In my first year of college, I was consumed by trout fishing. So much so that I strategically went to school in Syracuse, NY, smack in the middle of some of the best trout water the Northeast has to offer. The only problem was that freshmen weren’t allowed to have cars on campus. Other than a park pond a thirty-minute walk away full of goldfish and creek chubs, my fly fishing would have to wait. So I turned to YouTube videos, fishing films, and social media to get my fix. That’s when I discovered Flylords.
Flylords was different from any other fly fishing media I’d come across. The imagery was captivating, the films riveting, and the brand had a relatable voice. It was the opposite of legacy fly fishing media, with a youthful take on the sport I loved.
A lot has changed since I first learned about Flylords 10 years ago. I moved to Florida, bought a skiff, and now spend most of my free time poling friends around for tailing reds and strings of tarpon. But the biggest change came two years ago when I took the Editor-in-Chief role for Flylords.
In that time, we’ve grown our digital coverage with expert gear reviews, hard-hitting conservation journalism, and special projects like Tarpon Week and Fly Shop Tour. Plus, all of the great films and social media content people have come to know Flylords for. It has truly been a dream job, and I’m incredibly proud to be a part of the Flylords team.
Now I get to share what I’m most excited about: the first-ever Flylords print magazine. We wanted to take what our team does so well through the lens—telling the best stories in fly fishing—and bring it to your doorstep. In our first issue, you’ll find stories from the early days of Flylords (p.14), tributes to legends of our sport (p. 64), a come-along tarpon adventure by Eddie Nickens (p. 72), and a never-before-seen photo essay from one of Russia’s most remote Atlantic salmon fisheries (p. 50).
I could drone on about what it means to finally see print materialize, but instead I’ll leave you with the why behind it. Flylords has always been about the community, the characters, and the stories in fly fishing. This is what drew me to Flylords all those years ago and what I hope draws you to this magazine. So stop scrolling, shut your laptop, and flip through these pages.
Welcome to Flylords, Volume I.
