Rick Alsager

I have lived in Idaho all my life, and have enjoyed fishing ever since I caught my first fish in a pond in Boise when I was three years old. It was a Bull Head Catfish , hardly as impressive as the steelhead and salmon I catch now, but a start.

My youth was centered around all kinds of sports, with a father that regularly led me from the football field to the duck blind or to a walk in the weeds hunting pheasants. He taught me how to fly fish and some of my fondest memories are of the camping trips my family took into the Idaho mountains. The main thing my father taught me was to appreciate nature - the fish and wildlife I sought, hunting and fishing ethics, and the beauty of this state. I have passed these things on to my son, and soon will be passing them on to my grandson.

After high school, I attended Boise State University and graduated in 1977. During breaks from school, I worked with the Idaho Fish and Game Department at numerous summer and winter jobs, and after graduation, worked at a private fish hatchery and other IDFG temporary jobs. After working in retail for 7 years, my wife persuaded me to take the Fish and Game tests again. I was successful, and was hired in February of 1985 as a permanent employee, working as a fish culturist at Hayspur Fish Hatchery, near Sun Valley. Since then, my 22 years with the Department have taken me to Picabo (2 years), Grace (2 years), Stanley (4 years), and Nampa (14 years). Kind of a big circle of travel around southern and central Idaho. Now I'm back where I started, the Treasure Valley. With the Department, I've worked with 7 species of trout, 4 species of salmon, and 2 species of steelhead, along with assorted warm water fish and non-game fish. And, now I'm painting them!!

We started in 1991 with Doug Young working for me at Sawtooth fish hatchery. I actually hired both of my partners, Doug and Dan Baker, as temporary employees with the Department. We were spawning steelhead when Doug, the true artist of the bunch, said, "Let's throw some paint on some of these fish and make some prints." We did, and mine looked like Crayola creations, but I got better. Doug was promoted to another hatchery, but left his paints with me and said, "If you get a chance, throw some paint on any Sockeye that come back. Do it!" Sure enough, we got the four fish back. I painted one and made a dozen different prints, one of which we selected in 1997 to make "Redfish Return". The rest is history. We now have five different prints completed, with more planned in the next few years, note cards based on the prints, clothing apparial and we're still all working with fish at fish hatcheries across the state.

I have been married for 25 years, to Debi, who still usually out-fishes me. We have a daughter, a U of I graduate, who is married and has given us two grandsons. We have new fishermen in the family now! We also have a son, who I have hunted and fished with for 20 years. He has graduated from college and has followed me into the Fish and Game Department. He currently is the Assistant Manager at Springfield Hatchery by American Falls.

I still enjoy fishing and hunting, especially fishing for steelhead and salmon, and hunting for elk. I like watching football, basketball and baseball, especially college games, and enjoy just about anything that gets me outdoors!

Enjoy the prints we have produced, there is a large amount of love in each of them!

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