The Conservation Angler (TCA) is proud to announce that Chris O'Donnell, owner of Bend Fly Shop, longtime professional guide, and wild steelhead advocate from Bend, Oregon, has joined the organization's Ambassador Program.
O'Donnell has built his career around Oregon rivers and the anglers who care about them. He is the founder and owner of Bend Fly Shop and has guided the Lower Deschutes River full time since 2003. His guide service also operates on the Crooked River and on the winter steelhead rivers of Oregon's north coast.
For more than two decades, Chris has helped anglers understand not only how to cast and fish, but how to observe a river and learn from it. His work includes extensive Spey casting instruction, and in 2025 he presented at the Sandy River Spey Clave on the role of tension in effective casting. Through Bend Fly Shop, he also helps provide classes, fly tying demonstrations, and practical local knowledge to the Central Oregon angling community.
More than two decades of instruction — Chris O'Donnell working a winter steelhead run on Oregon's north coast.
"Chris has the kind of experience that cannot be separated from the rivers where he earned it," said John McMillan, President of The Conservation Angler. "He has spent more than twenty years watching the Lower Deschutes and Oregon's coastal rivers change from season to season. He understands what wild steelhead mean to anglers, guides, shops, and communities, and he knows that protecting those fish requires both good science and people who are willing to stay engaged."
Chris's fishing experience extends well beyond Oregon. His favorite days are spent pursuing fish across British Columbia and other parts of the Pacific Rim, experiences that have strengthened his appreciation for healthy rivers, diverse wild fish populations, and the places where those fish still have room to thrive.
TCA's Ambassador Program brings together anglers, guides, shop owners, scientists, artists, photographers, and advocates who can help connect the angling community to wild fish conservation. The program is part of TCA's broader effort to expand angler science, strengthen long-term monitoring, and build durable support for wild steelhead across the Pacific Rim through its Northern Crown Initiative.
"Fly shops and guides occupy an important place in conservation because they talk with anglers every day and see what is happening on the water," McMillan added. "Chris brings credibility, honesty, and a deep working knowledge of Oregon fisheries. He can help TCA reach people who care about steelhead and want practical ways to contribute to their future."
A Working Life Built Around Rivers and Anglers
Bend Fly Shop reflects Chris's approach to fishing. The shop emphasizes local knowledge, instruction, and equipment selected for Central Oregon waters, while its guide service offers day trips and multi-day experiences on several of the region's best-known rivers. That combination gives Chris a direct connection to both experienced and novice steelhead anglers alike.
Local knowledge, one rig at a time — Chris O'Donnell at work on the Lower Deschutes.
That connection matters as steelhead populations face pressure from climate change, habitat loss, harvest, hatchery impacts, and gaps in long-term monitoring. Guides and shop owners often observe changes in run timing, abundance, river conditions, and angler behavior before those changes are fully reflected in formal reports. Their observations can help identify questions, strengthen monitoring, and bring more people into the conservation process.
As an Ambassador, O'Donnell will help TCA communicate the value of wild steelhead, support the organization's angler science model, and strengthen relationships with guides, fly shops, and anglers across Oregon and beyond. His experience as a business owner, outfitter, instructor, traveling angler, husband, and father gives him a grounded perspective on why wild fish matter and how conservation can become part of everyday fishing culture.
About The Conservation Angler
The Conservation Angler protects the best remaining populations of wild steelhead across the Pacific Rim. Through The Northern Crown, a network of sentinel rivers spanning from California to Kamchatka, TCA turns fishing into a scientific endeavor. By empowering guides and anglers to collect actionable data, TCA fills monitoring gaps and safeguards wild fish populations.
For more information, visit www.theconservationangler.org.
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