Profile of a Fly Fisherman: Oliver White

Full name: Oliver White, Born: North Carolina, USA, Home Country: USA

Website: www.oliverwhitefishing.com Oliver White Instagram: @oliverwhitefishing Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ oliverwhitefishing/ Twitter: @oliverfishing

How did you get started fly fishing and why?

I always loved to fish. As a kid it wasn’t fly fishing but as a teenager I shifted to fly and never went back. The real turning point for me was when I was in college. I had a skiing accident and broke my back. When I was recovering, I would go out in the grass and cast my fly rod, it was therapeutic and really took over for me as I healed up.

What is it about fly fishing that intrigues you?

I love the infinite curve. You can keep pushing along this curve forever, there is always more to figure out and learn. The travel also really resonates with me, fishing is the reason but there is so much more to it than just the fishing.

You’ve travelled all over the world. What’s the most exciting places you’ve fished and why?

I love the far flung and unique stuff the most. Sometimes it’s the concept of the sheer remoteness of where you are standing and waving this “stick” we call a fly rod. That idea that maybe you were the first one. Other times it can be the unique culture and people you surround yourself with.

From a pure fishing perspective, my absolute favorite is sight casting on the flats, and nothing really comes close to the Indian Ocean. My next favorite is the jungle – Bolivia, Guyana, that experience of fishing and culture is really hard to beat. My top five fishing adventures all time – Seychelles, Kamchatka, Bolivia, Tanzania, Guyana.

What are the most memorable fish you’ve caught?

I think I remember the ones I lost even more than those that I’ve landed. A few real memorable ones would be golden mahseer in Bhutan; mainly because they are so uniquely challenging and there was so much energy and time put into catching a couple of them. Arapaima in Guyana, one of my first big adventures in cracking the code and helping develop a fishery. There was a free swimming sailfish I caught with Jako Lucas. And my recent anak permit in Australia with Josh Hutchins – who was talking me into the fish he could see as I was wading chest deep with zero visibility.

In your opinion, what characterizes the most special and memorable moments in fly fishing?

For me it’s all about the connections, in every sense of the word. Everything from the connections you make with people –other anglers, guides, clients, random people you meet in your travels - to that connection with special places and moments of time, that moment of perfection where it all comes together. Ultimately, all of it is driven by the simplest connection of being tied into a wild fish with a piece of string.

What are the most important lessons you’ve learned along the way as a fly fisherman?

Don’t rush. Be humble. Give back.

You’re now a father. Is it a difficult balancing act being a family guy and a globe-trotting fly fisherman at the same time?

I have a unique life and it has helped shape me into the person that I am. I’m not willing to give that up but at the same time I have a desire to be home now that I’ve never wrestled with before.

I expect my travels to slow down a little and hope to incorporate bringing Huckleberry with me around the world more and more. Early school in Rewa Village in Guyana could be amazing.

Has fly fishing taught you anything that translates into being a better father and husband?

I’d like to think so. Patience at the very least. A desire to be present and in the moment. Grateful and appreciative, and hopefully some worldly perspective and experiences to share.

What are your aspirations for the future as a fly fisherman?

To do a little good in the world. That can be lots of things. Sharing my love and passion with others does this, in my opinion, and on a grander scale protecting both places and fish - but also providing a better livelihood to others, whether indigenous cultures through Indifly or just helping other guides and people in the industry figure out a better path to make this a career.

In these times of environmental- and climate emergency, do you have any advice for fellow fly fishermen across the globe?

We all have an obligation at this stage, so give back. With your wallet or your time or both - but do something, be active.