The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 12.13.2024

Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope

My Fishy Friends,

I had brunch with my oldest non-family fishing friend last weekend and our stories were constant and endless. We bounced from decade to decade and back again, covering all manner of species, locales, and results. It makes me wonder, are they distinct stories, or just part of one, long epic? I don’t know that it matters, but it makes me wonder.

Cheers,
Jesse

From the Lowcountry

Another thing that’s so great about fly fishing is that every angler does it their own way, in their own, unique style; fly fishing artwork is the same. Paul Puckett, a South Carolina-based artist, creates work that is especially unique, combining elements of realism, prose, and pop-culture, along with some hilarious comparisons and puns that make me smile. It was difficult to choose just one piece from his portfolio to include in this newsletter, but I landed on the one below — Albert Einstein configuring tarpon leader formulas?! Come on! Paul’s work spans mediums, topics, species, and locates though, so browse his website and then let me which ones resonate with you.

Fly Fishing Legacy

I’ve written about the fly fishing legacy of my friends and colleagues Cathy and Barry Beck before, and also of the heartbreaking passing of Cathy last winter, but I just learned of a short film being made in their honor: LEGACY. Cathy and Barry were the ‘first couple of fly fishing’ and they pioneered much of what is taken as commonplace in today’s fly fishing media and travel. LEGACY will be shown at the upcoming International Fly Fishing Film Festival, which has showings across the country.

Carp Central

My maternal grandparents grew up in Brooklyn and lived in Manhattan for decades and as a boy, my parents and I would venture from our rural, dirt road home to the Big Apple to visit them. I’m thankful for the experiences I had with them in the city, especially just getting to go there at all. As fly fishing became a passion of mine, I found my way to Urban Angler, the fly shop in NYC. While I never bought much more than a t-shirt or hat or flies, I loved that fly fishing existed in the city. This week I came across an article and short about a Central Park-based fly fishing guide, Brandon Dale, who targets carp. I wish I knew about those carp 25 years ago!

Rhythms with DJD

I’ve been following Writing the Wild, an online writing workshop program since they launched earlier this year, but was excited to see that, in addition to their 8-month workshop, they’re offering some shorter-term writing ‘labs’ as well. Their first lab, “To Find the Music of Your Heart, Find the Rhythms of Your Prose” is led by the longtime favorite author of mine, David James Duncan. Check out more of their labs here and subscribe to their newsletter to stay in the loop.

Stories Take Care

The stories people tell have a way of taking care of them. If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.

~ Barry Lopez

Banner photo: The lower Hoh River on a rare, sunny winter day.

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