The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 02.13.2026
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
A conversation with an old fishing friend doesn’t really start and stop. Rather, they’re more like tides—ebbing and flowing, changing directions, depth, and magnitude—with fish swimming through them all the while.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: A crescent of color above a Crescent of a Lake.
Big Sky Fly
I shouldn’t continue to be surprised by the Bozeman-based Big Sky Journal when they run a fly fishing-related piece that grabs me. I suppose I am because I don’t necessarily think of it as a fly fishing magazine, even though fly fishing inherently runs through Big Sky culture. I was pleasantly surprised to recently find that much of their 2026 Fly Fishing edition is available online—check it out here. There’s a piece of native grayling, Robert Redford and The Movie, plus creative writing and art to match.
A Little Happiness
My fondness and appreciation for bamboo fly rods and bamboo fly rod making is in no way correlated to the amount of time I’ve spent fishing them (very little). Some day, I’ve often told myself, I’ll make one, and fish it. Until then, I’ll continue to admire them and their makers. “A Little Happiness of Fly Rod Builder,” is a short film about Japanese bamboo rod builder and small stream aficianado Kakuhiro Nonaka. I’d wager it’ll make you want to go scramble around some boulders for six-inch trout. And maybe want to buy a cool dirtbike too.
Essentials
I’m always interested in what fishing guides use, wear, and bring, especially the little things—not rods, reels, and lines. Here’s a great list of what Headhunters Fly Shop co-owner and guide Mark Raisler keeps in his drift boat. There’s more than what you might expect here. I’m curious if you have any additions?
(The) Gulf (of) ME
On an even lighter note, here are some great, oceanic V-Day cards courtesy of artist, angler, and friend Bri Dostie and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, based in Portland, ME. GMRI—working in climate change, ecosystem health, seafood sustainability, and marine economy growth—just celebrated 20 years in its waterfront location (the org. itself was founded in 1968); here are some highlights.
Fishing for People
I often went fishing up in Maine during the summer. Personally I am very fond of strawberries and cream, but I have found that for some strange reason, fish prefer worms. So when I went fishing, I didn’t think about what I wanted. I didn’t bait the hook with strawberries and cream. Rather, I dangled a worm or a grasshopper in front of the fish and said: ‘Wouldn’t you like to have that?’
Why not use the same common sense when fishing for people?
~ From Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People
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