The Literary Fly Fisher

Filson recently posted a great article in their Filson Life blog. In the story, “Navajo Fly Fisher: A Journey Towards Understanding” (May 1 2017), author Ruth Sims describes her discovery of  fly fishing and how it relates to her identity as an engineer and Navajo woman. She writes, “My love for our land and water goes beyond fly fishing, I consider it my calling in life to help take care of our earth…its just that fly fishing happens to be a beautiful bonus.” Sims’ article is a nice piece of writing, and photos by Megan Taylor complement it well.

Photograph by Megan Taylor.

Fishing is a central part of many Native American cultures, particularly in the Northwest (and there is some evidence that fly fishing existed historically, alongside spear fishing, dip netting, and so on). Not surprisingly, Sims explains that her introduction to fly fishing came from friends belonging to the Confederated Salish & Kootenai (and Pend d’Oreille) Tribes of Montana, who have fished for centuries

Filson, as most readers know, is a well-established Seattle-based manufacturer of outdoor clothing and gear. They have long offered some basic fly fishing items, such as vests and wading jackets. I personally love my Filson fly-fishing gear, particularly my strap vest (now discontinued), and it has held up very well. While not cheap, these items are so durable that they have proven to be a good investment. Filson expanded their fly fishing range for 2017, adding some nice items. Ms. Sims wears some of them in photos accompanying her story.

Unfortunately, Filson’s newest offerings are priced so extravagantly that they unaffordable to those of us who spend as much time on the water as we can. This contradicts the image that Filson  promotes of itself as an outfitter to miners, loggers, and others, who live and play hard outdoors. With few exceptions, those of us who prioritize living close to the land, sacrifice any possibility of greater income to do so.

Still, some Filson items remain reasonably priced, and the company’s aesthetic can be enjoyed for free via its blog. Of course, Ruth Sims story stand alone as an interesting bit of writing. So, give it a read at Filson Life, and check out some of the others pieces of writing as well.

This entry was posted on May 4, 2017 at 1:59 PM and is filed under Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing Tackle, The Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.