Welcome to Fishing on Fire: An opening salvo

Greetings, fellow humans.

What is this? What is the point of all of this?

Hopefully over time those questions will answer themselves, but for now, the vision for Fishing On Fire is to document my fishing adventures, every single one of them, the good and the ugly, always with an eye to the environment, conservation and the rapidly disappearing wild spaces we love and depend on for survival.

But this foundling operation won’t be limited to a middling angler’s often torturous attempts to catch fish.

I envision to share my thoughts and opinions on the big, often dire questions that surround the angling lifestyle, the recreational and commercial fishing industries, climate change and private and public conservation successes and failures.

But while horror and pessimism will not be ignored when called for, I also intend to highlight the often heroic work of many dedicated people and organizations fighting for an ecological future that looks more like the distant past, and to avoid the dystopian disaster toward which we as a species are barreling toward.

Whatever may come, I intend to fish through it all.

(Note: Francis O’Boyle is a pen name for a very real, though middling angler who was born in Connecticut and resides in Outer Borough, New York City.)

WHERE TO START

For the launch of Fishing on Fire, I present a five-part series, “The Quest for No. 1”, tracking my feeble attempts to catch my first fish of the year.

I recommend beginning with the fifth and final installment here, though you can find links to each trip report below.

Skunking my way into the New Year on thin ice | Quest for No. 1 Part I

This park (and this month) is full of skunks | Quest for No. 1 Part II

Can a New Jersey wild trout save my month? | Quest for No. 1 Part III

Last-ditch, Hail Mary trip for winter stripers | Quest for No. 1 Part IV

A fish of many firsts (and the first fish of 2024) | Quest for No. 1 Part V

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