Russell Chatham (1939–2019) was a celebrated painter, writer, and lifelong angler whose deep connection to wild water shaped much of his creative legacy. Though widely known for his luminous landscapes, Chatham was equally influential in the world of fly fishing, where his essays, stories, and quiet advocacy helped define a generation of Western anglers. A devoted steelheader and dry-fly purist, he spent decades roaming California and Montana in search of fish and solitude, often weaving those experiences into lyrical reflections on rivers, weather, and the interior life of anglers.
Chatham wrote extensively about fly fishing in Dark Waters, Silent Seasons, and numerous magazine pieces, capturing both the beauty and the fragility of the fisheries he loved. His work helped introduce readers to the emotional, almost spiritual, dimensions of angling—reminding us that fly fishing is as much about attention, presence, and place as it is about fish.
