Nick Parish - Current Flow State (Page 2)

CFS News

CFS member update, 2026

Ever wonder how the sausage is made? Here's a retrospective of last year's growth, an assessment of what's working and what's not, and a sneak peek at what you can expect from us in 2026.

Angler holds largemouth bass over calm water at golden hour, water dripping from the fish's mouth and belly in cinematic riverside setting

Industry

Hunkered down and having fun

All fish tales are tall tales. What kind of stories will you tell this year? A special crop of fly fishing films to start things off right.

Books

My favorite fly fishing books of 2025, and ten other standout reads

Looking for your next great read? Here are a few recommendations, fly fishing-related and non-, as well as a few opinions on what makes good writing.

A big green Dumpster floating down a flooded, turbulent, muddy river, with splashing all around it.

Weekly Update

Two Dumpsters drifting

On the second day of Christmas, the atmospheric river gave to me...

Aerial view of winding Limay Medio river through green valley with dramatic red rock cliffs at golden hour under stormy sky

Weekly Update

This year's favorite fish

Reflecting on some favorite friends (finned and non-finned) after a great year, and ten fishtastic links to start your fly fishing week off right.

Two anglers fly fishing from a raft on a turquoise river, surrounded by lush green vegetation with snow-capped mountains rising dramatically in the background.

Meditations

Blowing off the stink

Whether you're buzzing with holiday excitement or feeling that slack tide of the soul, here are ten fishy detours to transport you.

A wall labeled 'GUIDES' holds approximately 100 handmade coffee mugs arranged in horizontal rows. Each mug is hung by its handle and features a name, forming a colorful mosaic.

Meditations

Making it

Where can you hang your mug on the wall?

Fly fisher wading in a river beneath clear blue skies and a forested hillside with evergreens and bare deciduous trees in autumn colors.

Weekly Update

Waiting for winter (steelhead)

An earnest start in the search for a dreary season chrome lifeline, six months until TroutFest, and ten fishy links to start your week off right.

"Miss Norway at Miss Universe in salmon costume with silver sequined body and metallic orange wings representing Norway's famous fish, shown in two poses on lit stage"

Weekly Update

Harness your inner salmon goddess

Miss Norway, it me. Tying night success, updates from the alchemist's cave, and ten(-ish) fishy links to start your week with trout in the tabs.

17th-century Dutch painting of an alchemist in his workshop, surrounded by glass vessels, ceramic jugs, papers, and scientific instruments in a cluttered stone-walled room with arched doorway

How To

Arcane specs: Fly fishing tackle measurements make no sense

Decoding the antiquated systems we inhabit in fly fishing, and measuring things, so it all matches up real nice.

Weekly Update

Winter Term registration opens Wednesday

Sign up for Winter Term class, come tie flies on Friday, read CFS in the Financial Times, and watch two Swedish brothers bust chops while contemplating the good life.

Weekly Update

HOA Karens gatekeep eight-pound peacock bass

Don't let the park police keep you off your personal best. Fly fishing stoke from around the world in this week's newsletter

How To

Net benefit

It’s time to stop thinking about nets as a tool for playing offense. Nets protect fish, and ultimately protect your ego.

A misty river scene, with a background conifers and dark orange autumnal foliage and large wet rocks in the foreground

Weekly Update

Portlanders! Come tie flies on Friday (or...just hang out?)

We're hosting two tying nights in November: This coming Friday, November 7th, and again on Friday, November 21st.

Weekly Update

Tune in to our massive Craig Mathews Q&A

We hopped the Pheasant Tail Simplicity press tour train and had a chance to chat with one of its iconic co-authors, Craig Mathews, about a bevy of topics related to tying flies, the future of conservation, and much more.

Conversations

Talking Pheasant Tail Simplicity with Craig Mathews

From tenkara-wielding biker gangs to roadkill feather ghouls to Yvon Chouinard's "stroke": A conversation with fly angling icon Craig Mathews never disappoints. Hear how Pheasant Tail Simplicity is creating a new generation of fly tiers, observation as the key to angling, and much, much more.

How To

Tie your own flies: Six tips to start fly tying from Craig Mathews

Blue Ribbon Flies co-founder and co-author of Pheasant Tail Simplicity offers six tips for beginning fly tiers to get the ball rolling behind the vise.

Weekly Update

Win a free copy of Pheasant Tail Simplicity

Announcing our Pheasant Tail fall giveaway, a member Q&A on tenkara and creative woodworking projects, tariffs bite the fly fishing industry, and a Leaders roundup of must-reads from around the fly fishing world

Industry

Which Orvis stores are closing?

A phone survey of Orvis' U.S. retail stores revealed which are due to close at the end of 2025 and which will remain open and refocus on fly fishing and wing-shooting.