Dan Atkinson

I came down with the fishing bug at a very early age, my first memories of fishing were at the derby held annually at Lake Sylvia State Park.  The smell of hot chocolate and the feel of a shag carpet pillow still resonates with me whenever I happen to be near the small town of Montesano Washington.  Nothing better than the anticipation of the day to come and the taste of Pautzke-stained donuts on a crisp spring derby morning as my brother and I waited patiently for the bobber to disappear underneath the lakes surface.  Ironically, my brother was the only one that won the derby between the two of us way back in the early 1970’s; I stood proudly next to him on that memorable day. 

Fast forward to today where fly fishing has become my overall passion for the past 35 years mostly in and around my home waters of the Pacific Northwest.  My dad introduced me to a fly rod when I was 17 years of age on a springtime morning at Dry Falls Lake, and since then, I have never looked back.  I have made it my mission to catch as many species as possible on the fly rod.  That list includes Rainbow, Cutthroat and Bull trout, Bass, Blue Gill, White Fish, Arctic Grayling, Chinook, Pink and Coho salmon, Rockfish, Bonefish, Tarpon, Giant & Bluefin Trevally, Tuna and many others.  There just isn’t anything better than hooking into a fish on the fly, I absolutely love it.  I share my passion for the sport within my engaged community on YouTube where I teach, inspire, and share my passion with the hope that others will get outside and experience this amazing pastime.  I am very pleased to now be associated with Marlon boats.