By Jesse Robbins
Last summer, Seattle-based author, angler, musician, and conservationist Steve Duda and I visited bookstores and readers in Beaverton and Bend — and even made an appearance on KOIN-TV’s AM Extra morning program in Portland — to share and help promote Steve’s book River Songs: Moments of Wild Wonder in Fly Fishing and discuss fly fishing and river conservation.
Below is an essay from the book, followed by several questions posed to Steve.
Q: You grew up in Michigan, but moved to Washington in the 90s.
A: I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit. It’s really flat so you tend not to even notice the landscape. Out west, landscapes are part of our daily existence. I see Mt. Rainier from my window. I smell the Salish Sea. Rivers are never far away. One thing I love about knowing a river is the ability to mark the seasons by its changes. How much water is in it? What bugs are emerging? What species of salmon are moving up? I think all these things bring us closer to our home waters and the Earth. I’m grateful for that connection. It’s a good thing to love a river.
Q: Why do you fly fish?
A: I stumbled into it and never really stumbled out of it. I can say that it has been a refuge for me during many parts of my life. It has been a common ground upon which I’ve celebrated my friends. It’s been a lookout that’s allowed me to appreciate the wonder of nature. It inspired me to create art, and it spurred me to conservation.
Q: What do fly fishing and writing have in common?
A: It’s probably not what people think — they’re both frustrating, there’s a lot of failure involved, they can be grueling, people think you’re crazy for doing it, nobody believes anything you say, they compel you to mumble to yourself, they make you doubt your life choices, they’re unglamorous, they lead to obsessive behavior, they both encourage bad habits. It’s a lonesome road . . . be careful.
Q: What’s your favorite river in Oregon and why?
A: I have difficulty singling out rivers as good, better, best. All rivers are good rivers. Without fibbing, my favorite river is the one I’m on. I know that sounds like a cop-out, but it’s true. If I’m forced to name names, I’m going to go with the Deschutes. I have a ton of great memories on that river. [ Editor’s note: all Deschutes-lovers should see Steve’s essay “Slide!” ]
Q: In your opinion, how can anglers support and steward the waters they love?
A: There’s no shortage of ways to show love to your river. Start with your home water and do something. Do anything. The best place to start is with your talents — what do you do well? Can you use that to help your favorite river? The answer is probably yes.
Book excerpt from River Songs: Moments of Wild Wonder in Fly Fishing (Aug. 2024) published by Mountaineers Books, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. Available for purchase at Mountaineers.org and anywhere books are sold.
Fly fishing banner photo courtesy of Gary Calicott, book excerpt design by Monet Hampson, footer photos by Tommy Hough.
This article originally appeared in the spring 2025 issue of WaterWatch of Oregon’s Instream newsletter.
