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FISHING & THROWING A CROUSER FAMILY AFFAIR BY NEIL KORN
The name Ryan Crouser might not ring a bell in the fishing world, but standing 6 foot 8
inches, you might recognize the name from a different sport. Ryan was born in Portland,
Oregon in 1992 to a family of Fisherman and “Throwers”. The fishing and Track & Field
bug got him early and at 27, he is the current Olympic Gold Medalist in shot put and
Olympic record holder (73” 101/2”) from the Rio Olympic Games.
After a stellar high school career at Sam Barlow High School in Gresham, that included
a discus National High School Record (237 ft 6 in) and Indoor National Shot Put record
(77 ft 2
3⁄4 in). Then Ryan picked the University of Texas over Oregon to everyone’s sur-
prise. At Texas, he went on to win two NCAA titles in shot put both indoors and outdoors.
Throwing for the Crousers is a family affair. Ryan’s father, Mitch was an alternate on
the 1984 Olympic discus team, uncle Brian Crouser qualified for two Olympic teams in
javelin, and another uncle, Dean Crouser, was a good shot putter and discus thrower. His
cousins Sam and Haley were both National High School Javelin record holders. Sam
Crouser joined Ryan on the 2016 Rio Olympic team.
So far in 2019 Ryan Crouser has thrown a PR of 74’ 71/4” (22.74m) the longest throw in
the world since 1990 and 6th all time. Ryan’s biggest goals on the horizon: 2019 World
Championships in Doha, Qatar, the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020 and getting in as much
fishing time as his busy travel and competition schedule allows.
it. I landed the fish and it became supper that night for myself and the cheering section of
my Mum and Dad, who witnessed the entire escapade from a nearby dock. It weighed in
at 12 pounds, by the way.
Several years later I hitchhiked from New York to Dallas, Texas where I took up the spin-
ning rod once more. Bass and Catfish were my main targets but it was not until I attended
the University of Texas at Austin that the fly rod came back into my life again. I enjoyed a
six month residency in Vancouver BC where I decided that it was time to try a fly rod on
some of the beautiful waters around Vancouver. It was on the drive back to Texas, south-
wards down the Rockies, that I began to understand some of the nuances of the cast and
to decipher something of the fly fishing game.
Moving back to Austin I became a full time fly fisherman, taught myself to tie flies, and
became seriously dedicated to mastering the sport. Much like my childhood in England, I
learned as I fished in some of the warm, clear rivers in Central Texas. Rivers like the Gua-
dalupe, the Llano, the Blanco and the Colorado all gave me an education as I fished for
Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Trout and particularly the elusive Black Drum – my
favorite of all, which ripped line off the reel and always gave me a great fight.
A brief time in Kansas City after leaving Austin left me with a four hour drive to Southern
Missouri to find clear water. Saturdays would typically find me leaving home at 4am for
the long drive to the Niangua and Little Niangua Rivers, followed by a four hour drive
back at the end of the day. I will always recall the fish that lay in the plunge pool beneath
the culvert near the Amish community of Lead Mine, Missouri. A large black trout that
dominated a pool I discovered in a small tributary of the Niangua River, it lay in the same
place each time I saw it. I cast different flies many times across the pool and down its
length but it never showed any interest. One day with a breeze blowing, I made a cast with
a small black woolly worm. A wind gust took the fly to the opposite side of my usual cast,
into shallower water and almost to the bank side grass. As I stripped the fly along the
side of the Trout, it turned and savagely inhaled it. I tightened the line and the Trout was
solidly hooked. The small pool didn’t allow the fish any advantage and the fight was soon
over and the Trout in my hand. I saw immediately the reason I received no response to my
previous attempts to catch the fish – it was blind in its right eye, the eye that faced the
deeper water at the center of the pool. At 24 inches long with a huge girth I decided to
keep the fish and it was soon sharing space with my lunch in the cooler in the truck.
After living in Kansas City for a year, I decided to relocate somewhere to be closer to
both clear waters and opportunities for fly fishing. I chose Oregon because the calendar
images I saw with those delicious images of rainforests, rocky coastlines, mountains,
lakes and rivers had to be true and in all that fabulous looking water there had to be fish.
After an eventful three week camping/fishing trip across the Rockies with Murphy, my
red and white cat, I drove into Portland on August 15, 1998. Soon after I found my way
to central Oregon and waters I had previously read about - rivers such as the Deschutes,
the Crooked, the Metolius, the John Day and the Fall. After translating for a guide and his
weather permits for calico bass. I was able
to go to the Amazon in 2012 to fly fish
for peacock bass which was an amazing
experience and I hope to go again. While
I was at school at UT I did a lot of saltwa-
ter kayak fishing, both inshore for redfish
and offshore for kingfish, cobia, sharks,
and mahi mahi.I still have a passion for fly
fishing for trout, it is tough to beat an early
morning spent on a mountain stream or
central Oregon river chasing wild rainbow
and brown trout.
Is fishing a family affair?
It is. My dad got me started, but I fished
with both of my grandpas as a kid and it
was a great way to spend quality time with
them. My cousin Sam is one year older
than me and we both share a love for fish-
ing. We were very close growing up and he
was my roommate/teammate in the Rio
Olympics. We connected through track, but
our time spent fishing was what we really
enjoy. My younger brother Matt also enjoys
fishing and lives in Redmond now so when
I go home we head to the Deschutes or
Crooked and get some fly fishing in. Have you ever taken a friend fishing for
the first time and they ended up falling
in love with it from day one?
