Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope

My Fishy Friends,

Depending on when you read this, I will either be on my way to the river or on the river. It is supposed to be “very wet,” and that’s not in reference to the river. If you’re on your way too, I hope you didn’t forget your rain jacket.

Cheers,
Jesse

Banner photo: From what I’m told, this spot doesn’t exist anymore, but that could be a lie.

One Year of The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere

This newsletter marks the 52nd consecutive weekly email that I’ve sent. I hope you’re enjoying them! It’s been a fun ride and a lot of work, but filled with writing, reading, watching, and corresponding. I love all of those but the latter is by far my most favorite part. So thank you for following along and for all your notes, suggestions, thoughts, stories, and links in response to these emails — keep ‘em coming! If you’re curious, you can revisit each and every one on my blog and here’s the very first newsletter I sent. And if you’re inclined to support this work, I’d be honored if you simply kept reading today and in the future, and also considered forwarding this on to a friend who might enjoy it.

Coming Soon: A Book!

I can’t remember with certainty the first time that I had the daydream of releasing a book of my writing into the world but it’s been recurring for well over a decade. There’s a much longer version of this vision and journey but today, I’m both excited and nervous to announce that in early-2026, a collection of short stories and essays will be published! I’ll share updates on this new page on my website, in this newsletter, and on my social media as appropriate. Eventually, there will be a link to pre-order it. I have many, many Thank Yous to extend and will, but for now I’ll just say THANK YOU ALL for your unwavering support and for being with me here. Onward!

One-Year Newsletter Survey

In an effort to improve this newsletter and make it more interesting, informative, fun, and useful, I wrote a short, seven-question survey and I would love your responses! Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer these questions and, as always, feel free to email me if you have any suggestions, comments, questions, concerns, burning desires, or smart remarks! Click here to take the survey.

Youth Fly Fishing & Conservation Camps

Beginning in May, Trout Unlimited chapters across the country — Alaska to California, Georgia to Maine — begin holding their annual youth fly fishing and conservation camps. I attended once as an instructor a while back and one takeaway, of many, was that I wished I had gone to one as a kid! They range from day camps to overnight trips and all have the simple goal to “have fun, learn a lot, and make friends with other young fly anglers.”

Lee’s Master Collection

Long before fly fishing media there were a few fly fishing films and the first I personally ever watched — initially on VHS and then again when they were released on DVD — were Lee Wulff’s “Master Collection”. You can find snippets of this on YouTube, but it’s worth plugging in your old DVD player to watch the entire collection. The films feature Lee, Joan, and a others fishing for a variety of species including Atlantic salmon, tuna, tarpon, marlin, and trout, of course. You’ll see Lee fish with his one-piece, six-foot fly rod, flying his bush plane, and you’ll hear his narration as he goes, combining instruction with prose.

Only Reluctantly

I have come to the river looking not so much for solace, as for corroboration, for evidence that I have made the best decisions, the safest bets. I’m not sure what the evidence will be, although I have a feeling it won’t be conclusive. Answers come from rivers only reluctantly. You have to build understanding out of small moments, you have to cut the pieces out of a day and fit them together in a new way — like puzzle pieces, or premises.

~ From Kathleen Dean Moore’s Riverwalking

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(One Year of) The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 03.21.2025