The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 07.11.2025
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
I’m writing from an Amtrak, headed south from Portland. I chose a seat on the side of the train that faces the west, for the river views it provides but I’m realizing that this side also receives all the setting sun, and the train’s air conditioning isn’t working very well. An announcement was just made that we need to stop on the tracks to let another train go by… I bet all the people on the cool side of the train wish they had the view that I have.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: One final glimpse of the sun but the fishing day is not yet done.
Don Green: Father of Fast Action
By the time I started working at Sage, Don Green, the founder, had retired but I met and spoke with him whenever he stopped by the office. His kindness, wisdom, and humility left a lasting impression on me, and his impact on the fly fishing world will last forever.
Don passed in January, 2024 and to celebrate his life, I endeavored, along with several other former co-workers, to capture his story in words and in a memorial display of sorts. The project came to fruition this week.
Tying & Scrutinizing Flies for 50 Years
Among the living legends of fly fishing and all its niches and sub-niches is southern Oregon-based fly designer and tyer (among many other things) Ken Morrish. Kenny’s fly patterns have been staples of trout anglers’ fly boxes for decades; perhaps most notably the Morrish Hopper but a large number of other patterns that don’t bear his name as well. Here’s a great essay by Kenny about the origins of the Morrish Hopper plus some great background on his tying roots and inspirations.
River Runs Through Japan
In the description for the YouTube channel River Runs Through Japan, following some writing in Japanese, the only English reads, “Nostalgic Japanese scenery. It's someone's hometown, and someone's place of memories.” I’m not sure whether anything is lost in translation or not but regardless, it’s an apt description of the videos I have seen. The image below links to one video of theirs that I especially enjoyed but their entire YouTube channel is filled with others. They offer a refreshing take on the fly fishing experience, not to mention great scenery from Japan.
To Know A River
When the essay, “To Know A River,” popped up for me from the Fly Fisherman Magazine archives, I realized that it had been quite a while since I’d read any Roderick Haig-Brown and that I should reacquaint myself. His voice and style become evident in the first couple paragraphs and I remembered why I enjoyed the books of his that I read before. This essay could also be titled something to the effect of, “An Ode to Rivers,” or “A Love Letter to Rivers,” or perhaps even, “On Love.”
A Great Fly
What makes it such a great fly is not how it looks but how it acts, not what it imitates but how many things it could appear to be.
~ I forgot where I found this one…
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© Jesse Lance Robbins, 2025
