The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 01.10.2025

Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope

My Fishy Friends,

Welcome to winter, where fishing is especially condition-dependent. Out here in Oregon, it’s a game of rivers being, ideally, not-too-high and not-too-low. Meanwhile, back home in Maine, after waiting patiently (or perhaps not-so-patiently) for cold-enough temperatures, ice fishers and their ice shacks are hitting the ice. Have I been fishing recently? Almost!

Cheers,
Jesse

Banner photo: The rare and welcomed bluebird, winter day on the Oregon coast.

“At Night in the Surf”

Recently published in the 2025 Angler’s Almanac from On The Water, this piece tells of a disorienting fishing experience I had with my dear and old friend Petey. Accompanying the writing are photos of Joe W. by Joe K. Enjoy!

Read It Here!

Clyde Rides On

I don’t know all the details, but here’s my understanding: back in 2012 (I think), The Drake Magazine somehow acquired a beat-up, barely-running 1974 Mercury Marquis. It came to be known as Clyde, and since then, Clyde has been piloted around the country by various fly anglers (or does Clyde pilot them?). After going fishing together, some writing and/or documentation is collected, then Clyde is handed off to another person or group, and the journey continues. These stories have been chronicled in the magazine but a recent film from Tailer Trash Fly Fishing provides an update on Clyde and a decent approximation of the ‘Riding with Clyde’ experience. The narration begins…

Sightings of me have been reported on the Olympic Peninsula to Key West. It’s been a journey nobody thought possible. Mechanics from across the fruited plains have predicted my death many times…

I was one of the lucky few to pilot Clyde around for a time. If only I had a collection of the reactions to Clyde that I saw... And, the bi-coastal sightings mentioned above? That was me too, among friends. I wrote about our Olympic Peninsula trip (photos by Horm) and the Key West trip too.

On Fishhouses

There’s a particular run or spot or fishin’ hole on a particular river in Washington that I particularly like for a variety of reasons, and next to that spot (at least the last time I saw it) is an old, dilapidated shack that is used (or was used) by some to fight the cold and the rain while fishing. I’m hoping to fish there soon and while thinking about that spot, I came across a poem by the late Elizabeth Bishop entitled “At the Fishhouses”. I’m not sure if a run-down shack counts, by definition, as a fishhouse, but why not? In any case, check out Bishop’s poem at this link, where you can hear an old recording of her reading it.

From the Rangeley Region

I’ve mentioned before that the fly shops that stick out to me are the ones that do things differently and offer truly unique products and services. The Rangeley Region Sport Shot in northwest Maine is one of those shops for the traditional fly patterns that they tie in-house and stock in their bins. Drawing from a deep fly fishing history in the region, the shop’s specialty is their streamers. For some inspiration and a history lesson, browse their catalog of Casting Streamers. From their website:

The Rangeley Region Sport Shop has been tying flies and selling fly tying materials since it was founded as Fletcher’s Fly Shop in 1945. Current owner-operators Brett and Sue Damm and their staff tie flies to the Fletcher “recipe” book (of which they own a copy), as well as more recently developed designs.

(It’s Only Fair To) Take Notes

So you have to decide how you feel about this. You may have a perfectly good memory and be able to remember three hours later what you came up with while walking on the mountain or waiting at the dentist's. And then again, you may not. If it feels natural, if it helps you to remember, take notes. It's not cheating. It doesn't say anything about your character. If your mind is perhaps the merest bit disorganized, it probably just means that you've lost a little ground. It may be all those drugs you took when you were younger, all that nonhabit-forming marijuana that you smoked on a daily basis for twenty years. It may be that you've had children… So for any number of reasons, it's only fair to let yourself take notes.

~ Anne Lamott in Bird by Bird

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