Next Bend Journal

The Next Bend Journal is where we slow down. Stories and reflections on the water, the vise, the fire at the end of the day, and the reasons we keep fishing. This is the reading, not the how-to.

An open fly box with bare foam slots where nymphs were lost over the spring
At the Vise

The Empty Slots

You do not have to remember which flies worked. The box remembers for you.

On the WaterKnox Covered Bridge in Valley Forge National Historical Park

The River You Grew Up On

The river you grew up on isn't always the first one you fished. Mine is Valley Creek.

The Long ViewWhy I Care About Barbless

Why I Care About Barbless

It is not a trend. It is not a marketing angle. It is a principle.

Around the FireA calm river in low summer water at last light, trees along the far bank catching the evening sun, an exposed gravel bar in the foreground

The Sound of August

August has a sound, and it's crickets. The last slow month before the calendar fills.

At the ViseA group of pheasant tail nymphs and variants tied on barbless hooks, with copper wire ribbing and peacock and olive thoraxes

The First Fly I Ever Trusted

Everyone has a first fly. Not the first one you tied. The first one you trusted.

On the WaterThe Water That Looks Empty

The Water That Looks Empty

Every angler learns to read water for the obvious things. What takes longer is learning to distrust the flat.

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Have any questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you.