In anticipation of Father's Day on June 17, we had the pleasure of sitting down with fly fishing traveler, writer, and lodge owner Oliver White who just recently became a father! We wanted to know how the newest addition to the family would affect his famous fishing lifestyle and if he saw any parallels between exploring the world and raising a family. And of course - how Sight Line Provisions fits into the equation!

Thanks for sitting down with us on this Father's Day special. Where have you been recently and where are you headed next?

I never stop moving! This year was no exception, even with the new addition. In the last three months I've been in Oman chasing permit: Lesotho sight fishing to trout and yellowfish: Sudan after triggerfish; a quick stop in Dubai for queenfish; Mexico hosting some anglers for permit, bonefish, tarpon and snook; and the Bahamas looking for tailing bonefish. I'm off to Montana in a couple of weeks to do a float down the South Fork of the Flathead. It's a day and half horse pack in and a 5 day float out. I make my annual pilgrimage to Kamchatka the end of July for a couple of weeks.

You've explored many of the world's greatest fisheries and now have just recently had your first child.

Are there any parallels between the two experiences? I'm new on the fatherhood journey - but excited about it. I quickly realized in the traveling that it's not the fish that drive me. Its a process, and more often than not the things that make the trips memorable are not what I anticipated. I expect fatherhood to be similar in that sense.

Do you plan on taking your son abroad with you?

Of course! Couldn't have it any other way. We are actually headed to Abaco in Bahamas next week. I'm trying to take him to Guyana with me in the Fall but Mom says not until he can run from snakes.

How did you first hear about SLP and do you have a go to piece?

It's always funny how you get turned on to new niche brands. I'm not a very savvy consumer and Sight Lines wasn't on my radar at all. I have always worn trinkets I've collected in my travels. For many years, I wore a bead necklace a shaman gave me to offer protection in the jungle. I still have a piece of elephant on my wrist that a Masai gave me in Tanzania 7 years ago (it's shrunk now and I can't get it off). My first Sight Line piece was a gift from Wil Flack. I commented on his while we were drinking Cuban rum in Havana. It was a weathered permit and he passed it over to me and it proved lucky. I ended up passing that one off to Eduardo Garcia when he caught his permit while we were together in Mexico, but I've worn one pretty steadily since then.

I've worn many versions and species but I gravitate towards the Artists Series - I love the personal touches and flair. And I tend to stick with various permit incarnations, you need all the good luck you can get with those things. Currently I'm rocking a cool purple Mexican textile permit - until I find a better home for it. Then I'll move to one of the new hand hammered ones.

Keep up with Oliver at @oliverwhitefishing on Instagram, or check out his Bahamian Lodges @abacolodge and @bairslodge.

 

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