Essay: Fly Fishing on 9/11

Every year, I feel it’s important to reflect on 9/11 and the tragedies involved. Even though we fly anglers often pride ourselves on the ability to leave the “real” world behind – sometimes for weeks at a time – we’re not disconnected from reality. We have a stake in day-to-day life just as much as anyone else.

Today, in honor and remembrance of that tragedy, I found this essay by Brian Pitre, published nearly 10 years ago. In it, he details the struggles of learning about the 9/11 attacks while in a lodge in Iliamna, Alaska. This was well before internet or cell phone coverage made its way to the Last Frontier.

It’s a sobering reminder for all of us that, despite our best efforts to connect with the natural world through fly fishing, we still have to be part of the real one.

Read the story here.