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Chesapeake Watershed Campaign

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed stretches across more than 64,000 square miles, and comprises parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. Home to more than 19 million people, the watershed contains more than 100,000 streams, creeks and rivers, all of which ultimately feed into the Chesapeake Bay. The Watershed’s largest tributaries include such famous rivers as the Susquehanna, Potomac, Rappahannock, York and James rivers and the land-to-water ratio of the Chesapeake Bay is 14:1 – the largest of any coastal water body in the world. This fact explains why the impacts of society on land in the watershed have such a large impact on the health of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Fly Fishers International, in partnership with our sponsors at Costa Sunglasses and Cheeky Fishing, is excited to celebrate the incredible beauty of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake’s diversity of natural landscapes and species truly encompasses the philosophy of  “All Fish, All Waters” that is the lifeblood of our organization. As you can learn about below, the Watershed provides an exceptional range of opportunities to target species on the fly. 

Beyond its beauty, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed sits at a pivotal and exciting moment in it’s history. Signed in 2014 by the Governors of each state in the watershed, as well as the Mayor of Washington, D.C., the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement committed all seven jurisdictions to full partnership in the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Agreement envisions a future Chesapeake Bay Watershed with “clean water, abundant life, conserved lands and access to the water, a vibrant cultural heritage, and a diversity of engaged stakeholders.”

A first for Fly Fishers International, the Chesapeake Watershed Campaign is a celebration of the diversity of fisheries, landscapes and communities across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, spread across print, audio, online and film. Whether “Chesapeake” the first season of FFI’s new Fly Fish Forever podcast, the seven-part YouTube film series “Chesapeake Tales”, the most recent edition of Fly Fishers Magazine, or the newly released “Chesapeake: A Love Letter to a Watershed” in the 2023 International Fly Fishing Film Festival, the campaign seeks to educate and excite you about the past, present and future of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Thanks for visiting and see you in the watershed!

Chesapeake Tales

Spanning seven episodes, the Chesapeake Tales features some of the watershed's leading conservationists and fly-fishers. Whether you're interested in Trout Unlimited's work to protect, reconnect and restore Brook Trout habitat in the headwaters of West Virginia, the multi-governmental effort to improve the Anacostia River, America's most urban watershed, or one of the region's lesser-known native fish, the mighty and aggressive Bowfin, the Chesapeake Tales demonstrates the incredible range of people, fisheries and communities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed!

 

 

 

 

Chesapeake: Fly Fish Forever Podcast Season One

The official podcast of Fly Fishers International explores the incredible people and places of the sport of fly-fishing. In Season I, we traveled across the varied landscapes of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Over the season's 20 episodes we had the chance to hear from some of the top guides, anglers and conservationists in the region. Whether you want to learn to target a new species, understand the massive effort underway to restore the Bay, or just hear from a wide and diverse range of experts, this season is for you!

 

Flyfisher Magazine

The Winter 2022 edition of Flyfisher Magazine features several exciting articles from the Chesapeake Watershed Campaign. If you are interested in a behind-the-scenes look at how the films were made, a high-level view of the efforts of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay to restore the watershed, learn how to target the native Bowfin on the fly, or learn about one of the watershed's leading fly patterns, take a look!

 

Chesapeake: A Love Letter to a Watershed Trailer

Chesapeake: A Love Letter to a Watershed is an official selection of the 2023 International Fly Fishing Film Festival. IF4 travels around the globe featuring the very best in today's fly-fishing films.

Find an IF4 showing near you.

 

 

Join the community of fly fishers who have made a commitment to preserve the legacy of fly fishing for all fish, all waters. You will also enjoy valuable member benefits.

Join Today!