Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope

My Fishy Friends,

Thanks for joining me in these little newsletters. I hope you’ve found something interesting and inspiring. Thanks also for all the great feedback - keep it coming! See below for this week’s goodies. And, for those of you in southern and central Oregon, there are still tickets available for Writers on the Fly tonight and tomorrow night!

Cheers,
Jesse

South Island Stats

Believe it or not, I was planning to major in Mathematics - until I reached my first 300-level course, Abstract Algebra. It was much too abstract for me, but I do still love numbers and math. Especially counting fish that I don’t catch.

See the Stats

An Artist

I had the pleasure of meeting photographer Nick Kelley when he was fresh out of college. We had both relocated to an island community in Puget Sound and neither of us had many friends there so we bonded over fly fishing, the outdoors, basketball, and music. It quickly became clear to me that Nick has very special talents when it comes to capturing images and I have watched with admiration as his career has blossomed. We have collaborated in a variety of ways in a variety of places, including this profile piece in The Flyfish Journal. Check out his website, his Instagram, and enjoy the views.

A Tune

I’d heard of Cat Power’s new album, a remake of Bob Dylan’s show at Royal Albert Hall, for a while but hadn’t put it on until it one song came up on shuffle. It stopped me in my tracks and I immediately put on the whole album. What a cool concept - to remake an entire concert. We all have our personal favorites of Dylan, so take your pick from this album. I’m especially impressed with “Desolation Row”, considering it’s a 12-minute long memorization exercise, but when the whole band kicks in on “Tell Me, Momma”, it really gets good. Enjoy!

A Film

I’ve been a fan of Swedish artist and angler Rolf Nylinder ever since his full-length film “Only the River Knows” was released in 2012. Because I despise “one of’s”, I’ll instead say that Only the River Knows is the most unique fly fishing film I’ve seen - an incredibly entertaining and inspiring mix of fiction and nonfiction, production and DIY/amateur filming, all set in the beautiful Kiwi backcountry. Check it out. If you need a teaser, check out his short “A Dry Fly Love Song”, an ode to fishing the floating fly, below.

A Link

The mighty Missouri River is a dry fly fishing mecca and the headhunting-style of fishing there is a Masterclass waiting for anyone who makes the trip. Mark Raisler, guide and owner of the Craig, MT-based fly shop Headhunters focuses on this style of fishing and does so with an incredibly unique style of teaching and general approach to fly fishing. As example, consider his recent Instagram post which encourages us all to practice our casting in bite-size sessions; five to ten minutes at a time.

A Thought

I have come to believe that all essays walk in rivers. Essays ask the philosophical questions that flows through time - How shall I live my life? The answers drift together through countless converging streams, where they move softly below the reflective surface of the natural world and mix in the deep and quiet places of the mind. This is where an essayist must walk, stirring up the mud.

~ Kathleen Dean Moore, Riverwalking

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The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 04.26.2024