The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 08.15.2025
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
I think it’s safe to say that a change in the weather forecast is more exciting than whatever that forecasted weather may be. Just like a change in gears: much more fun to actually shift from third to fourth than to be in fourth gear. We can probably think of a few more examples. Still, if it is indeed raining when I wake up on Friday morning, I’ll be pretty dang excited.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: What lies ahead, in time and place.
Rogue Spey Clave
Next Saturday, August 23rd, the inaugural Rogue Spey Clave will go down on the bank of the mighty Rogue River outside of Grants Pass. The lineup of Spey casting instructors and presenters is impressive (I’m especially looking forward to Whitney and Mike’s presentation, “Long Line vs Short Line: Better get a Marriage Counselor”) as are the number of exhibitors participating. I will be there on behalf of WaterWatch of Oregon so if you make it to the event, be sure to stop by and we can catch up!
Where I Write
It’s fairly often that I find myself ‘late to the game,’ and sometimes I’m really late. Oh well — you find things when you find them, I suppose. Here’s angler, author, and friend Dylan Tomine’s take on Orion Magazine’s long-running series “The Place Where I Write,” which hit home for no fewer than six reasons. A couple of those: I’m reviewing manuscript edits from a New York editor; (hopefully) the sky today is also gray; I was just at a blueberry farm; I lived in Puget Sound for some time; and, of course, a familiar name in the text itself.
Above: Where I write.
The River Speaks Plainly
This week I came across the album “The River Speaks Plainly” by Pixie & The Partygrass Boys, a unique combination of river rat storytelling, celebration, and music. In the bands words, “…we collaborated to create The River Speaks Plainly, which tells the tales of river heroes and heroines from Colorado River lore. The music, which can be found on Spotify, combines storytelling elements as we had Colby tell the stories campfire style between the songs.” Each song is prefaced with some enlightening and inspiring spoken word about the subject of the following song. Awesome stuff!
Whispers
The fishing conversations around Oregon — at least the ones I’ve been having — have undoubtedly changed focus to steelhead. Most everyone seems to be coming from, going to, or planning their trip to the river, myself included. I am reminded of an oldish short documenting a B.C. steelhead trip. In addition to the great tune by Kacy & Clayton, there’s something about this video that appeals to me. I think it’s that, even though the production quality is high, it still feels homemade to a degree, which I like. It makes me want to go fishing; what else do you need to know?
Whatever They May Say
Whatever they may say about traveling hopefully having the edge on arriving, there is much to be said for being able to make the comparison. Worth remembering if you're teaching young people to fish with the fly. I liked fishing then because I had caught fish. That, when you're starting, is why you continue. At the heart of it all is the feel of the fish on the line.
~ From Fly Fishing by J.R. Hartley
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© Jesse Lance Robbins, 2025
