Eddie Olwell
On Nov. 10, 2020 Montana lost another fly fishing legend, Paul Roos of Lincoln.
If you are a guide or outfitter, have fished the Big Blackfoot, or leafed through an Orvis catalog you have probably heard of him. If not, his name will go down in history with many of the great conservationists in the fly fishing industry. Pat Barnes, Dan Bailey, Bud Lilly, and George Grant are a few that come to mind.
His name is synonymous with the Blackfoot as are the others and the rivers they made a living on and helped protect. Paul began his guiding career in 1970. At the time, the Blackfoot wasn’t much of a fishery.
Years of mining, over grazing, dewatering, logging, and stocking of hatchery fish had taken its toll on the river and its native fish. Together with other concerned members, he helped found the Big Blackfoot Chapter of TU in 1978 and the Blackfoot Challenge in 1993.
Over the years these two organizations have brought members of the Blackfoot Valley together to conserve and restore hundreds of miles of in stream and riparian habitat. Native Bull trout and West slope cutthroat, once on the brink, are flourishing.
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Today the Blackfoot is one of the most popular rivers in Montana among fly fishers. This success was not only achieved through hard work but collaboration with a diversity of groups and stakeholders.
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