The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 07.18.2025
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
It’s funny — interesting, perhaps — to me how, after multiple weeks on-the-go, when facing the plan-less weekend, it takes some time to recalibrate the mind to prepare. But, the local rivers haven’t gone anywhere and they will always welcome us back, no matter how long we’ve been away. So we’ll see how they’re doing. Let me know about yours!
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: Smallmouth bass water as far as we could see.
Kat Wins the Del Brown
Located in the heart of Key West, The Angling Company is as much of a community fly shop as any in the world; its owners and staff are passionate, active, and involved members of the fly fishing and conservation scene in the lower Keys. Kat Vallilee and Nathaniel Linville are the owners of this great shop and I was especially taken by Nat’s recent report about Kat’s victory in the 2025 Del Brown Permit Tournament, alongside guide Nick Labadie. In addition to recounting her recent win, Nat tells us about Kat’s angling journey and her rise as a tournament angler.
Of Time & Rivers Flowing
A fishy friend shared this feel-good story with me this week, which tells how a special, local river was protected from a multi-dam hydropower project in the 1980’s. Inspired by his own love for the stream and the passion by other anglers and river-lovers, musician and composer Mason Williams created Of Time and Rivers Flowing, “to show our long-standing relationship with rivers—that they run not only through the land, but through our hearts and minds as well.” The performance eventually played in 60-some venues across the northwest, ultimately defeating the proposed dam project and leading, in a way, to the Oregon Wild & Scenic River bill in 1988. Here’s a Spotify link to Williams’ album of the same name, filled with 14 songs about and inspired by rivers — some nice, light listening while working or making coffee or dinner.
Capt. Whalley on Fleyes
Based in Maine’s Casco Bay, Captain Ben Whalley is known equally for his fly tying skills as his striped bass guiding abilities. And while he is a protégé of the late, great angler and tyer Bob Popovics, Ben bring his own creativity to the flies of his own designs; I saw him and his flies at work while on Casco Bay together a few years back. Ben was interviewed in The Articulate Fly podcast recently and he talks about Popovics’ Beast Fleye, along with tying techniques and suggestions.
Learn in the Gear Garage
On a weekly basis I end up in an internet rabbit hole related to river-running and boating, researching rivers I’d like to float, camping or raft frame accessories, new drift boat models, and more. It is common for these jaunts to eventually lead me to the Gear Garage, the YouTube channel of Zach Collier and his outfitting company Northwest Rafting. In the Gear Garage, you’ll find excellent videos on all-things-boating, including education, safety, gear reviews, knots, rapid and river overviews, all with fine videography and production. If boating is of interest to you, browse their video library and you’re sure to find something worthwhile.
Heart and Mind
Heart and mind cannot be exclusive of one another in the fight to save anything.To help others understand nature is to make it breathe like some giant: a revolving, evolving, celestial being with ecosystems acting as organs and the living things within those places—humans included—as cells vital to its survival.
~ From J. Drew Lanham’s The Home Place
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© Jesse Lance Robbins, 2025
