Great photography has always been an important part of fly fishing—and of this magazine. Capturing the places we fish, the fish themselves, and the people who pursue them is an art. As renowned photographer and longtime California Fly Fisher contributor Val Atkinson likes to say, the magic happens when three things come together: light, composition, and moment.
The best photographs also make us stop for a second. They reveal something we might have missed—the color of a fish just before its release, the texture of moving water, a fleeting expression, or the scale of an angler against a wild landscape. Like a good fishing story, a great image can put us in a place we’ve never been or bring us right back to one we know well.
The winners of this year’s Fish Water People Photo Contest certainly found that magic Val speaks of. California Fly Fisher is proud to partner with California Trout on the annual contest, which celebrates exceptional images of fish, water, wild places, and the people connected to them, while also providing a platform for emerging photographers. The winning photographs on these pages showcase not only technical skill, but an eye for the moments that make California’s waters worth protecting.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
“Fish On!”
by Stephanie Skiff
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
“It Starts with One”
by Gabriella Moreno
EMERGING PHOTGRAPHER AWARD (Ages 18-25)
“Golden Moment”
by Sophie Mori
BEST FISH PHOTO
“Even Kings Need Reguge”
by Eric Fieberg
BEST EEL RIVER WATERSHED PHOTO
“After a Rain”
by Mary Ann Machi
