Rivers of a Lost Coast

North Coast Legends

Jim Pray

Jim Pray moved to the Eel River during the Great Depression. Arriving homeless with little more than a suitcase, he settled in a ‘hooverville’ outside of town. He survived by selling hand-tied flies to prominent Eureka fly fishermen. Within a few years, he opened a shop in town where he became the area’s premiere tier. Famous for his fishermen’s lifestyle, Jim Pray was chronicled in Forbe’s magazine and by the timeless outdoor writer Ted Trueblood. With countless revolutionary fly patterns, Jim and his small shop were the centerpiece of early California steelheading.

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