Issue: Spring 2026

The Spring 2026 issue—our biggest yet—is a celebration of the places, people, and pursuits that make this sport so enduring.

We begin in Yosemite, California’s crown jewel, where the fishing is as breathtaking as the scenery. From there, the issue fans out across the state: Crowley Lake’s prolific stillwater fishery, the year-round American River running through Sacramento, and the clear, instructive waters of the Lower Yuba.

This issue also goes deeper than the river. In “The Therapeutic Power of Fly Fishing,” Betsy Morris examines how time on the water—and the community around it—is helping people heal. In “The River is Open,” Rachel Andras explores why female fly-fishing guides remain rare in California and offers encouragement for women ready to change that.

Rounding out the issue: a fly line primer to sharpen your gear knowledge, a look at stripers in the Bay, and profiles of remarkable people defining the sport—including bamboo-rod maker Tony Bellaver and artist, tyer, and author Hal Janssen.