"When we step into nature, our opportunity is not only to learn about the world around us, but also to become better acquainted with the world that lies within us." - Cari RayCari Ray has been exploring the outdoors since she was a girl growing up in the Midwest, and she's been writing stories, songs, and making visual art for nearly as long. For many years now, those explorations more often find a fly rod in her hand. "Fisher of Zen" represents the culmination of those passions. Part podcast, part blog, part photo diary...all wondering about wandering with a particular focus.
PARADISE BY THE DASHBOARD FLIES: Bonus Time Well-Wasted
The April sun burned hotter than usual on the back of my neck and tops of my feet as I made my way across the baked expanse of cobbled Texas riverbed. There was once, not so long ago, reliable water where Bluebonnets now confidently sprouted from between the rocks with no fear of drowning. I had been profoundly unprepared for this little expedition. In posesson of neither sun gaiter, wading boots, nor net. But there I was, making my way alongside another trickle of skinny water, as precious t...
18 May 2022
A MOVING MEDITATION: Fly Fishing & Mental Health
May is metal health awareness month, and Pat Kellner, the guy behind Texas Freshwater Fly Fishing, asked me to put some thoughts together on the pursuit of fly fishing as it relates to mental health. Rather than a treatise on their connection, what flowed on to the page were some prime examples of how the sport offers opportunities for the sort of mindfulness practice that can pay big dividends in our daily lives. It’s a long-held belief of mine that, if we let it, the pursuit can be i...
19 Apr 2022
NOT ALL TROUT ARE GENIUSES: An Interview with Outdoor Author, Mark Usyk
With a busy Texas trout season drawing to a close, I finally had a chance to sit down and crack open “Not all Trout are Geniuses,” by fly fishing author, Mark Usyk. From the first chapter, I was drawn in…not only by the vivid storytelling, but by the easy, conversational tenor of his writing. And I was sure I needed to convince him to come on the podcast. As he joined our virtual meeting from his den, he was accompanied by Masters of the Universe and Star Wars action figures, Kermit the...
11 Feb 2022
RELATIVE GIANTS: Feeling Small is a Big Deal
Spending time in nature is a good thing. I think that sentiment became more widely held than ever as a global pandemic drove us out of our collective confines like rats from a sewer. And if you ask people why they venture out, you'll likely get one or more of a few common answers. The beauty, the fresh air, the sun on one's face, the exercise. I's say there are many more—but for now, I want to reflect on just one that may be a little more obscure. (spoiler alert!) The opportunity to gain pe...
11 Jan 2022
JUST SAY YES: A Float Down The Grand Canyon Might Change Your Life
A few years ago, Robbin Voight said yes to a 14-day rafting trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Well, she actually said yes 2 years before then, but we’ll get to that. Contrary to what you might think, not all outdoor adventure is reserved for 20-somethings living the van life. It’s for folks like you and me, too. Some of my favorite outdoor adventure stories are those of ordinary folks who’ve had extraordinary experiences. And this one would certainly qualify. In the...
28 Dec 2021
FROM THE BORDER, with Love
A couple of years ago, we were awarded the unique opportunity to spend the Christmas holiday along the US-Mexico border just in time for a government shutdown spurred, at least in part, by a political dispute over that very border. Feeling the gravity of that situation as we explored the ruggedly beautiful terrain and the river that runs between our countries offered a unique vantage point from which to contemplate the situation. Support the show
14 Dec 2021
RIO PEQUEÑO: The Headiness of Fly Fishing Headwaters
Like rivers, sometimes the biggest adventures start small. This certainly proved to be the case as we set out from our August basecamp to head up over a high mountain pass in the San Juans of Colorado. Besides the beauty of the Alpine Tundra, I had my heart set on visiting a few of the natives who have called these mountains home for some 70,000 years. Support the show
30 Nov 2021
ON LIFE & FLY FISHING : An Interview with Jordan (JP) Ross
JP Ross is thoughtful guy. I'm not talking about the "oh, isn't he nice?" kind of thoughtful, though he's probably that, too. I mean to say that from what I can tell, he approaches everything he does with focus and a great deal of thought. As though it matters. Because to him, it does. He's also a rod designer and builder who believes, passionately, that a fly rod is more than merely a tool to catch fish, it's an instrument of zen. Which is probably why we hit it off from the start. My interv...
16 Nov 2021
TAILS FROM THE TANK: Adventure From an Unlikely Angle
When someone says "backcountry fly fishing," it doesn't typically conjure images of a granite boulder scramble past Mesquites and cacti in the heart of Texas Hill Country. But with a little imagination and curiosity, backcountry adventure can be found in the most humble and unlikely of places. Support the show
1 Nov 2021
Everyone Has a Place in the Outdoors: Kate & Danielle Nolan of DNK Presents
In this installment, I have a heart-to-heart with Kate and Danielle Nolan of DNK Presents, Brown County Bikes, and a nonprofit called Live Adventurously that awards a backcountry weekend to 4 deserving women from a long list of nominees annually. There wasn’t much of an agenda for this interview as I wanted to just allow these ladies to talk about what they are passionate about. And believe me, there’s plenty. But the main thread that runs through our exchange is a focus on empowering and edu...
18 Oct 2021
YOU'RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER NET: Fly Fishing Oregon
On a recent trip to Oregon, I was fortunate enough to collect a fish story I'll likely still be telling when I'm old and grey. Later that night, around the absence of a campfire, courtesy of a regional burn ban, I sat down and told my tale to the page. One of the best things about telling a great story is getting to relive it again and again. And to unearth the nuggets of wisdom provided as you reflect. Support the show
5 Oct 2021
MINI VAN LIFE: Your Tiny Ticket to "Nomadland"?
When I heard that an old friend was having her minivan professionally outfitted for camping, I was intrigued—about the mechanics and the motivation. So when fate found me both 2000 miles from my home and 20 miles from hers within weeks of her taking delivery of her shiny new coach, I was determined to find a time to camp together. She was equally excited. So as the sun began to descend on a warm September evening, we headed out of the city and into the forest. Listen in on a conversatio...
6 Sept 2021
Be the River: Where Water Flows, Life Grows
We had been driving across the flat, nearly featureless terrain for a couple of hours, and there was nary a tree for as far as we could see. This landscape had a unique, stark sort of beauty, but it's nearly impossible not to feel a little exposed in the presence of that vastness. We then descended from the mesa and into the Pecos River Valley just outside of Roswell, and immediately into what seemed to be an entirely different world as the flat earth gave way to a twisting, tree-lined river ...
17 Aug 2021
You, Me, and a Manatee
Have you ever had a brush with fame? At the airport, at a restaurant, on the streets of New York or LA? It's one thing to see a celebrity on television or in a movie. And I think most of us would agree that it's yet another, even better thing to attend a live taping, movie shoot, or concert. But if you've ever had that "brush with fame" in your daily life, you know that experience is in a category of its own. Now imagine you happen to run across that same person and instead of walking away, t...
3 Aug 2021
Into the Woods
When I was 10, my parents acquired a 70-acre, mostly wooded slice of paradise. And while our prior residences had big yards and afforded me access to creeks and farm ponds full of bass & bluegill, tadpoles and turtles, it wasn't until we moved to what local old timers' referred to as "Pikeville Holler" that I began to find myself in the forest... Support the show
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