The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 04.04.2025
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
It poured rain all the way to the put-in last weekend and opened up again for the entire drive home but, somehow, we spent most of our float in the sun. Thank you, Spring, for your ability to give a sunburn even to those wearing puffy layers and rain coats.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: I was certain I’d see a fish that day, even though they were still months away.
The Voluntary Beatdown
Almost twenty years ago, in an effort to stay in touch with college fishing friends, a group of us entered the blogosphere. In doing so, I became aware of other angling blogs and bloggers, eventually finding one called Voluntary Beatdown, which was based, coincidentally enough, not that far from where I live now. It was unlike anything I’d ever read and while there was a learning curve in deciphering the author’s novel (to me) style, once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. Then, all of a sudden, it was gone — deleted by the author exactly one year after it began. Since then, whenever VB came to mind, I’d do a quick internet search, to no avail, but recently I discovered a couple reposts. Shared on the Wild Steelheaders United blog, they are well worth your time. Check out Part I and Part II of the Voluntary Beatdown throwback posts.
“The Count”
One breath. Thirteen strips. Three detangles. One breath. One lift, snap, sweep, D, and cast. One reach mend. One gather. Two steps. One more mend…
Montana Spey
In North America, fly fishing for anadromous fish with Spey rods is a relatively new idea, at least compared to Scotland and England, where the technique was invented. Newer still is the idea of using ultralight and ultra-short double-handed rods to fish moving flies for trout — “Trout Spey,” they call it. I have a couple of these rods and they are definitely fun to fish, plus they offer great casting practice for ‘real’ Spey casting. And, as longtime steelhead guide and North American Spey casting pioneer Mike McCune says in this video “Montana Spey,” there are times when they are as effective as any other method. Enjoy the video and give special attention to Mike’s casts, many of which he developed himself.
You Shall Pass!
Last month, the national non-profit Backcountry Hunters & Anglers reported a victory for public land access with a U.S. Court of Appeals decision to uphold “corner crossing” from one public land to another (in CO, KS, NM, OK, UT, and WY). For an overview of the issue and the case, I recommend watching this chuckle- and cringe-worthy enactment, and for reference, consider that some 8 million acres of public lands are only accessible through corner crossing. In BHA’s words, “This ruling protects public land access, ensuring that private landowners cannot unjustly restrict the ability of individuals to utilize public lands that are otherwise landlocked due to a checkerboard pattern of land ownership.”
Stories Weave
Academia can help preserve knowledge, but stories are how we weave ecological connections into the fabric of communities.
~ Diandra Marizet of Intersectional Environmentalist
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© Jesse Lance Robbins, 2025
