Fd: How did Art and Fly Fishing get together in your life? How were your beginnings in these two different fields? 

Bob: I’m probably a bit older than most of the other members of Fly dreamers, certainly older than the other artists I’ve seen interviewed here. When I was a young man, most magazines were illustrated with artwork, and I spent my youth with my nose buried in outdoor and fishing publications. The articles were great… but it was the artwork that transported me to other worlds; playing salmon in Alaska with Ray Pedersen and Frank DuFresne , casting to big browns in Patagonia with Joe Brooks and Bebe Anchorena. I always wanted to be the guy who painted for those magazines… who sparked young readers imaginations with the images used to illustrate those stories. 




Fd: What are the techniques you apply on your works? 

Bob: I use a variety of mediums; pencil, ink, watercolors and oil paints, depending upon the image I want to render.


Fd: Is there a particular message or feeling you want to convey through your works? 

Bob: When my work elicits more than just a visual response, when it triggers responses from the other four senses, then I know I’ve gotten something right. When someone ‘smells’ the wood smoke from a campfire on an Alaskan gravel bar, ‘feels’ the coolness of a shadow upon their face, ‘hears’ the wind, or ‘feels’ the weight of a good fish being admired before it’s release… then I’m doing my job.

One of the greatest compliments I can receive about my artwork is when someone says, “I’ve been there!” 


Fd: Any time for fly fishing? What are your favorite species and spots?

Bob: I’ve fished all over the world and guided between Alaska and Argentina. I’d have to say that fishing for trout in Argentina continues to be my favorite experience. My wife, Lisa and I annually host a week at San Huberto, and it continues to be the highlight of our year. 

I haven’t had the opportunity to fish for sea-run trout in Tierra del Fuego… my response might change after that experience!


Fd: What can you tell us about your times between Alaska and Patagonia? 

Bob: I began guiding in Alaska in 1984, and in Argentina, near San Martin De Los Andes, a year later, in 1985. 

I leave for Alaska in a few days for what will be my 30th season on the water. I’m now guiding with the sons of friends that I once worked beside. In addition to working at the historic Bristol Bay Lodge, where I guide and manage the artist-in-residence program I created for them, I also host a week of fly fishing at Royal Coachman Lodge.

I’m really excited about the artist-in-residence programs I manage at Bristol Bay Lodge. Every week, for four weeks, we have a resident artist who lives, dines, and fishes with the guests at the lodge. Painters will paint on the river while the guests fish, photographers practice their craft, writers will do nightly readings, songwriters compose new work and perform each evening. It’s very exciting!

Each of us lives with art in our lives, but very few of us have watched the creative process that produces it… or has had the opportunity to discuss that process with the artist.

My goal is to create, manage, and document an exchange of American and Argentine songwriters. We would invite 2 or 3 Argentine songwriters to Bristol Bay Lodge, in Alaska for a week, where they would collaborate with the American songwriters. The following winter, I would travel to Argentina with 2 or 3 Nashville singer-songwriters, for a week at a lodge in Patagonia. The entire event would be captured on video, and a movie and CD would be produced, documenting the collaboration. Ronnie Olsen and I have just begun to work out the details for this to happen at San Huberto.

My time guiding in Argentina has been much shorter, just eight seasons between 1985 and 2003. Since then, my wife Lisa and I have hosted at least one, sometimes two groups of fishermen to both Argentina, and to a lesser degree, Chile.

My years of guiding and living in Argentina were some of the most formative times in my life. Unfortunately, because of all the laws and regulations, those days are over; and opportunities like that are not available to young men and women today. I wish the US and Argentina could work out a program of reciprocity, whereby young Argentine guides could work in the US and an equal number of North Americans could guide in Argentina. I think everyone would benefit.


Fd: What advice would you give to the starting artists that want to get into the fly-fishing world? 

Bob: Work hard, enjoy what you do, and follow your passion and dreams. I know how easy that is to say looking back over three decades. But, I also know how hard the struggle can sometimes be. Sometimes it’s a simple as never giving up.


Fd: Where can we find more about your work?

Bob: My artwork and selected essays, as well as travel opportunities can be reviewed on our website: Bobwhitestudio.com


Works (in order): "One Last Look Rainbow Trout #2", "First Casts", "Small Fry-Brown Trout", "Evening Soft", "Leap", "Alone", "Bamboo", "Close to Home".
Photo credits (in order): Aaron Otto. Tosh Brown. Tim Romano (2).