A native of Oregon’s coast range, John Larison has been obsessed with all things chrome since the age of seven, when he first saw an ocean-charged steelhead lifted from a blue-green pool. Fly fishing by age eight and guiding by twenty-two, John now specializes in teaching anglers to catch winter steelhead on the swung fly. He focuses his guiding on Oregon’s mid and north coasts, often on the very same rivers he fished as a boy.
In addition to guiding, John is also the Northwest Field Editor for Fly Fisherman magazine and a frequent contributor to The Drake, Fly Fish Journal, Fly Rod and Reel, and other outdoor publications. He writes Fly Fisherman‘s Spey Today blog, where he reports conservation news, reviews new tackle, and offers tips for more effective fishing. John is also the author of three books on steelheading, including a how-to book called The Complete Steelheader, and the novels Northwest of Normal and Holding Lies, which the New York Journal of Books called, “an exceptional piece of literature disguised as a book about fly fishing.”
In 2009, John became a River Steward for the Native Fish Society, and he continues to advocate for native steelhead and salmon on the Oregon Coast and throughout their historic range. John can be reached at johnlarisonsteelheading.com.
