Laguna

Over the last eighteen months as the podcast has grown. I have also been working on completing a different project. This coffee-table book is meant to pay homage to the Texas Coast, a fishery that (in either past or present) has changed all our lives.

288 pages containing over 300 images, 14 passages, & 12 illustrations from/of:
Andres Spinetti, Carter Blackwell, Dylan Schmitz, Ben Paschal, Kyle Kulig, Jesse Males, Matt Simpson, Owen Gayler, Bill Hagen, Patrick Murray, Chris Fowler, Logan Crane, Gabe Rivas, George Brown, Danny Neu, JC Norris, Marcus Haralson, Stephen Ford, Bryan Robinson, Vincent Ochoa, Seth Gambill, Austin Orr, Taylor Winzeler, Skipper Ray, Jako Lucas, Mark Staudt, Lance Krueger, Peter Kaple, Will Graham, Ryan Diaz, Calvin Carter, Nate Skinner, Leo Salazar, Macala Elliott, Cory Baumann, Kevin Shaw, Danno Wise, Eric Glass, Rick Hartman, Shane Bonnot, Nelson Spinetti, Jim Gebhart, Marcus Montalvo, Corey Mock, Bill Gammel, Chuck Naiser, Billy Trimble (+ more)

There will only be 2000 copies printed, once.

Preorders begin shipping monday feb 3 2025.

Laguna will be printed by Éditoriale Bortolazzi Stei in Verona, Italy.

Dimensions: 11”x13” closed, 22”x13” open.

The Soul of Fly Fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre

Fly fishing in the Lower Laguna Madre is more than just a sport—it’s an art, a passion, and a way to connect with something far greater than ourselves. This place, with its glass-like waters, endless seagrass flats, and golden sunrises, holds a mystique that has drawn anglers, photographers, and conservationists alike for generations.

Learning from the Pioneers 🎣

The legends of this fishery weren’t just anglers—they were explorers, storytellers, and stewards of the water. They studied the tides, the subtle shifts in the wind, and the movement of redfish and speckled trout across the endless flats. Their knowledge wasn’t written in books—it was earned through years of dedication, patience, and an unbreakable bond with the Laguna.

Every cast we make today carries the wisdom of those who came before us. We learn from their experiences, their triumphs, and their failures. We honor their legacy by refining our craft, respecting the water, and passing down their knowledge to the next generation.

Unseen Pictures & Paintings: A Lost Era Rediscovered 🖼️

For the first time, never-before-seen photographs and paintings from the pioneers of Lower Laguna Madre are unveiled. These rare images capture a time when fly fishing was still an untamed frontier—when anglers waded into the unknown with nothing but instinct, skill, and a deep respect for the water.

📸 Unseen Pictures: Black-and-white photographs of early fly anglers, their handcrafted rods bent under the weight of their first trophy redfish. Faded snapshots of a time when the Laguna was even wilder, its waters untouched by modern development.

🎨 Original Paintings: Watercolor and oil paintings created by pioneering anglers, capturing the colors of dawn over the flats, the elegance of a cast in midair, and the raw beauty of a redfish tailing in the shallows. These artworks bring to life the very essence of fly fishing in this legendary water.

These pieces, hidden away for decades, are a time capsule of a lost era, offering a glimpse into the passion and artistry that shaped the sport as we know it today.

Stunning Photography 📸

There are few places on Earth where the play of light, water, and sky creates such breathtaking visuals. The Lower Laguna Madre is a photographer’s paradise, where the mirror-like surface reflects fiery sunrises, where tailing redfish ripple through golden shallows, and where an angler, silhouetted against the vast horizon, becomes part of the landscape itself.

Each moment is fleeting—a sudden strike, a perfect loop in the cast, the way the light hits the water just before a fish takes the fly. Capturing these moments is about more than just snapping a photo; it’s about preserving the soul of the experience.

The Scenery: Nature’s Masterpiece 🌅

The Lower Laguna Madre is wild, raw, and untouched—one of the last great shallow-water fisheries in the world. It stretches for miles, a sanctuary of seagrass beds, mangroves, and crystal-clear shallows, teeming with life. Dolphins break the surface at sunrise, herons stalk the shoreline, and schools of redfish cruise beneath the surface, their tails cutting through the morning calm.

This place isn’t just where we fish—it’s where we find peace, challenge, and inspiration. It’s where time slows down, where every cast feels like a meditation, and where we are reminded of why we fell in love with fly fishing in the first place.

The Pure Enjoyment of the Art 🎨

Fly fishing is more than a way to catch fish. It’s an art form—a delicate balance of skill, patience, and intuition. The rhythmic motion of the cast, the precise placement of the fly, the electrifying moment when a fish takes—it’s all part of a dance between angler and nature.

In the Lower Laguna Madre, this dance feels timeless. Whether you’re an experienced angler or picking up a fly rod for the first time, this water welcomes you, teaches you, and rewards you with moments of pure magic.

Here, every day on the water is a story waiting to be told. The pioneers lived it. The photographers captured it. The artists painted it. And now, you have the chance to experience it for yourself.

🎣 Welcome to the Lower Laguna Madre—where the art of fly fishing comes alive.