My girlfriend Megan Clark is a professional
pole vaulter at the Olympic training center,
she had only fished a handful of times
when she was little. I took her bass fishing
last year for the first time and she really
enjoys it. She catches a lot of fish and it’s
amazing how fast she has picked it up. It’s
a great way for us to spend time together
when we’re not training.
How often do you get to fish with your
demanding schedule?
The nice thing about being a professional
track and field athlete is that you can only
train so much. It really is a 24 hour job in
that everything you do has some impact on
your performance, whether it is nutrition,
sleep, or recovery. My training takes up 5-6
hours a day, six days a week, so fishing is
a great afternoon activity because it lets
me not only recover, but also give me a
means of relaxation and a way to clear my
head after a rough day of training. A lot
of my training is done in Chula Vista, CA
which has some great bass fishing. I fish
anywhere from 2 to 4 times a week when I
am not travelling.
French client on the Fall River one afternoon, the guide tipped me off about Davis Lake. I
soon discovered this was another beautiful place inhabited by trout that even chased dry
flies ripped through the water. Sadly, since the huge fire of several years ago and some
years of drought Davis Lake has not quite regained its former quality, but hope remains
that one day I’ll see days and trout like those again.
Fly fishing, fly tying and introducing others to the fly rod have quite naturally become ele-
ments of a sport that encompasses tremendous breadth, and that has much to offer in so
many ways. Teaching this fabulous sport to others has also become a satisfying offshoot
for my own inherent proclivities. These days I count myself lucky to walk the banks of
some of the most beautiful waters I have ever seen, fishing for some of the most gor-
geous fish any fisherman could hope to come across. I admit the journey here has been
long and circuitous, but it has been worth it.
From my early days, wandering as a lad along the small River Soar in Britain, to these
days beside the clear waters around Bend, I can trace an unbroken line of experience,
passion and intention that still continues. You might just find me at the edge of the water
with a fly rod in hand, carrying an unending desire for the resolution of anticipation, and
an abiding hope for whatever fish might be there somewhere beneath the surface.
Edmund Wadeson lives, fishes and introduces others to fly fishing in Central Oregon.
Find him at [email protected]
Is fishing something you’ve done all
your life or is it something you picked
up later on?
I have been fishing longer than I can
remember. My parents have pictures of me
in a backpack on my dad’s shoulders less
than a year old with a smile on my face
as my dad help up a fish for me to see. I
caught my first limit of trout at about three
years old, it is one of my oldest memories
and I’ve been fishing ever since.
What kind of fishing is your favorite and
what kind of fishing are you doing living
in California now?
I spend a lot of time fishing for largemouth
bass here in California. I also enjoy fly
fishing in the San Diego bay for spotted
bass and halibut and fly fishing the jetties
and Pacific Ocean in my bass boat when
Do you use fishing as a get-away from
your very busy life?
I do. Whether it is after a tough day of
training I use it as a way to clear my head
and relax. As a professional athlete it can
be frustrating when training isn’t going
well and a day on the water is what I need
to find perspective and focus myself. I
definitely miss it when I am on the road and
it is the first thing I do after getting back
from long trips to Europe (where most of
my competitions are)
Do you feel relaxed and in an easy state
of mind while fishing?
I do, I’ve been fishing all of my life so
it feels like a cornerstone of who I am.
Spending time on the water relaxes me
and gives me time to reflect. I often times
find myself “in the zone” entirely living in
the moment as I read the water and plan
my casts. This level of clarity is often dif-
ficult to find.
Do you have any other hobbies besides
fishing?
In the winter when the weather isn’t as
good, I find myself tying flies and getting
ready for summer. I also enjoy spending
time outdoors in general. I enjoy hiking and
just getting out there. Gold panning is also
a hobby of mine, nothing large scale, just a
small gold pan that I can throw in my back-
pack on a hike and get a few pans in if I’m
hiking in the Sierras. It is always exciting to
see a few flakes glinting in the sun at the
bottom of the pan.
Where are some of your favorite places
to fish in Oregon?
I enjoy fly fishing the Deschutes and
Crooked Rivers. They are both close to
my parent’s house in Redmond so it is a
fun day trip. Every summer growing up
we would rent a cabin at Paulina Lake
and fish both Paulina and East lake for
kokanee and brown trout, so both of those
lakes hold a place in my heart. I try and
make a trip up in the spring around ice out
to chase trophy brown trout. I fished the
Sandy River for steelhead and coho a lot in
high school and have many fond memories
catching silver salmon after getting out of
class in high school.
You have been all over the world for
track meets, but have you been on any
fishing trips outside the States? Is
there any place in the world you would
like to go just to fish?
Yes I have been to the Amazon for Peacock
Bass, it was an amazing trip, not just the
fishing, but being so far in the Amazon
jungle (70 miles from the nearest building).
When I was younger I went to Mexico and
fished in Baja and we caught two Striped
Marlin. I have some fishing trips that I have
planned for when I am done throwing.
Unfortunately, with my schedule I can’t take
time off to do an international fishing trip,
but my cousin Sam (Crouser) went with my
uncles to Christmas Island to fly fish for
Bonefish and GTs. I have always wanted to
go on that trip and after seeing the pictures
and talking to him about it, it makes me
want to go even more.