Lynda Mapes is an award-winning writer who, during her 27-year tenure as a reporter at The Seattle Times, has written numerous stories about natural history, the environment, and Native American tribes. In addition to her newspaper career, she is the author of numerous books, including the 2022 Washington State Book Award Winner Orca: Shared Waters Shared Home.

Lynda has written an investigative article for the Seattle Times exploring the complexity surrounding Washington’s state fish, the wild steelhead, and we’re fortunate to have her as a guest on this episode of The Adipose.

We’re excited to bring you a brand-new episode of The Adipose podcast. This time, we sit down with Steve Duda, a celebrated writer, editor, and producer who has significantly influenced the voice of fly fishing for over three decades. You might know Steve as the former editor of The Flyfish Journal or from his standout appearances on Writers on the Fly.

In this episode, Steve takes us through his new book, River Songs. Steering clear of the usual fly fishing clichés—romanticized tales, heroic battles with nature, and stories of triumph—River Songs offers something different. It delves into authentic lived experiences, embraces vulnerability, and gives a fresh perspective on what it means to enjoy “a long run with a tight crew.” Don’t miss this deep dive into the real heart of fly fishing with one of its most influential voices.

For steelheaders of this era, there is no doubt we have reached a major juncture. in the journey. One option is to surrender to the grim circumstances. We can go out in a blaze of glory, Thelma and Louise style, and fish our way to extinction and then move on to other species once wild steelhead are gone. The other fork in the road is to fight and build a robust army of steelhead champions who work as hard to restore wild steelhead as they do to catch them.