 he caught several nighttime browns while fishing solo and swimming a mouse pattern at the surface. The biggest was 33 inches long with a 24-inch girth, and it was carefully released into the cold water of the tailwater fishery. According to the fish weight estimation formula length x width2 / 800 the fish would tip the scales at around 24 pounds.

USA Youth Fly fishing Team Wins Team and individual Gold

Back to back champions . . . that has a nice ring to it. The USA Fly Fishing Youth team for the second year in a row has won gold. This year it was at the FIPS-Mouche World Youth Fly Fishing Championship in the Czech Republic. In 2023 it was the same event in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The 2024 team consisted of Kage Kossler, Max Logan, Justin Hardie, Landon Cook, Lawson Braun, and Blake Hall. Four of those team members were also part of the 2023 team. In addition to the overall team finish, Kossler, Logan, and Hardie took individual gold, silver, and bronze medals (respectively) in the championship event. The top ten teams were USA, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Finland, France, South Africa, Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland in that order. To compete in the event, team members must be 18 years old or younger.

Josh Miller has been the team’s head coach for two years—you can read his story “Simplify Your Nymphs” here. The team was managed by Jess Westbrook. Regional coaches included Gordon Vanderpool, Joe Clark, and Brian Kimmel.

The 2024 event took place over six days in August with one practice day and five competition days. The gold-medal-winning American team measured 283 fish scoring 186,380 points.

“Get Trashed” on the Delaware River is the Biggest Ever

On Saturday August 17, 2024, more than 100 volunteers gathered at the Delaware River Club in Starlight, Pennsylvania to join the Eighth Annual Get Trashed Delaware River cleanup.

They stopped at the shop in the morning to fill up on water, trash bags, and snacks, and then moved to the West Branch on foot and by boat to pick up litter and debris in the river channel and at boat ramps. Those who drifted in boats received free shuttles provided by Oars of Hancock.

The volunteers filled an entire dumpster and two trailers full of trash. The most common trash item was likely tires—more than 60 were removed from the river. The event, as usual, was organized by Chris Calabrese of Housefly Fishing in Hawley, Pennsylvania; Jeff White of the Delaware River Club; and Pig Farm Ink. Other sponsors included Bajio, West Kill Brewing, Dette Flies, Simms Fishing Products, and Breeo smokeless firepits. After the river cleanup the volunteers regrouped at Delaware River Club for food, drinks, and live entertainment. According to Calabrese, it was the biggest turnout in the event’s eight-year history.

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