The Fishing Notebook
Dispatches from an Angling Writer
I have a great job. I go to wild places, catch fish, and write stories about those experiences. You'll see much of my work in Field & Stream magazine (where I'm an editor-at-large) and at www.fieldandstream.com.
I've been captivated by fishing since I was a young boy, and while a tug on the line still flips my adrenaline switch, the thing I enjoy most is sharing the fishing experience with others, both in person and through words. So I'm honored and excited to have this opportunity to take you along on some of these fishing adventures as they unfold. I'm going to show you some "inside scoop" as I set out to make stories that will appear weeks, months, sometimes years, down the road. Sure, it will be about fish and how to catch them, but it will also involve some of the unique personalities and beautiful places along the way.
That, to me, is what fishing is really all about. Respecting traditions… sharing a culture… appreciating nature… and passing as much of that enjoyment on to others (particularly younger generations) as possible. One other note: In my opinion, all fishing is good fishing. It doesn't matter if it's spinning, baitcasting, fly rodding, ice fishing, trolling, or dunking worms – it's all great, and the more we experience, the better we get.
So what's on the agenda for this year? We'll visit the mighty Columbia River between Washington and Oregon, and try to catch a giant sturgeon. We'll also chase steelhead and smallmouth bass in that area. Then it's off to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan for another smallmouth bass adventure, where we'll also catch carp on the "flats" (an experience that rivals the most challenging saltwater flats fishing). From there, we'll go largemouth bass fishing in San Diego, and we'll also try to hook one of the ocean's apex predators–the mako shark–on a fly with my buddy and expert fly fisherman Conway Bowman. Of course, there will also be plenty of high country fly fishing for trout in the Rocky Mountains as well.
Beyond that…well you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!
Kirk Deeter is an editor-at-large for Field & Stream, and his stories on fishing and other adventures have appeared in numerous national magazines. He is the author of four books, most recently The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing (co-authored with the late Denver Post outdoors editor Charlie Meyers).
The Fishing Notebook
Dispatches from an Angling Writer
I have a great job. I go to wild places, catch fish, and write stories about those experiences. You'll see much of my work in Field & Stream magazine (where I'm an editor-at-large) and at www.fieldandstream.com.
I've been captivated by fishing since I was a young boy, and while a tug on the line still flips my adrenaline switch, the thing I enjoy most is sharing the fishing experience with others, both in person and through words. So I'm honored and excited to have this opportunity to take you along on some of these fishing adventures as they unfold. I'm going to show you some "inside scoop" as I set out to make stories that will appear weeks, months, sometimes years, down the road. Sure, it will be about fish and how to catch them, but it will also involve some of the unique personalities and beautiful places along the way.
That, to me, is what fishing is really all about. Respecting traditions… sharing a culture… appreciating nature… and passing as much of that enjoyment on to others (particularly younger generations) as possible. One other note: In my opinion, all fishing is good fishing. It doesn't matter if it's spinning, baitcasting, fly rodding, ice fishing, trolling, or dunking worms – it's all great, and the more we experience, the better we get.
So what's on the agenda for this year? We'll visit the mighty Columbia River between Washington and Oregon, and try to catch a giant sturgeon. We'll also chase steelhead and smallmouth bass in that area. Then it's off to Beaver Island in Lake Michigan for another smallmouth bass adventure, where we'll also catch carp on the "flats" (an experience that rivals the most challenging saltwater flats fishing). From there, we'll go largemouth bass fishing in San Diego, and we'll also try to hook one of the ocean's apex predators–the mako shark–on a fly with my buddy and expert fly fisherman Conway Bowman. Of course, there will also be plenty of high country fly fishing for trout in the Rocky Mountains as well.
Beyond that…well you'll just have to stay tuned to find out!
Kirk Deeter is an editor-at-large for Field & Stream, and his stories on fishing and other adventures have appeared in numerous national magazines. He is the author of four books, most recently The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing (co-authored with the late Denver Post outdoors editor Charlie Meyers).
