The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 10.31.2025
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
I’ve watched a few river flow graphs make big jumps over this past week — always nice to see a freshet come through and freshen things up. Only thing left to do is get out there and see what’s new! May you all find something unexpected out there!
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: Normally I fish this from the other side…
Bliss on Worms & Flies
“A defective logic is the born fisherman’s portion. He is a pattern of inconsistency. He does the things which he ought not to do, and he leaves undone the things which other people think he ought to do…” wrote Bliss Perry, literary critic, writer, editor, professor, and angler, in his essay “Fishing With A Worm,” which was published in 1925. He finishes the passage: “To leave one’s job in order to go fishing! How illogical!”
I came across the essay some time ago while reading Perry’s subsequent essay “Fishing With A Fly,” also published in The Atlantic Montly. Read one after the other, these essays offer plenty of comparisons of the tactics, are filled with one-liners, and are also great period-pieces about fishing and fly fishing, affirming, once again, that the practice is timeless.
Klamath River Salmon
The news from the Klamath River continues to excite and inspire river- and fish-lovers everywhere! Here’s a cool piece from Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, tracking the movements of Chinook salmon in the upper Klamath River, Klamath Lake, and upstream tributaries. There’s also this related, recent story from Oregon Public Broadcasting, reporting on the positive changes in water temperatures in the newly-free-flowing stretch of the Klamath.
Streamers Inc.
Some first-hand fishing stories from the Missouri River came my way this week, including some fishing with streamers, and it made me think of this short film, “Streamers Inc.” from a handful of years back. Made by the fine folks at Headhunters Fly Shop, it’s one to watch or re-watch.
Tales of Terror
Happy Halloween! The Dirtbag Diaries’ annual Tales of Terror podcast is now live. These episodes are always worth a listen, especially if you have some extended, remote, and/or solo camping coming up! Here’s the link on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Five Blocks
He told me to walk five blocks in any direction, any direction at all, and get the hell out of Times Square, escape the lights and the clamor. This felt like the best possible advice for that moment, and also a dazzlingly perfect metaphor for everything else.
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