CalTrout News
In October 2022, California Trout awarded Bill Landreth the Claude Rosenberg Award for his outstanding contributions to wild trout, salmon, and steelhead conservation through philanthropy.
As someone who cares deeply about California’s rivers, fish, and ecosystem health, Bill has been an integral part of CalTrout’s organization since its very early days. His annual fish lunches have brought together thought leaders, influencers, educators and other change-makers to discuss the state’s natural resource issues and raise awareness and support for CalTrout and other organization’s efforts toward improving our rivers and native fishes for the benefit of all Californians.
“Bill and his entire family are like family to CalTrout, and to me personally. I have spent much of my professional career with the organization and Bill has been a mentor, a trusted advisor, an unwavering supporter, and most of all, a friend. I’m so glad we can honor him with this award, fittingly named after his good friend Claude Rosenberg,” shared CalTrout Executive Director Curtis Knight.
Thank you, Bill, for your dedication to and support of the organization. Your impact on CalTrout has been immeasurable and we would not be where we are today without you.
Hear more from Bill and what drew him to support CalTrout’s mission:
“I am a proud fifth generation Californian. After coming out west on the Oregon trail, my dad’s family settled in Yreka and Dunsmuir where my dad was born. Dad came from a fishing family, and he took me fishing all over northern California. On weekends we would drive from Oakland to so many different rivers. My early favorites were the Smith, the Klamath, Hat creek and the Upper Sacramento. I caught my first trout on a salmon egg in Castle Creek in 1952. It is probably still there in the pine tree branches where I yanked it up! In later years we fished a lot in the Feather River basin. I worked as a hiking and fishing guide at the Oakland City camp and I enjoyed I fishing the wild middle fork of the Feather and Spanish creek. California rivers were heavily stocked in the 1950’s and we always caught a lot of rainbows. We would keep them and bring them home on dry ice. Mom got tired of us filling the freezer with fish! I continued to work summers as a wilderness guide and fished all over the High Sierra, often going on long backpacking trips including the John Muir Trail. My favorite stream was the remote Upper Kern River, and I loved fishing for golden trout around the base of Mt. Whitney which I climbed several times.
As a student at Stanford University, I often fished Pescadero Creek. At Harvard Business School, I fished for brook trout in Maine. In 1970, I joined Goldman Sachs, an investment bank. I didn’t have much time for fishing, but I got away occasionally. My favorite spot during that time was Sun Valley, Idaho where I fished Silver Creek and the Big Wood River. By then I had graduated to fly fishing. My investment clients on the west coast included many fly fishermen in San Francisco. Thinking about ways to get to know them better, I started the Montgomery Street Anglers. We would have lunch together occasionally and talk about fishing. We also invited speakers like Dick Galland, a well-known guide, and Richard May, the founder of CalTrout. I became good friends with Claude Rosenberg and fished with him often, usually on the McCloud. Through that group, I got to know Curtis Knight and George Stroud of The Nature Conservancy. We started having an annual fish lunch with a larger group and with speakers through which we did some fundraising and were among the first donors to visit the new McCloud Preserve in 1973.
My career then took a turn. I had a great opportunity to move to London in 1977 as a manager for Goldman Sachs. It was very hard to leave friends and family in San Francisco, but we ended up leaving and staying in London for twelve years. Our children grew up there. I traveled all the time throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, and the world. During that time, I visited 87 countries and managed to fish a little along the way. My favorite place was Devon and the Dart River in southwest England. I joined the fly fishers club in London, one of the oldest clubs there and full of tradition including Izaak Walton’s original gear and the world’s largest trout library. As in San Francisco, I discovered that many of my clients were anglers and I formed some special friendships while Goldman Sachs in London grew like crazy. I became a partner and chair of the international executive committee, and in 1989, we finally moved back to San Francisco. My first trip after coming home was with my kids to climb Mt. Whitney and to fish the Kern. We bought a home on the Big Wood River in Sun Valley, Idaho and went there often to fish.
I renewed my acquaintance with my fishing friends in San Francisco, and I also became active at Stanford University as a trustee and a professor. I helped establish the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford and was also involved in launching the Water in the West Center to conduct research and find solutions for water challenges including groundwater, recycling, shrinking aquifers, and dam removal. I became chair of the development committee and Curtis Knight also joined our advisory board. Conservation and water were always a focus for me starting with Sierra Club and CalTrout and then at Stanford.
In 2008, I retired but remained a senior director at Goldman Sachs. Since my retirement, we have been able to have more time in Sun Valley. I fish a lot there but still do an annual outing to the Shasta area with friends to visit CalTrout’s Trout Camp and the McCloud Preserve. In fact, I recently went to the Rising River where I caught my first Sacramento pikeminnow!
I feel fortunate to have had a good life. California and fly fishing remain my core. Tight lines!”
Tackling California’s biggest challenges takes ongoing action – which cannot happen without steady, reliable support from champions like you. Learn more about how to get involved below.
