THE BELIEVER: ON THE WATER
Anybody who writes a book about fishing is obligated to say, Well it’s about more than fishing. And if they’re in the publicity department they add, It’s really about life.
Read MoreFLY FISHING PATAGONIA: A TRAVEL GUIDE
In January I went to Argentina. It was a trip unlike any other—dream fishing all over Patagonia. I recommend heading south (with a few days in Buenos Aires, one of the world’s great cities) in the strongest possible terms.
Read MoreON THE WATER: THE DRAKE'S COLLABORATION
Hey now! I’m very happy to let you know about my collaboration with Drake’s.
Read MoreTHE HOUR DRAWS NIGH: THE OPTIMIST IS COMING
Well, opening time is getting closer: The Optimist comes out Tuesday.
Read MoreA TIME OF NEW TRADITIONS: SPRING IN THE CATSKILLS
To celebrate my first trip to the water this trout season, I bought a case of Miller Lite. It felt good to stride into the walk-in cooler at Peck’s Market in Livingston Manor, NY, and stride out with a box of 24 cans of the good stuff. Well maybe not the good stuff, but at least the acceptable stuff. Anyway, I was happy.
Read MoreTHE FLY FISHING COMMANDMENTS (UNOFFICIAL)
My friends at Scribner, who are publishing The Optimist, are doing a little giveaway for friends of The Contender.
Read MoreOPEN WATER: BACK ON THE FLATS
People don’t care too much about your fishing trips. Your girlfriend might care, she wants you out of the apartment. Your fishing friends say they care, but are usually more interested in the aftermath of a disastrous trip, when they can enjoy the sordid details.
Read MoreWelcome to the Game: Fly Fishing for Beginners
I get asked a lot about how to start fly fishing. It’s a good question since it’s not that easy to do. Sometimes the high bar keeps some people from getting involved in a sport that they might really like. But the bar’s not as high as you might think.
Read MoreTHE OPTIMIST: COVER PREVIEW
Hey now! I’m so happy to share the cover of The Optimist with you. You’re the first to see it and I hope you like it as much as I do. It’s designed by the great John Gall (who’s worked on my other books, as well as basically being a legend). It’s from a Charles Ritz photo I’ve always been obsessed with.
Read MoreFISHING SKETCHES: FALL ANGLING IDEAS
I’ve got a new piece over on Huckberry about the joys of fly fishing. It deals with how to get into the sport, something I’ll be writing about in more detail next May when the trout season begins and my book comes out. But September and October is a very good time to get out on the water and try something new. So over on the newsletter I’ve got some ideas that might get you on the water.
Read MoreTHE BIG TRIP: FLY FISHING MONTANA
I’m just back from Argentina and an incredible fishing trip in Patagonia. It was the first trip I’ve hosted—it was terrific and I’ll write about it here soon. There’s no time to wait though because we’re booking the next hosted fishing trip. It’s this September and I partnered with my friends at Orvis. It’s going to be at the very cool PRO Outfitters camp on the North Fork of the Blackfoot River.
Read MoreCHALLENGE IN PARADISE: FLY FISHING SILVER CREEK
Silver Creek is one of the great fly fishing destinations, and certainly one of the most challenging. Situated in Picabo, Idaho, about an hour south of Ketchum, it’s where to test your dry fly skills. There are very large trout, very clear, cold water and active hatches throughout the season.
Read MoreMAKE THE PILGRIMAGE: FLY FISHING PATAGONIA
Last January I went fishing in Patagonia and couldn’t believe how great it was. I thought I was prepared—I’d been there a decade earlier—but everything struck me at once. The remarkable landscape, the kind people, the terrific food and, of course, the fishing. I wrote about the trip and a very large trout that I lost and am still recovering from.
Read MoreTHE LAST GOOD COUNTRY: FLY FISHING PATAGONIA
Every angler has a destination that takes hold of his imagination and for me that’s Patagonia. Montana is first in my heart, but more attainable (I’m driving there in a few weeks!). Patagonia is a different level of commitment, a trip to another hemisphere, a pilgrimage to some of the greatest landscapes on earth. I wrote about a trip I took there for the new issue of Robb Report.
Read More
THE LIFE PURSUIT: BONEFISH AT THE END OF THE WORLD
I’ve been obsessed with bonefish since I caught my first one about five years ago. Nothing prepared me for how much I would love the flats in the Bahamas. They’re so vast and wild, with just the horizon in every direction, interrupted by the occasional mangrove. It feels like you’re at the end of the world.
Read MoreANY LUCK?: FISHING HATS
I recently wrote a piece for Orvis about fly fishing superstitions and the perils of lucky hats. When the fishing’s going well you take the credit, when the hat’s gone then suddenly it had mystical powers and is the source of your struggles. This kind of irrational logic is typical of the angler who can’t decide if the sport is fundamentally simple or profoundly unknowable.
Read MoreHey Now! Welcome To The Contender
Everybody remain calm, it’s just a friendly addition to the internet. The world might not need another website, but we do need a place to talk about where to buy a first suit, where to drink in Japan and where to bonefish in the Bahamas. Curious people on the hunt are always looking for insight and intelligence.
Read More