The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 02.27.2026
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
We’re approaching another shoulder season, it seems, and while I certainly haven’t quenched my winter fishing thirst, I also can’t help but think about spring hatches and rising trout. These transitional times are fleeting, but they are also when very interesting things happen on the water—unexpected or first-of-the-year things, or unfulfilled desires. Regardless, there’s only one way to witness them.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: Winter-time home water—I’m on my way there now.
Now Available!
As of Tuesday, my book The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere is available for purchase at fine fly shops and bookstores across the country, as well as on all the standard online outlets. If they don’t already have it, any fly shop or bookstore has the ability to special order for you—just ask! Signed copies are available at any fly shop and if you’d like it personalized (i.e., “To Mom”), email me or order through Caddis Fly Shop.
I hope these stories make you smile and make you think; make you reach out to your fishing friends and get on the water. And, I hope they inspire a deeper connection with the waters, fish, and places you find dear. Thanks to everyone for their immeasurable support and encouragement along the way. The fact that the Acknowledgements are as long as a few of the chapters illustrates the point that this book wouldn’t have been possible without your help!
Reading At the Caddis Fly
For those in the Eugene, Oregon area, I’ll be at the Caddis Fly Shop in the evening of Thursday, March 5th for a book launch event. I’ll be reading from the book, discussing with my friend and local TU chapter president Greg Lusby, taking questions and comments from the crowd, and of course, signing books for those who’d like a copy. There’s also complimentary drinks. Hope to see you there, and stay tuned for other events like this coming up over the course of the spring!
Rapping With The River Rambler
A few weeks back, I had the pleasure of chatting with artist and angler Richard C. Harrington for an episode of his podcast, The River Rambler. If you can’t make it to the reading in Eugene, check out this episode, in which I read a couple chapters from the book.
Richard is a kind, wise soul and his passion for creativity, fly fishing, steelhead, and community is palpable and infectious. Listen to our conversation: online, on Spotify, or on Apple.
Running Wild on the BIG Screen
Starting its launch tour this spring across the west coast—Seattle, PDX, SF—is Running Wild: Return to the River, a full-length documentary shown on giant IMAX screens. From the Wild Salmon Center, the film is all about Pacific salmon and their lifecycles, from stream to river to ocean and back again, and all the creatures, critters, and communities they impact and interact with along the way. Check out the trailer and catch a show!
Fisherpoets
The annual Fisherpoets Gatheringis this weekend in Astoria, Oregon! Unfortunately, we’ll miss the fun this year but we have been to several gatherings over the past few years, and I can attest that it’s worth the trip to that far-left corner of the state. In addition to two nights of live storytelling, poetry and slam poetry reading, there’s live music, art exhibits, as well as numerous workshops and presentations on writing, performing, fishing, salmon, and more. If you can’t make it in person, you can also tune in online at the local KMUN radio.
Without
Without the pile of obsidian shards, no arrowhead. Without the sawdust, no chair. Without millions of pages of abortive narratives, unpublishable pap, and noble near-misses, no World Literature… the essence of human stories, the human heart and spirit, does not feed upon food or laurels: it feeds upon more-than-physical things such as truthfulness, love, faith, intuition, and courage.
~ From David James Duncan’s recent essay “The One-Good-Book Koan”
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