Every so often, while out fishing, I’ll pause for a moment to look around, something I’m sure we all do. At times there’s intention in it—I realize my mind has wandered, or I’ve been hyper-focused on the fly or indicator—and I make a point of pausing, taking it all in. In other instances, it just happens—suddenly the world pops into focus of its own accord and I’m gobsmacked by the light hitting the trees, a geological feature, the curious behavior of kingfishers or otters—even, in more urban locales, the curious behavior of human animals in the places we find fish. Lately these observations have beeen accompanied by the realization that, if not for flyfishing, there’s quite a lot I’d be missing.

The stories and photos that find their way into these pages are those moments distilled, a fly angler’s record of things seen, heard or thought while on the water or at least near it (whether physically or mentally). We’re lucky writers and observers like Steve Duda and Dee Finkel found their way to Guyana and the tattoo chair of Dan Santoro, respectively, because reading a fishing story or interview from one of them is a pleasure. We’re lucky as well that Jono Winnel took his camera and notebook along for fishing trips with his kid (along with, I’m sure, the requisite snacks, extra clothes, water and other diversions), because his capturing of a youthful encounter with the wild is almost certainly relatable.

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