The Best Fly Fishing is Everywhere - 11.27.2025
Ramblings & Readings, Creativity & Conservation, Happenings & Hope
My Fishy Friends,
I walked along my original home river this week, and passed the stretch where I caught my first trout on a fly. The fly was a Mickey Finn, I believe, and I was swinging it behind mid-stream boulders as my father and I worked our way down. The scene played out before me as we strolled by, and my thoughts at that moment were two: gratitude that it happened at all, and a wish that it may happen once again.
Cheers,
Jesse
Banner photo: I went fishing in that river, not long after I took this picture.
End-of-Year & Giving Tuesday Support
As the year comes to a close and we reflect, give thanks, count blessings, and perhaps make holiday gifts, I encourage you to consider the organizations, groups, and people that work to support, protect, restore, and/or foster the places and things that you or those you care for hold dear.
So, for reference and consideration, following is an updated list, in no particular order, of non-profit organizations that I support, for various reasons and in various ways. “Giving Tuesday” is a great time to make gifts to these organizations — and there are often matching donation campaigns available!
Fly Local
The traditional gift-giving season is rapidly approaching, and I encourage readers to shop at your local, independent retailers as much as possible this year. Here’s a heartfelt call to support your local fly shop via Calfornia Fly Fisher written by California’s Curtis Fong, who grew up in a family that ran a specialty retailer for 50 years. When you support a local retailer, you’re supporting your local community, and helping to ensure that business — and experience — remains for others to get to know and benefit from. Speaking of long-time specialty retailers, the oldest shoe store in America is in my hometown and is run by my old class- and teammate!
Scale of Change
Last year, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, in collaboration with fly fishing brands Hooké and Loop, released and toured “Scale of Change.” It’s an organization-brand communications and product campaign, including a 45-minute documentary on Atlantic salmon and the efforts underway to ensure their survival, along the way aiming to prove “that the scale of change begins with a single drop, and together, we can fill the bucket to preserve and protect wild Atlantic salmon.” The film is now online in its entirety here.
StEELhead Need Help
Another impressive dam removal project is underway, this one in northern California on the mighty Eel River, and being orchestrated by a collaboration of many groups. A comment period to FERC is underway through the end of the month, allowing folks to make their opinions known about the project. According to Native Fish Society, this comment period is the most impactful. Read more about the Eel (pictured below, taken by me a few springs ago), the dam removal project, and make your comments at this link.
Meeting
I will not have time to know the rivers so well on this first trip, but I am looking forward to meeting them.
~ From C. Barr Taylor’s Shadow of the Salmon
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