Friday, February 27, 2009

Fish, Bird, Butterfly, Eel

The S'09 World Trout T-Shirt (Men's and Women's) features original artwork by James Prosek printed on a canvas of 100% organic cotton. Five dollars from the sale of each limited edition tee will benefit World Trout, an organization that supports conservation efforts and identifies and protects native fish. The tee's shoulder seams are taped for added durability. Double stitching at sleeves and hem also adds durability plus coverstitching at neck and armholes guarantees a clean finish. It's recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program. Patagonia tees are knitted, dyed, cut, sewn and printed in Southern California. Other shirt details include ringspun yarns for a soft hand, beefy 5.4-oz 100% organic cotton, Made in U.S.A.


In addition to painting, designing World Trout tees, making music and fishing, James just released a new book on Feb. 24th. It's a children's picture book with Simon and Schuster about migration, called Bird, Butterfly, Eel. I trust that this one is a gem.


Monday, February 23, 2009

SST Jacket

Bristol Bay, Tierra del Fuego, the Russian Arctic – they all share three things: good fishing, bad weather and a whole lot of SST Jackets. Since its introduction in 1989, the venerable SST has continually set the standard for on-the-water weather protection and this new iteration sets the bar even higher.

The 2009 version features our latest advances in shell design and technology, along with a host of new, angler-friendly details. We're building this jacket from 3-layer nylon double ripstop fabric with our completely waterproof/breathable H2No® barrier and Deluge® DWR (durable water repellent) finish. The new SST is durable and windproof yet still extremely light. Plus there are two features that you might not expect: 1) The jacket hem is folded over and glued which eliminates the conventional tunnel that can hold water. 2) The SST is fully recyclable (Common Threads Recycling Program).

The feature list continues with a new integrated hood with single-pull adjustment and waterproof, corrosion-resistant Aquazip center front, hand/cargo and back pocket zippers. The iconic large, gusseted chest pockets are seam sealed (waterproof) up to their opening and set high for deep wading. Each large pocket has a zippered tippet pocket inside. Our latest streamlined cuffs lie extremely flat and are virtually snag-proof when worn loose or tightened to seal out water.

More details include: Large back pocket, zippered inside pocket, hidden rod holder/accessory clip, lined collar/chin flap and two Beastie D-rings on front, one on back. For comparison, the SST is 2" longer than the Deep Wading Jacket. The Guidewater Jacket is our longest option - 2" longer than the SST.

Thanks to all of you who weighed in with advice on the Setting the standard post back in 2007, to YC who tested prototypes across the globe and who made sure the jacket worked with our favorite packs & techniques and huge thanks to the Patagonia design and development teams for jumping hurdle after hurdle to make this jacket the best. Onward.

Photos courtesy of Yvon Chouinard, Brian Bennett and Alistair Stewart Illustration by El Pescador

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Eastern Rises

EASTERN RISES | TRAILER from felt soul media on Vimeo.



Eastern Rises | teaser from felt soul on Vimeo.

Felt Soul partnered with The Fly Shop to document an epic fly fishing journey to Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula. It's called Eastern Rises and you can catch a segment of it on the Drake Fly Fishing Film Tour. Ben Knight and Travis Rummel continue to set the bar for filmmakers working in this genre. Ryan Peterson and Frank Smethurst get a thumbs up from El Pescador for their roles in the film. The rainbow trout, super kundzha char and bears (real and pretend) get a thumbs up too. Check out the two minute trailer and five and a half minute teaser then let me know which way your thumb points.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Fish, snakes and a flair for drama


The Foremost Five come alive in Tim Borski's original rendering of these remarkable species. This painting is now a limited edition Patagonia shirt printed on a canvas of 100% organic cotton fabric. The tee's shoulder seams are taped for added durability. Double stitching at sleeves and hem plus coverstitching at neck and armholes guarantees a clean finish. It's recyclable through the Common Threads Recycling Program.

Tim's creative interests stretch out beyond fish painting and fly designing though. Tim explores other themes and mediums. Birds, moths, butterflies, beetles, snakes, flowers and leaping are all common subject matter. The following is an exclusive Way Upstream exhibition of four Tim Borski snake images along with an Animoto compilation of ten vintage photos showing the artist's ballet-like talents, Midwestern roots and flair for drama.







