Tales for the turn of the year
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.
Happy new year, Flow Staters!
I'm headed out to fish this morning, so I'll keep it short and sweet. I'm glad you're here, and glad to be here with you. I hope you find something that tickles, transports, or otherwise turns your head in this newsletter, not unlike those slabs of bass that are turning for Schultz Outfitters' beautiful flies. Hoo boy, that video makes me want to book a trip home to Michigan.
If you can't tell, I'm incredibly excited about all the fun stuff we have planned around here for this year. Let's jump into it:
Fly tying in January
Back by popular demand! On Friday, January 16th we're going to be meeting again at NE PDX's The Paladin's League, from 6-9pm, to tie flies and shoot the breeze. Last time we tackled flies from Pheasant Tail Simplicity, and I'll probably keep tying those. I want to try and tie them all.
But, you're welcome to bring and tie whatever you want. Thanks to some rad donors I now have three additional fly tying setups, so don't worry if you don't have a vise and / or tools. Please do RSVP at Luma so I can get a sense of how many folks are coming.
If that sweet embedded event listing doesn't show up, you can just hit this button ๐
Folks who aren't in PDX, I'm sorry we can't meet up and tie flies together. Does that sort of thing work virtually? I'm not sure. Send me reply with a photo of your vise / tying room, or let me know what patterns you're tying this winter, and we can at least get acquainted that way!
Annual update letter incoming
This Friday CFS members will be getting a full rundown of the year in review, and a sneak peek at our big plans for next year.
If you're interested creating the support structures for all this to happen, and getting a stronger say in what we do around here (or just curious as to how all this delicious sausage is made) supporting CFS as a paid member is the way to step up.
Ten Foot Leaders โฐ
Ten(-ish) links (lotsa video this time) to start your week with a full net.
Mindset ๐งโโ๏ธ
If you live in a state that does calendar-year-based licensing (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, etc.) it's time to re-up your fishing license and check what changed, regulation-wise. Several weeks ago the ODFW reminded its email subscribers that LLMs like ChatGPT were not a good way to interpret fishing regs. It seems a few people were inadvertently poaching based on bad advice. "Uhh, that's what the AI said to do" is likely to go the way of "the dog ate my homework" pretty soon.
In the UK, where it's customary to go swimming in the ocean to ring in the new year, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency had to rescue two folks stranded on an island after ChatGPT gave them the wrong tide times. If you have any questions about what kind of license you need, I'm your Claaaauuuude. (Drawled in my best tubercular Val Kilmer in Tombstone voice, natch.) (BBC)
Are you spending more time chasing thin desires, or thick desires? The way JA Westenberg sees it, we exist in a system engineered to incite and reward thin desires. But, for growth, and becoming who you want to be? Thick's where it's at. (joanwestenberg.com)
A thick desire is one that changes you in the process of pursuing it.
A thin desire is one that doesn't.
Environment โฐ๏ธ
๐ฅ It's never really quiet on the river, but filmmaker Tomek Matysiak takes us to Poland's Wkra River and gives us some contemplative moments immersed in the place "Where Silence Flows". This one feels lovely and akin to one of my favorites from last year, Kwintesencja. (YouTube)
Tools ๐ฃ
๐ฅ We watched a lot of them over the break, but this week's video pick comes courtesy Wild Fly Productions, their second in a trio of films from Michigan. This episode takes the group smallmouth bass fishing with guide Nick Minesinger from Schultz Outfitters. Schultz has the most exciting smallmouth program in the Midwest, if not the country, and is doing all sorts of fly innovation to elevate the pursuit of a great gamefish. Check out some of the flies this team is using to find big fish, and the technique discussion from Minesinger. And oh, the ambiance. Tune in for the trophy bass, stay for those Michigan summer T-storms and humidity. (YouTube)
Technique ๐คบ
๐ฅ On the salty bass tip, fishing for striped bass from the beach with a two-handed rod is great fun. I did a fair bit of it when I lived on the East Coast. But, it can be frustrating if you're new to saltwater fly fishing, and figuring out structure and reading water in the pounding surf. George Revel from Lost Coast Outfitters presents a great introduction explaining how to locate fishy zones, casting and fly placement, and footwork. If you're fishing for stripers in Oregon (they're not as prolific as the Atlantic coast or California; surf perch are what you're more likely to find) be sure to always wear a PFD. (YouTube)
Conservation ๐ฒ
It's pretty grim out there, but there are still points of light. Reasons To Be Cheerful's year-end roundup of "97 ways the world got better in 2025" is a great reminder of all the cool stuff that's happening out there to make things a little bit better. (Reasons To Be Cheerful)
Community ๐๏ธ
Happy 40th anniversary to The Fly Fisher's Place in Sisters, Oregon. 40 years is a remarkable run for any fly shop. FFP is the longest-tenured fly shop in the state. I hope to be down soon to stop in and say congratulations. (The Fly Fisher's Place)
๐ฅ Speaking of anniversaries, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the Fly Fishing Film Tour, which is coming to a town near you this spring. Portlanders, it's coming to the Aladdin on Saturday, February 7th. We'll be getting a group together to attend the Portland screening, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, here's this year's F3T teaser film. Print out your own bingo card and play along at home. (YouTube)
Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Concords went fly fishing for the first time. Surprising, given he's a Kiwi, and I thought they were issued rods at birth. Turns out he had fun, didn't catch anything, and told the NZ Herald all about the stoke. (NZ Herald)
Meanwhile, the ranks of fly angers lost Perry Bamonte, known to many as the guitarist of The Cure, but known to Fly Culture as its artistic director, good friend, and fishing buddy. RIP. (Fly Culture)
More from Current Flow State
Here's more of what's been happening recently:
2025: A year in reading
I don't only read fly fishing books, but here are my favorites from last year. Can you do me a favor and recommend the books you loved?
Making it
The mug wall has always represented more than just the accomplishment of becoming a guide on the river.
Understanding all the differences with measurements in fly fishing can feel like it requires a math degree, or some sort alchemy.
Dig in to understand the main measurements, how they work, and where they came from. And then, forget what you learned and just go for what feels right.
Nick Parish
Nick Parish
Nick Parish
Nick Parish
Nick Parish
Nick Parish
What do a legendary surfer, Hollywood director Christopher Guest, and zen archers have in common?
Nick Parish
Learning to cast a fly rod like Harry Potter uses his wand.
Nick Parish
Are Grateful Dead collabs the sign that outdoor brands have jumped the shark? A look at Simms latest, and the value of high-quality gear.
That's it for this week! Current Flow State is a weekly newsletter from me, Nick Parish.
Got any new year's resolutions? Tell me on Bluesky ๐ฆ, Instagram ๐ธ, YouTube ๐ฅ, or the Fishcord ๐ฌ.
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