The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 01.23.2026
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
There are currently three stacks of to-be-read or being-read books in my house right now: on the coffee table; on my nightstand; and next to my writing desk. Each stack is getting rearranged consistently, and each stack itself is getting reprioritzed as well. I can’t claim to be finishing anything very quickly, but I’ve no shortage of good options.
Cheers,
Jesse
P.S.—We’re only a month away from the official release of my book; you can pre-order yours here!
Banner photo: High tide, in the estuary, in the Canal.
Oregon’s Boat
I had the pleasure of watching Randy Dersham’s documentary Oregon’s Boat—all about the McKenzie River dory—at a local community center along the banks of that very river last spring, and he was there to add some historical notes, share anecdotes, and take questions. After showing at private events and in film tours over the past year, Dersham released the film in its entirety online recently. It’s a little over a half hour in total, and well worth the watch for anyone who’s interested in rivers, river-running, boat building, and Pacific Northwest history.
Winchester Dam Update from River Rambler
Speaking of Oregon rivers, the recent legal proceedings surrounding the infamous and obsolete Winchester Dam on the North Umpqua River were discussed in a recent podcast epidode of The River Rambler. Host Richard Harrington chats with WaterWatch of Oregon’s Jim McCarthy and The Steamboaters’ Jake Crawford on the current events, rulings, and what the next steps are in the campaign to restore unimpeded fish migration at the dam site. Here’s the Spotify link, and Apple Podcasts link.
Protect the Boundary
There’s a fight going on right now to protect Minnesota’s Boundary Waters—over 4 million acres and 1,000+ lakes and ponds—from mining activity, and there’s a call to action now to call Senators and request their support. Click here to learn more about the issue via the organization Save the Boundary Waters. And for a taste of what’s at stake, watch this short film A Northern Light, written and narrated by Riverhorse Nakadate. After, click here to take action.
Photo credit: Save the Boundary Waters
Chatham on Fishing the Tides
Russell Chatham was an artist, author, and angler who spent significant time in both northern California and the greater Yellowstone area. Several of his fishing books, as well as a book of his paintings, have homes in on our home bookshelves, and I was pleased to find that Dark Waters, a collection of his essays was recently re-released. This coincided with an essay shared in California Fly Fisher entitled “A Set of Tides.” All are worth the time, and for more on Russell’s artistic and angling life, check out this essay from longtime writer and editor Terry McDonnell.
Maybe
Maybe that’s why our imaginations invent folkloric creatures and cryptids: to fill gaps in our understanding
~ From Leanne Dunic’s essay “What’s in a Name?”
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