Photos courtesy of Tim Borski Music by Eddie Spaghetti

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Seared Redfish Fillets in Veracruz Sauce

Capt. Billy Trimble sent me this recipe to share with Way Upstream community. When I asked him about it's origins he wrote: "I do not follow exact recipes in my cooking. I'm inspired by available ingredients. I rarely adhere to a recipe book or measure any of the ingredients. For this dish you can use any light fish such as snapper, drum, striped bass or flounder. The Veracruz Sauce is a traditional Mexican Gulf Coast sauce (contains onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, olives and capers). Using the shrimp carcasses to flavor the stock for the sauce is something I do in most of my cooking and I like to use wine as a base fluid. If you are looking for a reference, one of the best cookbooks for this recipe and many other fish recipes is Gulf Coast Cooking by Virginia Elverson. It's a must have if you enjoy cooking with fresh fish."

Seared Redfish Fillets in Veracruz Sauce

Lightly bread redfish fillets and set aside for at least 30 minutes. Always allow the fish fillets at least a half an hour to rest after you bread them so the flour sets to the fish. Do not coat shrimp.

Breading recipe: 1 cup of flour, liberal amount of coarse ground black pepper, sea salt and cayenne pepper.

Veracruz Sauce

White wine stock: White wine (an inexpensive chardonnay is fine), shrimp hulls and Thai lemon leaves. The stock is cooked separately and can be prepared in advance.

Sauté in light olive oil:

Onion, garlic, tomatoes, jalapeños or serrano peppers, green olives, capers, juice from 2 limes, sea salt, black pepper, a spoonful of chili powder*, rosemary and oregano. After all the ingredients are combined in the sauce bring it to a rapid simmer and let it cook for at least a half hour to break down the tomato. When it has cooked together add back strained white wine stock and simmer for another 30 minutes.

As sauce approaches ready, heat olive oil very hot and sear the redfish fillets until browned on each side. As the fillets are cooking add the cleaned shrimp to Veracruz sauce. Set browned fillets aside to cool a bit as the shrimp cook then plate with liberal amounts of sauce.

Billy's Chili Powder*

Two cups of chili arbol, 6 New Mexico chilies, 4 ancho chilies, 2 chipotle chilies (adjust number of chilies to size and desired taste)

Lightly coat dried chilies with olive oil mist and sauté in a hot skillet for a few minutes to lightly caramelize then set aside to cool. Place in blender and grind to a coarse powder. Makes about a pint of powder.

Tips:

Use a lot of garlic, a full bulb is normal for this dish.

Aways use fresh ingredients and either jalapeno or serrano peppers are recommended.

Strong olive oil can be used to sauté the veggies giving the sauce a deeper flavor if preferred.

Bay leaf may also be used along with herbs of your choice.

You don’t really need a side with this dish but white rice or crispy french fries can be matched. A crusty bread can also serve to mop up the extra sauce.

For a wine pairing suggestion, the chef recommends a white, Tomero Torrontes 2007, Argentina is his current favorite.

Contribution and photos by Capt. Billy Trimble

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Three Dollar Bridge


Three Dollar Bridge from felt soul on Vimeo.

Felt Soul Media has produced another gem. Check out this 3 minute profile on 1% For the Planet, an alliance of businesses that donate at least 1% of their annual revenues to environmental organizations worldwide. Founded by Yvon Chouinard and Craig Matthews, 1% has grown to over 1000 members since it's launch in 2002 and has donated nearly $42 million to approved environmental non-profits. This particular film highlights the Three Dollar Bridge (Madison River) project that was made possible by 1% funds. The two founding members tell the story.

Music by Neil Halstead & Jack Johnson | Brushfire Records

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Good company

I get a number of pictures sent my way and it's always appreciated. On occasion I find a shot that ends up on my Flickr site or in a Way Upstream post. Recently I got an email with some share-worthy images from the Langara Island Lodge on Langara Island at the north tip of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada. Yos "Steelie" Gladstone sent them along and wrote:

"Thought I'd pass on a few pics that you might like. The top and middle pictures are of us Langara Island Lodge guides in our Patagonia gear. It's a pretty neat group of guys. You'd be hard pressed to find a saltwater lodge anywhere with a more experienced, passionate and conservation minded guiding staff. I feel lucky to be working with such good company. The bottom shot is of the women that work at the lodge. They are a pretty cool bunch of babes that we're lucky to work with. The guy sans shirt is one of our dock boys."

Photos by Kathryn Youngberg