Dylan Tomine – Protecting What He Loves

Dylan Tomine is a conservationist, angler, and author of the excellent new book Headwaters: The Adventures, Obsession and Evolution of a Fly Fisherman. Headwaters is a collection of essays and stories from Dylan’s life as a self-proclaimed fly fishing bum, a life that has taken him from his home in the northwest to the far reaches of the globe and back again. You don’t have to be a hardcore angler to connect with this book– it’s an important read for anyone who loves wild places and feels drawn to protect them. And I’m not alone in my praise– in just the few days between when we recorded this conversation and now, the book has received glowing reviews from the Wall Street Journal, Seattle Times, and more.

Dylan was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and he’s been obsessed with fish for as long as he can remember. At an early age, he caught his first steelhead, and from that point on he has been laser-focused on that specific species– and he’s devoted huge swaths of his life to both pursuing and protecting the fascinating fish. Given steelhead’s dwindling populations, threatened habitat, and often miserable weather that defines their home waters, steelhead fisherman like Dylan are a rare breed–some would argue they are gluttons for punishment. So when you combine Dylan’s skill as a writer, with his devotion to steelhead, with his love of suffering, the end product is a fascinating man with a gift for telling important stories. Just the kind of person I love getting to know!

I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation with Dylan and thought it was the perfect mix of sobering analysis of the state of the West’s fisheries combined with optimism and solutions for solving the challenges. He also offers up plentiful hilarious and insightful stories from his life on the water. We started out talking about Dylan’s upbringing in the northwest and how and why he became so obsessed with fish. We talk about the moment he realized that he needed to play an active role in protecting fish and fisheries, and why fish health is an indicator of larger environmental challenges. We talk about his longstanding role as a Patagonia fishing ambassador, and how Yvon Chouinard has played a critical role in Dylan’s evolution as a conservationist. We discuss how parenthood changes people’s outlook on environmental challenges and the role of the upcoming generation in the environmental movement. We obviously talk a lot about Headwaters, as well as his previous book called Closer to the Ground, which I also loved. We discussed his creative process, and, as you’d expect, he has tons and tons of excellent book and author recommendations. Be sure to check the episode notes for links to those books and everything else we discuss.

I can’t thank Dylan enough for all his work as a writer and conservationist, and for taking the time to chat with me for this episode. Hope you enjoy!

Header photo by Matthew DeLorme, headshot by Weston Tomine

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This episode is brought to you thanks to the generous support of Ranchlands.

Visit www.ranchlands.com to learn more about their top-notch vacations, leather goods and apparel, or to explore their excellent blog, the “Ranchlands Review.”

THANK YOU, Ranchlands!

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EPISODE NOTES:

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