At Flylords, every photo, film, and feature starts with a story. Behind the scenes, someone has to shape those stories—deciding what gets told, how it’s told, and why it matters in the first place. For the written word, that responsibility falls to Max Inchausti, Flylords’ Editor-in-Chief.
From fish tales and gear deep dives to conservation conversations and profiles from across the industry, Max helps steer the voice of Flylords Mag, making sure everything we publish is equal parts informative, thoughtful, and true to the culture. We caught up with him to talk about where it all started, what makes a story stick, and the one fish that still lives rent-free in his head.
Flylords: When did you first fall in love with fly fishing?
Max: “I first fell in love with fly fishing when I was a kid. My grandfather gave me his Sage Graphite II that a friend had custom-built for him. I’m pretty sure I put an 8-wt fly line on a 4-wt rod at first. I had no clue what I was doing, but I started watching videos, reading whatever I could get my hands on, and eventually grew into the angler I am today.”
Flylords: Tell us a little about your role at Flylords. What does Editor-in-Chief actually mean day to day?
Max: “My role at Flylords is Editor-in-Chief, which is a fancy way of saying I run Flylords Mag. From planning new content, editing work, and writing my own pieces, I have a hand in all the written content that lives on Flylords. I’m coming up on two years with the team, and it’s been a fun journey steering our content in a direction that is informative and compelling for our audience.”
Flylords: What kinds of pieces do you enjoy writing most?
Max: “Personally, I enjoy telling stories. Whether a fish story, a compelling place, or a profile of someone I’ve met along the way, these are the topics every fly angler can relate to. Figuring out how to do that in a way that’s digestible for the readers is the fun part.”
Flylords: What do you hope someone feels after reading or watching a Flylords piece?
Max: “My goal with every Flylords piece is to give the reader something compelling to think about. Whether it’s a how-to piece that can benefit them on the river, a gear piece that helps them make an informed purchase, or a story that leaves them reflecting on their own experiences. If our content can add to the fly fishing experience, then we’ve done our job.”
Flylords: Is there a piece of gear you’re weirdly sentimental about?
Max: “I’m a big believer in fly rods being tools rather than sentimental belongings. That said, my Sage Graphite II has a special place in my rod room. It’s my first fly rod and the one my grandfather gave me when I started fishing. These days, I don’t fish it anymore, but it’s the one rod that will always have a special place in my quiver.”
Flylords: What’s the story behind the most memorable fish you’ve ever caught?
Max: “The most memorable fish I’ve caught has to be my biggest wild brown trout. I had been after a true Pennsylvania giant for years, particularly a stream-bred fish. I’ve caught plenty of big lake runs, but a stream-bred fish, over 25-inches was my holy grail. A fish of this caliber is old, smart, and powerful—a worthy adversary for any angler.
It took nearly three years to find ‘the one,’ but on a spring morning fishing a Pennsylvania freestone, I set the hook on a fish that immediately dove to the bottom. After about 5 minutes of back and forth, I netted a 26-inch Pennsylvania stream-bred wild brown trout. Over the years, I’ve caught bigger fish in other far-off locations, but this particular fish in my home waters is still the one I look back on.”
Flylords: Last one—what’s your most unhinged riverbank meal?
Max: “These days, I spend more time on my skiff than on the riverbank, so I’ve become quite the expert in boat lunches. I wouldn’t say it’s unhinged, but my go-to is Publix fried chicken. Whenever chicken makes it into the boat, the fishing is better. It may be superstition, but ever since we jumped our first big tarpon after eating some fried chicken, it’s become a cooler staple.”
Stay tuned for the next installment of Meet the Team as we continue highlighting the folks behind Flylords.
