John has been a fly fisher for over 40 years, is a past president of a California fly fishing club, a registered Alaskan guide, and has planned and carried out wilderness fishing trips in California, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Canada and Alaska.

John's company, Against The Flow Adventures,specializes in taking a very limited number of clients on wilderness float trips to some of the not-so-famous-rivers in Alaska. In this presentation John will discuss floating and fishing the Koktuli River, a small river in the Bristol Bay watershed and ground zero in the Pebble Mine controversy.

Topics will include the species of fish available, tackle, flies, fishing methods, and dealing with such issues as bugs, bears, and inclement weather.

Ice Out

Bill Forward, a California native with over 60 years Sierran fishing experience (40 exclusively fly-fishing), operates Forward Bound and is currently Sr. Editor of Sierra Fisherman Magazine.  To date he has authored over twenty fly fishing articles, and has been a featured speaker at the International Sportsman’s Expo in Sacramento and presented numerous programs at the Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton and Pasadena. 

Bill is a full time Sierran resident with an intimate knowledge of Lake Davis and the Plumas National Forest fisheries.  Bill’s passion for fly fishing stillwater lead to a partnership with TV’s host of the New Fly Fisher, Phil Rowley, and development of California Stillwater School of Fly Fishing, now in its fith year. 

As a former award winning biology instructor, Bill now merges his 32 years of classroom and university teaching experience with his passion and expertise for fly fishing into an instructional and guiding profession.  Most importantly, this unique combination of knowledge and understanding of the Sierra, natural sciences and entomology along with an enthusiasm for teaching and fly fishing provides Bill with the skills and ability to guide and instruct using clear-cut methods and fishing strategies.