Where It All Started

Karlie Roland learned to fish on the Henry’s Fork river in Idaho. Her family has a cabin in Island Park and they’ve been going there since the early 80s. Last fall she took a job at Trouthunter Lodge and returned to the river where it all started. The new gig and her move back to Island Park represents a homecoming of sorts for Karlie. She’ll be the first to tell you that the Henry’s Fork feels like home.

About a month before her job officially started she made a trip to Island Park to meet up with her family for a few days of fishing. She got to guide her dad and grandpa. Grandma was there too, but she let the boys and Karlie have at it. Local guide Keegan Barrett also joined the crew. What followed was four days of Idaho fly fishing at it’s best. The Henry’s Fork is sacred water and for good reason. The river is full of healthy fish, the surroundings are postcard-perfect and the fly fishing culture is as rich as it gets. Simply put: Island Park is a trout bum’s paradise. That’s why Karlie decided to move there.

Karlie has spent the last three years in West Seattle working for Emerald Water Anglers. And while her time in the NW has served as a jumping off point and offered up countless sea-run fish to catch, Karlie’s heart is in the Rocky Mountains. So, she traded the urban apartment for a cabin in the woods.

Where It All Started offers a glimpse into the fishing lives of Karlie and the rest of the Roland family. Four generations of Rolands have fished the Henry’s Fork and now Karlie is continuing the tradition.