Featured Partner: Living Waters Fly Fishing

1) What is your story and where did your passion for climate-friendliness and protecting your watershed come from? Who are you? What do you do? 

My name is Chris Johnson, owner and founder of Living Waters Fly Fishing, a fly shop and guide service based in my hometown of Round Rock, Texas.  I started fishing at a very young age and began fly fishing while still in elementary school.  My family always had a deep love for the outdoors, and that same love was passed to me. Little did they know that a passion for the outdoors would ultimately lead to a career in fly fishing.  I began guiding immediately after high school and a few short years later, I opened Living Waters Fly Fishing at age twenty-one.  The business is based on three core elements – Education, Conservation, and Community.  As I traveled, fished, and guided in different states, I became very passionate about the plight of native fish.  For this reason, I have spent a large amount of time and effort supporting not only my local waters and resident natives but also Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in New Mexico and Colorado.  Over the years, Living Waters Fly Fishing has partnered with many different conservation organizations including Trout Unlimited, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, New Mexico Game and Fish, Trout Unlimited, Western Native Trout Initiative, Trout Unlimited, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and most recently Science on the Fly in an effort to create a legacy of stewardship as a business. 

2) What is in your 'backyard'? What is your local watershed/river and what significance does it have for your local economy?

Thankfully, my backyard is FULL of rivers and creeks!  Within an hour of the fly shop, I have access to more water than I could fish in a lifetime.  While I have fished all over the Texas Hill Country, Brushy Creek is my home water, and thankfully it flows just a few short blocks away fly shop.  Brushy Creek is home to a wide variety of warm water fish species and is a refuge for many migratory birds in the heart of an otherwise urban environment.  Recently, Texas Parks and Wildlife established that the Guadalupe Bass (the state fish of Texas) that inhabit Brushy Creek are genetically pure.  The department in turn enacted new, beneficial regulations that will continue to enhance the fishery for many years to come!

Thanks to its consistent flow and a regional trail system lining its banks, the creek provides positive economic benefit to many outdoor-oriented businesses in the area, whether that be fishing, cycling, fitness, etc. From an ecological perspective, Brushy provides a diverse ecosystem of native flora and fauna nestled within a growing urban community.  

3) Why do you feel it is important to contribute to the research of your watershed health? What is this research going to tell us about our future and the actionable steps that are needed? 

Due to its urban location, a notable percentage of Brushy Creek’s flow originates from effluent treatment plant releases. While there are drawbacks, this ensures reliable base flow even during drought conditions. Unfortunately, treatment plant releases can also cause detrimental impacts when poorly managed. The sampling we are doing as a fly shop with SOTF provides us with water quality data that is privately sourced.  This data gives us hard evidence of any change and allows us to hold local wastewater management plants accountable for their actions. It also allows us to give praise where praise is due and demand action when necessary. Through our partnership with SOTF, we are now positioned as watchmen for our local water in a way we never thought possible!  Due to the exploding local population and past wastewater mismanagement, the research we are doing is essential to support upstream planning to protect our natural resources. SOTF has provided a way to help us ensure that the future of our home water is indeed a bright one. 

4) How can we inspire more people to give a damn about creating or enforcing policies focused on watershed health and/or climate change? What is its importance to you?

As a rule, lovers work harder than workers. One of Living Water’s primary goals is to help people fall in love with their home water.  Love can often be spelled T-I-M-E. The more time people spend enjoying and learning about the natural world, the more they desire to see it preserved. When people fall madly in love with their local fisheries, they will in turn steward them rightly.  

5) Since joining SOTF, have you observed your watershed differently. If so, how? Is there anything you are doing differently as a guide, angler and environmental conservationist to help further protect your watershed? 

Living Waters Fly Fishing’s partnership with SOTF is quite literally a dream come true!  I have long desired to have access to hard data regarding water quality on Brushy Creek, and SOTF has provided a way for us to collect it as a fly shop. Considering the absence of reliable third party monitoring in our area, the work that SOTF is doing for our home water is invaluable in our fight to protect Brushy Creek.