The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 01.02.2026
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
According to the calendar, winter arrived a few weeks ago. But, according to angling, it came over the weekend: I took my first swings for winter steelhead, and friends back home drilled their first holes through the ice. So, winter it is.
The calendar also claims a New Year too—I won’t try to debate that. Here’s to a great one for us all! Thanks so much for reading.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: The hard water awaits.
Restoring the Kennebec
Back in September, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, The Nature Conservancy and partners announced that an agreement had been made to purchase, and eventually remove, the four lower dams on Maine’s Kennebec River, opening up free-flowing access for Atlantic salmon and other anadromous fish to the high-quality habitat in the Sandy River! As a follow-up to the project, here’s a Q&A with ASF’s president about the plans and forthcoming removals.
River Teeth
One of the many pieces of writing from David James Duncan that has stuck with me over the years is his concept of “river teeth.” Since first reading that essay, I have found, been presented with, searched for, gifted, and collected river teeth. The phrase popped up in an essay that a friend passed along last week, and I mentioned it to them; they hadn’t heard the backstory. A quick internet search found the passage in question, and also revealed an entire journal dedicated to the concept. Click here to read Duncan’s words, and to check out the journal.
The Hard Way
My father asked me recently which was my favorite river in Oregon. I balked, and gave two answers: one for trout fishing, and one for steelhead fishing. I could’ve also given one for whitewater, one for multi-day floats, one for wade fishing, one for fall… But, were I to choose just one river for everything, it would be the Deschutes. “The Hard Way,” a film by RA Beattie, tells the story of Warm Springs Reservation guide and tribal member Matt Mendes and his life, through the seasons on this incredible river. Enjoy.
Help Coastal Cutthroat Trout
When I moved to Puget Sound, one of my first orders of business was to get acquainted with the local waters. In doing so, I was introduced to the coastal cutthroat trout, a finicky, transient, hearty, and beautiful fish worthy of the fly angler—and also in need of protection. The Coastal Cutthroat Coalition, based in Olympia, WA does both, but focuses on the latter. Their annual fundraising auction is now live online, and it’s a great way to support the organization’s work, the fish, and win some great trips or gear.
Glimmers
I have always believed that if I pay strict attention while I am out in the physical world—and for me that often means the natural world—the physical world will give me everything I need to tell my stories. As I move through my day, I wait to feel something I call a glimmer, a vibration, a little charge of resonance that says, “Hey writer, look over here.”
~ From Pam Houston’s Deep Creek
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