The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 11.01.2024
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
Last week, I called an old friend while on the highway. My friend, expecting the call, was putting his boots on and walking out the door as he answered the phone. Paces away from his front door is a lovely river and this friend keeps a 3-weight strung up at all times with a panfish popper. He fished while we chatted and it turned out that the fishing was quite good - our conversation interrupted every five minutes or so by his Oooh’s and Ahhh’s. I'd never ‘fished’ over the phone before, but I sure did like it! I may request he takes to the river the next time I call.
Cheers,
Jesse
“Class is in Session”
My confidence wavers between extremes while fishing, either convinced that what and how I’m fishing will undeniably hook a fish if one’s there to be hooked at all, or unclear whether what I’m doing is more of an exercise in odds and coincidence than logic…
Fishing for Conservation
In the past several weeks, several fly fishing tournaments/competitions/events took place and while they’re all far from one another and have very different rules/themes, the overriding premise is the same: use fly fishing as a vehicle to raise awareness and funds for conservation and community efforts. The events were: CalTrout’s 5 Rivers Challenge, Caddis Fly Shop’s Two-Fly, and Palometa Club’s 11th Annual Tourney. I applaud all these efforts and look forward to seeing more creative endeavors within the fly fishing community to help support worthy causes. If anyone wants to ideate, I’m game!
A Textbook Textbook
I was way deep in an internet rabbit hole when I came across this - a Virginia Tech University textbook entitled Fish, Fishing, and Conservation. Written by David J. Orth, the “undergraduate-level text explores major motivations for fishing and non-fishing related values, responsible fisheries practices, the rights of all people to decide how to manage and conserve fish, their habitats, and how they are utilized.” Admittedly, this is a lot to read - a semester’s worth, I suppose - but in browsing the contents and skimming a few chapters, I can see that this is a class that I would’ve quickly registered for when in college. If anyone’s flush on time and interested in a non-formal audit, consider this!
Ghosts & Gold of California
Founded in 1992 by Richard Anderson, California Fly Fisher recently rebranded and relaunched both in print and online. The editorial team is quite the cast of seasoned California anglers, conservationists, and writers, and they just released their second issue in this next chapter of the magazine. Here’s a topical piece from Cal Kellogg on mining history, paranormal activity, and, of course, angling, all set in the American River basin. Make an online account to read the essay for free, and subscribe if you’re inclined!
The Maine Source to Sea
The River Radius Podcast, “a cultural nexus of rivers people & boats,” recently released an episode focused on a ‘source to sea’ trip on Maine’s Sandy and Kennebec Rivers, the latter waterway being especially near and dear to me. Click here to listen to the episode, learn more about the trip - which also included my pal and photog Joe Klementovich - and to explore a variety of other online resources about the river, its fisheries, dams, and more.
Beliefs
I don’t believe in magic. I believe in the sun and the stars, the water, the tides, the floods, the owls, the hawks flying, the river running, the wind talking. They’re measurements. They tell us how healthy things are. How healthy we are. Because we and they are the same. That’s what I believe in. Those who learn to listen to the world that sustains them can hear the message brought forth by the salmon.
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© Jesse Lance Robbins, 2024
1033 3rd Place, Springfield, Oregon, USA
