A hot Southern California day more than six decades ago found long-time Klamath Basin resident Denny Rickards standing over home plate looking at the catcher who had just asked him, "why didn't you swing at that?"

Denny replied, "I didn't see it…"

Yes, that Koufax — the famous lefty who would go on to win three Cy Young Awards and a stack of other accolades. Denny was there with some other promising players from San Diego State University, getting a close-up look at what big-league pitching actually looked like.

It was a turning point. The radar-gun reality of major-league heat helped point Denny in another direction — one that would lead to 50+ years of guiding fly fishermen, writing four books pioneering still-water fly-fishing tactics, and building a business that puts anglers on astonishingly large trout.

A Fisherman Is Born

The man with the dog came back, and seeing the distraught six-year-old asked, "Why don't you try again?"

And thus another fisherman was born — Denny tallied up four fish that afternoon, ignored his mother calling him for dinner, and (somewhat surprisingly for a six-year-old) wrote down the size of each fish, the bait he used, and where he caught them in a little notebook.

That notebook habit became the foundation of a lifetime of fishing discipline.

So when life later took him to a house across from the Truckee River, he was content. He fished hard, learned, and got better.

Pioneering Still-Water Fly Fishing

Most fly fishing is taught around rivers. Denny pioneered the same craft on lakes and reservoirs — water that doesn't flow, water where the fish aren't where you'd expect, water where conventional river tactics break down.

His four books became foundational texts in the still-water fly-fishing world. Anglers from all over North America have read them and brought what they learned to Wickiup Reservoir, Pronghorn Reservoir, Klamath Lake, and the dozens of other lakes and reservoirs Denny has fished hard over the decades.

Crystal Creek Anglers

Now, he runs a business built over 50 years: Crystal Creek Anglers — guiding fishermen, traveling to tradeshows, teaching fly-fishing tactics, and selling the flies that help anglers target astonishingly large trout on lakes like Klamath Lake.

Trophies

The photos that accompany this profile tell the rest of the story:

  • Wickiup Reservoir brown trout — Denny hoists a classic brown, one of many he's caught (this time a friend was there with a camera).
  • Pronghorn Reservoir rainbow — so large it's difficult to lift for a photo.
  • Soda Lake, Wyoming, brookie — brook trout don't often run into double digits, but this one was headed that way.

Every fisherman knows the feeling.

Why It Matters

That a nationally-known fly fisherman of Denny's caliber calls the Klamath Basin home is not coincidence. The lakes, reservoirs, and high-desert water around us hold trophy fish — and Denny has spent a lifetime proving it.

If you've been curious about still-water fly fishing, the books are a good place to start. And if you want to be on the water with someone who knows it better than almost anyone alive — Crystal Creek Anglers is the call to make.