How a Near-Disaster Led to a Life on the River: A Fly Fisher’s Tale
With: chrisjhanson
We recently caught up with Chris J Hanson whose journey is anything but ordinary. From battling a life-changing medical condition to casting his first fly, he’s seen it all. In this interview, he shares his passion for fly fishing, and how the sport has shaped his life—both on and off the water. Plus, we dive into his love for bourbon and his bucket-list fishing adventures around the world.
Every angler has a beginning—when did you first get into fly fishing, and what drew you to the sport?
On February 10th, 2015 my wife had to rush me to the hospital because she thought that I was having a stroke. I was asking odd questions and couldn't remember anything. After being hooked up to machines and running many tests, it was determined that I had an episode of Transient Global Amnesia where I lost my memory and I couldn't form new memories. The cause? Migraines, stress and working too much. The Doctor said that I needed something that would be relaxing when I wasn't working. I had never been fly fishing but we had talked about it in the past so my wife purchased a guided trip for my birthday back in June 2016. That was my first time ever casting a fly rod and that day changed everything. You can see my short film The Day I Disremembered on YouTube where I talk more about it along with my unique background.
You’ve fished in some pretty incredible places—what’s the most unique or challenging fishing spot you’ve ever tackled, and what made it stand out?
Iceland is probably the most unique place that I've ever fished. It's almost like another world. But I also loved Argentina. I've hosted trips to Argentia and Alaska so those are both places that I am goin gto do more trips along with hosting an Iceland trip as well. The reason I mentioned Alaska too is because one of the trips is in June with you can catch seven different species if you know where to go and plan accordingly. All on the fly. Super unique and challenging.
What’s the biggest lesson fly fishing has taught you over the years? Has it changed the way you approach life in any way?
It's not just about catching fish. I've learned to slow down and not be so intense about it. Take time throughout the day to look around, relax, take a break and just sit by the river. It's one of the reasons why I started making raman out on the river. I've really learned to be in the moment and enjoy all of the little things, all of the micro moments throughout the day. And that has translated over to my life because I've always been very goal oriented with work and anything that I get into. I still struggle with that which I'm glad because it's not all bad. It's gotten me where I'm at today. So I've learned to not be so intense.
We know you’ve probably hooked some big ones, but what’s the most memorable fish you’ve caught? What was the story behind it?
I've had so many memorable fish. But if pressed, I would have to say an Arctic Char that I landed in Iceland. It was early on in my fly fishing journey. I had a rough day. I was feeling off and it got into my head so everything was going wrong. I was landing trout but losing some really nice ones. I was pretty down on myself which is kinda silly thinking about it because I'm in Iceland fly fishing for goodness sake.
There was an hour left in the day so Sindri, my guide, asked if I wanted to go to a special place to end the day. He said it was a beautiful place and a little hike. There can be big fish but they are rarely caught. The sound of a hike and a beautiful place sounded like exactly what I needed. From above looking down we saw a great looking Char. It was a big fish. So we hiked down and I started throwing streamers. Then nymphs. It was such a long cast to get to it. Most of the time I just couldn't get it in the zone. It was impossible to get closer without the danger of falling off a ledge into 100 ft hole with no shoreline to crawl back up. Just a jagged rock drop off. I switched back to a streamer. As I'm stripping in I see this fish come darting up from the deep, open his mouth and I set! Wow what a strong fish. It tried to run under the jagged rock ledge. It was diving deep. Somehow I get control of him and get him to the net. A fat healthy 24" Char weighing 5 pounds was the reward. The photo ended up in a local Iceland newspaper online and on the cover of their neck brochure.
You’ve got some serious experience under your belt—what’s one fishing technique or trick that’s your secret weapon when the fish just aren’t biting?
If it's slow and things just aren't happening when I'm nymphing I start by slowing down. Looking closer at the water and at the different runs. Then I start by adjusting my set-up. The weight. The distances from flies to indicator. I like to use a smaller split shot and from there add puddy. Add a little and work the run. Add more or take some off. Make sure I'm getting down to the fish. And also adjusting my indicator depth. I tell all newer people in fly fishing that it's not your flies, it's your set up. Enough weight and right depth. Worry about the flies later. That is of course, that they are at least using one of my flies that are the right ones for that river. If I'm sight fishing and I can't see my flies well and the fish is eating but not my flies, it's the same drill. Another trick I use when I'm sight fishing is I move a step or few away from where I'm standing and cast to the fish from there. Sometimes the cast, where it lands, weird currents, etc and all of a sudden it hits different and is in the zone. Can you do it by standing where you are at? Sure. It's just what I do when I see a fish and It's not happening.
Everyone has a favorite fishing season. What’s yours, and why do you love fishing during that time of year?
It would have to be winter for me. It gets really technical. Less people. Being in the elements. The river becomes different. Quiet. It can seem a bit ominous when it's cold and the weather is rolling in. Winter is special for me which probably mostly has to do with my past and the years that I spent training and racing sled-dogs and spending so many hours out in the cold with the dogs. And there's actually quite a few correlations between fly fishing and racing sled-dogs which I touch on a bit in my film.
Fishing solo vs. with friends—what’s your vibe, and who’s your ideal fishing buddy (human or otherwise)?
I tend to be an extreme introvert/extrovert so I'm kinda all over the place when it comes to this but overall, I fish by myself. That said, I have met a lot of great people over the years that I fish on and off with throughout the year when the timing is right. And some have become very good friends. So yeah, I do like fishing with friends too. Most of the time when I fish by myself it's because I need that time on the river to take a break. Gather my thoughts. Or not think about anything at all. And I come back refreshed.
We’ve seen you’re not just about fishing—you’ve got a bourbon company too! How did that come about, and what’s your go-to bourbon pairing for a day out on the water?
The history of Buttery Brown Bourbon actually started out as a sticker. And if you've seen my hidden secret bookcase door on Instagram that leads into my bourbon and fly fishing room you also know that I am really into bourbon. Now combine that with loving trout colors/design on just about everything. So I started thinking about creating a cool sticker. A bourbon bottle with liquid that were brown trout colors and markings. Then I started brainstorming names for the bourbon with my wife and kids. And that's when I came up with Buttery Brown Bourbon. It fits from a fishing perspective and also from a bourbon perspective. So I had stickers made up and sold them and people really liked them and everyone kept asking if I was coming out with a bourbon. And at the same time I was wondering what if. That's always a dangerous thing for me to ask. Lol. What if I came out with a bourbon? So the research started. I've released two barrels this summer and we only have a few bottles left. The next release will be a 7 year about that was dumped into barrel for a few months that used to have a tawny port in it. So for those not familiar with this, it's called a finished bourbon. It picks up some of the subtleties of the port to create this delicious pour. And to balance it out and to also pack the biggest punch, I'm going to release it at cask strength which will be around 117 proof. Single barrel and they will be numbered. Yes, I'm very excited about it. My go-to bourbon pairing on the river? Release a trout into the water after a fun battle goes really good with a pour of BBB!
Looking into the future, what’s the one big fishing adventure you haven’t tackled yet but is at the top of your bucket list? Give us a hint!
There are so many places that I hope I'll have the chance to fish but I would say that New Zealand is at the top of the list. And Scotland. My wife and I had a trip planned to Scotland when 2020 hit so of course we had to cancel everything so we've been talking about rebooking that trip.
