Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope

My Fishy Friends,

I went on that fishing trip I eluded to in last week’s email. I even got to introduce two friends along the way. One notable moment was when a fish took Steve’s fly in the exact spot we thought one would. Another was when Peter (who just now texted me to say that he finally watched The Big Lebowski and he ‘understands my insistence’) had a plump cutthroat reveal its plump-ness by coming completely out of the water for his dry fly. The final notable moment that I’ll mention was the best nap of the year that followed the trip, falling asleep at home with a smile on my face to the first downpour we’ve had in months combined with a fresh, cool breeze.

Cheers,
Jesse

A River’s Own Name

Suppose one day we were to wake up and understand
the name of a river. Not the names we’ve given,
but the name it asks us to give.

So begins author, poet, fly fishing guide, and teacher Cameron Scott’s six-part epic, “A River’s Own Name”. I want to quote line after line of this poem, so many calling to mind rivers I’ve stood in and fished in. I heard Cameron read this poem once and, though I’d read it before then, I read again afterward, the words even more powerful than before.

Can you name the river that presses against your hips
gently as a horse’s nose? 

Find a quiet place, perhaps a riverbank, and enjoy.

An Exercise in Reciprocity

Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants reads the subtitle to Robin Wall Kimmerer’s moving book Braiding Sweetgrass. Each chapter is filled with insights from Kimmerer’s world as a mother, scientist, professor, and member of the Citizen Potowatomi Nation, but one that especially stuck with me is “Epiphany in the Beans”. In this chapter, as response to the notion that her students love the earth, Kimmerer poses the question, “Do you think that the earth loves you back?” It’s an interesting one to consider. I make the connection this way: I love the fish that I fish for, so do I think that they love me back? By simply making the assuming that they do, then it’s crystal clear how we should treat and care for them in return.

Send It South!

Captains for Clean Water’s quest to restore clean water flowing into south Florida continues and there’s recent good news in this fight: the new Lake Okeechobee System Operation Manual (LOSOM) was signed into effect by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This framework, years in the making, will:

Reduce high-volume coastal discharges
Send more water south through the Everglades
Balance salinity levels in Florida Bay
Fortify Florida’s economy

Feel-Good Fishing Friends

Sometimes we all need a feel-good watch. Combine fishermen, a rural coastal community, some good songs, friends and family, and even a little romantic comedy, and we have just that. Based on a true story, the 2019 film Fisherman’s Friends tells the story of a group of Cornwall commercial fishermen and their rise to ‘fame’. Is it cheesy? Maybe a little, but in the best way possible. Give it a watch and then check out the Fisherman’s Friends’ album Sea Shanties. Or, if you need a little encouragement, listen to the album beforehand and just see if you don’t start singing along.

Man, Put On Some Brothers

When I was in New Zealand, I befriended a group of fellows from the state of Georgia. Horm and I ended up spending a month or so with them, crashing on their couches and floors during the weeks, and then camping and fishing with them over the weekends. Our weeknights were filled with endless games of 10,000, beers, laughs, and tunes. One of the Georgia boys had an unmatched love for the Allman Brothers and each night, inevitably, he would tire of whatever music had been playing. “Mannnn, put on some Brothers,” he would say and then take control of the speaker. Here’s my favorite version of “Melissa” - an extended acoustic version with a dual-solo from Dickey and Warren.

On Faith

To catch a fish you have got to have faith that the water you are fishing in has got fish in it, and that you are going to catch one of them. You still may not catch anything; but you certainly won’t if you don’t fish your best, and you won’t do this without faith to inspire you to do it.

~ from Spawning Run by William Humphrey

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The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 08.23.2024