I was conceived when my parents were on the road. An overshare? Sure. And I’ll admit, I’m not a big fan of creation stories, and I’m not here to give credence to some mystic astrological connection–but it’s only natural to ask ourselves, “how on earth did I end up here?” As I write this article from a rest area in Missouri after driving 16,000 miles and fishing close to 130 days straight in my pursuit to catch a fish in all of the lower 48 states in a calendar year, it seems like a hell of a fair question.
I’m the child of two parents who hate all things aviation. By the age of ten, I’d traveled to thirty-five states ‘the old-fashioned’ way: load up the car, hop in the back, and go. When I was nine, I fished my way across the country in a 1982 Ford Econoline RV during a family road trip—a life changer. After three months, 9,000 miles, and helping my dad with roadside repairs more times than I can count, I deemed myself a certified road dog. I was hooked. Two decades later… not much has changed.
I have a few more rods and reels in the quiver, and my ‘02 Tundra and Four Wheel Camper is a little more reliable than the not-so-trusty aforementioned 80’s Ford, but it’s still wheels on pavement and hard-earned miles. I’m the proud owner of my very own driver’s license, as well as an actual road dog—and yes, both of our ears perk up at our all-time favorite phrase, “Wanna go for a ride?!”
The Mission
I’m a firm believer that there’s no better way to explore new places and meet new people than with a curious mind, a shared passion, and a fly rod. I first learned this lesson in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. I met Enio–my friend’s Speedo-wearing, happy-go-lucky uncle–in an abandoned Brazilian fishing village. Enio and I had no shared language, but we did have a shared passion. I showed up on the beach with a fancy 8-weight Orvis rod, and Enio showed up shirtless with an old Pepsi bottle wrapped in monofilament, a hook, and some shrimp. We spent the next week teaching one another to cast with our respective techniques, catching fish, and laughing until we cried.
Enio passed away in 2023 after a battle with cancer, but the magical week we spent on that beach in Brazil sparked a curiosity in me. What other fisheries and anglers were out there? How could I connect with them? There was only one way to find out. And after a decade of teaching high school ceramics, an unexpected layoff was the final nudge I needed to take the biggest leap of faith of my life.
I mapped out a 30,000-mile, year-long road trip to catch a fish in every one of the lower 48 states. A story worthy of its very own documentary, Tales of the 48 was born. I packed all my worldly belongings into a storage unit and, in August of 2025, I hit the road with my pup, a dozen fly rods, a bounty of camera gear, and a deep longing for true adventure.
Update From the Road
As I write this after five months on the road, I’ve successfully fished twenty-four states on the northern half of my journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I’ve been gifted flies, had strangers fill my gas tank, and toured a new friend’s backyard llama farm after joining in on a church group’s pickleball game. In Pennsylvania, I learned how to prepare a traditional South African ‘braai,’ and how to wheelie a riding lawn mower in Michigan. I’ve been invited on spontaneous floats and full-day trips on boats across the country, crashed on the couches of people I met on the riverbank, and have been invited to stay for dinner at strangers’ homes in more states than I can count, all while fishing bucket list waters and catching fish I’ve dreamt of chasing since I was a kid. Through all of this, I’m happy to confirm that my initial hypothesis holds true: bountiful passion and unwavering curiosity will bring you all over the world, introduce you to all types of people, but most importantly, it will bring you right where you’re supposed to be.
Don’t get me wrong, I have zero interest in being another travel vlogging van life influencer. Authenticity reigns supreme around here. Flat tires, poison ivy, broken rods, fishing with food poisoning, iced-over trout streams, and perpetual loneliness—life on the road sucks a notable portion of the time, but it also writes the script for experiences so rich and stories so beautiful that they simply can’t be penned any other way. My days are equal parts glorious and grueling. But honestly? I wouldn’t want it any other way.
If the road gods continue to bless me, as I’m sure they will, I’ll spend the late winter, spring, and summer of 2026 fishing and filming my way back East across the remaining twenty-four states. I look forward to continuing to meet the endless cast of characters a journey of this magnitude is sure to introduce and to tangling with some of the baddest freshwater and ocean-dwelling species this country has to offer.
If you’d like to connect or fish with Ryan, or simply follow along with his journey, you can do so at @talesofthe48 on Instagram, via email at talesofthe48@gmail.com, or at the contact tab at talesofthe48.com