Scott Pros
John Judy is a well known, Northwest writer and guide; a leader in the fly fishing community. He comes from a second generation fly fishing family and has been in the forefront of the development of many new and innovative fly fishing techniques. His book Slack Line Strategies is considered by many to be the definitive primer on presentation skills. John does speaking programs, fly fishing seminars and schools around the Northwest.
His guide company John Judy Flyfishing is one of the oldest and best established outfitters on the world famous Deschutes River. The company specializes in extended multi day, drift boat trips through the more remote canyon stretches of this magnificent, wild and scenic river. They fish, depending upon season, for both native trout and steelhead.
More than just a guide and a skilled boatman John likes to consider himself first and foremost a developer, teacher and coach of advanced fly fishing skills. Years ago he helped to popularize the hinged nymphing system that is widely used all over the country today. With it you can convert from a fairly ugly chuck and duck approach to more delicate, lighter weight nymphing method that allows you to probe and feel along the bottom seeking the holding lies and habitat where the fish are hanging.
If you are a dry fly guy John has a whole bag of tricks that will help you to float your delicate imitations down the most complicated current lanes with a perfect, natural, drag free drift.
Then of course there is Spey casting which is the greatest passion of all. John’s boat first started sprouting the big two handed rods back in the day when most folks thought you should be locked up for packing such a thing on the river. He’s been preaching the gospel according to Spey ever since. He has literally taught thousands of people the delights of this artistic, graceful form of fly fishing for Steelhead.
The Spey passion doesnt stop there, in more recent years John has become a strong advocate of single hand Spey, an approach that adapts the casting style used with the big two handed rods to lighter more delicate single hand trout fishing equipment. This technique is gaining in popularity all over the Northwest. It’s so useful and so versatile John predicts in a few years it will be the hot new thing all over the country.
In addition to his skills on the river John has also worked tirelessly to promote better fisheries management. He and a few friends successfully launched a campaign that resulted in the formation of Oregon Trout, the state’s leading wild fish advocacy group. He also spent close to twenty years encouraging Fish and Wildlife to institute a very successful program that ended stocking and brought back the native fish population-- including the threatened and endangered Bull Trout-- on his home river, the Metolius. Quality of fishing on the Metolius and throughout Oregon has been greatly improved as a result of Johns efforts.
