Owyhee River Journal

Steve Cooper

August 13, 2009

Steve Cooper documents chasing what he calls “the most overlooked game fish in the West”.  An arm chair adventure through the Great Northwest, fishing for one of the fiercest fresh water predators in America. 

Steve was born and raised in Stockton, California, where he lives today with his wife and youngest son. Growing up in a fishing family, his passion for angling began at a very early age. His father, Carl, helped pioneer the Monterey Bay blue shark fishery in the early sixties.

Steve, a fly fisher at heart, began to develop salt water fly fishing strategies and by the mid-eighties, he owned his own boat and was guiding for a number of off-shore species. Steve’s reputation as a guide and knowledge of the central coast salt water fishing scene earned him a spot on the Budweiser national fishing team and attracted national sponsors such as Sea Ray boats and Mercury out-board motors. Major sponsorships gave Steve the opportunity to present his slide shows and seminars throughout California.

Currently, Steve is the owner/operator and head guide for The High Plain’s Drifters Guide Service, devoting most of his summers to exploring the remote regions of Eastern Oregon and Washington and taking the roads less traveled exploring the rivers and streams often overlooked by the general angling population.  His programs, Bronze Back Fever, and Owyhee River Journal document the trials, tribulations, joys and heartaches encountered when fishing remote locations.  In spite of himself, every now and then, he stumbles onto some great fishing!