Rockaway Beach, Oregon
Kate Crump (and her husband and two dogs) own and operate a fishing lodge in King Salmon, Alaska, where they spend their summers and early fall, guiding for Trout and Salmon. But since that’s not an all-year endeavor up there, she and her family then spend fall through spring in Rockaway Beach, OR at their steelhead lodge – which they also own, operate, and guide out of. While we admire Kate for her restless approach to life and work, she also leads by example in her commitment to conservation of the fisheries in her two home states, and is an incredibly accomplished angler. She’s even got the Slam under her belt, which is catching Bonefish, Permit, and Tarpon, all in the same day, all on fly. Just try to keep up with Kate.
What goes through your head when you first wake up in the morning when you guide?
When I first wake up I wonder if the rain has affected our river levels and clarity.
Where is your favourite place to fish or guide?
Bristol Bay, Alaska.
How do you up your game year after year?
Sustainability is important to me and I try each year to discover better products and ways of operating with less waste.
What part of you, or what you do, reflects a spirit of restlessness?
I believe moving from Oregon to Alaska each year is indicative of my spirit of restlessness. Chasing these two seasons, the variety and changing nature of the fisheries keeps my spirit alive.
If there is any love-hate relationship with any aspect of what you do, can you describe what that is?
I have a love hate relationship with putting my own expectations on a guided day of fishing, the pressure I exert on the resource, and the computer work.
What are the 3 most essential things you need for your category?
Patience, kindness, and a great rain jacket!
What would be your day job if you weren’t doing what you currently doing?
I would have a campground on a river in the northwest.
What does it mean to be built for the wild?
I once read a book about the first passage into the Olympic Mountain range and the author described the team as “being of manly vim and vigor”. While that may seem sexist, the idea stands.
What, if any, other YETI products do you use? How do you use a specific YETI product in your market? What is your one favourite aspect or feature of your YETI?
We give all of our guests a YETI Rambler Bottles to use for water during their trips and it is an important part of our sustainability goals. We pack our lunches and snacks for the day in Hopper Flips to keep them dry and safe.
In Alaska, when fishing in remote places for salmon, due to float plane weight restrictions, we filet the salmon on the shore of the river and then package them into soft coolers with ice blocks to keep the salmon fresh and cold during the float plane ride back to basecamp.
What is the YETI that you cannot do without?
I can’t live without my Rambler® 20 oz tumbler. In my drift boat I constantly keep refilling it from a larger 32 oz YETI bottle so I can easily stay hydrated throughout the day while rowing. When I’m not guiding I use it from morning until night to stay hydrated on the go.