Summer Scene: On the fly with Holt Haga

Holt Haga has a thing for fish—and not just the raw, rolled and wasabi-spiced variety. Haga likes the real deal: Rushing rivers, wily steelheads and the whirl of his fly reel.
    “My uncle put a pole in my hand when I was about 4 years old, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” Haga says, pardoning his pun.
    The 24 year-old U.S. Freestyle Ski Team bumper and Park City, Utah, resident doesn’t just bide his time with a bobber by the riverside. “There’s so much to fishing. You essentially have to ‘hunt’ the fish—whether that’s how you approach a certain hole, select the right fly—there’s so much strategy involved,” he says.
    Haga’s focused determination and knack for strategy shows on the hill, too. He won the moguls event at the 2007 U.S. National Freestyle Championships, and was a force on the World Cup moguls circuit last season—which was his first, notching several top 10 finishes and ranking 12th in the world before injuring his knee in March. Haga has spent much of the summer rehabilitating his knee and credits fly fishing with helping to round out his routine.
HOLT HAGA has a thing for fish—and not just the raw, rolled and wasabi-spiced variety. Haga likes the real deal: Rushing rivers, wily steelheads and the whirl of his fly reel.
    “My uncle put a pole in my hand when I was about 4 years old, and I’ve been hooked ever since,” Haga says, pardoning his pun.
    The 24 year-old U.S. Freestyle Ski Team bumper and Park City, Utah, resident doesn’t just bide his time with a bobber by the riverside. “There’s so much to fishing. You essentially have to ‘hunt’ the fish—whether that’s how you approach a certain hole, select the right fly—there’s so much strategy involved,” he says.
    Haga’s focused determination and knack for strategy shows on the hill, too. He won the moguls event at the 2007 U.S. National Freestyle Championships, and was a force on the World Cup moguls circuit last season—which was his first, notching several top 10 finishes and ranking 12th in the world before injuring his knee in March. Haga has spent much of the summer rehabilitating his knee and credits fly fishing with helping to round out his routine.
    “Fishing has actually been key—not only because it’s one of the few things I can do this summer, but it helps me relax. When we’re competing and even training and rehabbing, we’re always so focused and goal-oriented. There’s none of that on the river. I’m just there to let go and enjoy myself,” Haga says.
    Because of constraints with his knee (fly fishing often involves standing for long periods of time), Haga can only fish about once a week but normally hits the river three to four days a week. He frequents Utah spots like the middle fork of the Provo, Currant Creek and parts of the Strawberry River. “Where I go usually depends on how much time I have,” he notes.
    But even though he hasn’t been fishing as much as he would like, Haga still managed to catch his biggest prize—a 25-inch, 10-pound steelhead—just two weeks after his knee surgery this summer. Clearly, his injury isn’t holding him back. “If anything, fishing is helping me prepare for next season. It’s part of my mental ‘training,’ and it keeps me busy until I can get back on skis next winter,” Haga says.
    We’re sure that once the snow falls and Haga’s back on the slopes, he’ll continue to reel in prize-worthy results.