The Fishing Club Journal - Issue #34
A reader-supported community and publication.
Welcome to Issue #34 of the Fishing Club Journal!
This issue celebrates the striped marlin. Where they show up. What they eat. The people, places, and details that orbit them, like a bait ball on tilt. If you’re unfamiliar, Striped marlin are migratory billfish, known for their color-shifting stripes, torpedo-shaped bodies, and speed near the top of the food chain.
Enjoy the issue, and thanks for being part of the club!
Cheers & stay fishy!
— Michael
A Follow — Alec Lucas grew up fishing the Carolinas and followed fly fishing west to Colorado, where he now runs Southern Roots Outfitters. He splits his time between rowing trout rivers at home and guiding offshore in Baja with Los Locos Mag Bay. From drift boats to pangas, the settings change, but the approach stays the same. Keep it small. Read the water. Put the fish first. Let the moment do the rest.
Follow Alec Lucas on Instagram.
A Photo — I first met Charlie Shalley in 2023 while curating Issue 11. What caught my attention immediately was his photography and the fact that he did not even have a website at the time. I’ve kept in touch with him over the years as he travels and shoots from Florida, Wyoming, Costa Rica, Mexico and more.
Check out Charlie Shalley on Instagram.
A Video — Here’s a short film from Travel Creel Hospitality, run by Chef Joshua Schwartz. His background is fine dining, with time at The French Laundry, Bouchon, and Per Se. Fishing eventually pulled him into guiding in Northern California.
The film is set around Los Locos Mag Bay. Long runs offshore. Quiet mornings. Marlin that arrive without warning and reset the day. A simple look at time on the water, and why places like this keep pulling people back.
A Species — Striped marlin are highly migratory billfish of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, favoring cooler tropical and subtropical water. They grow fast, mature early, and live roughly a decade, spending their lives moving vertically through the water column in response to light, temperature, and prey. Their color-shifting stripes are a biological signal, intensifying during stress, feeding, and coordinated group hunts on sardines, mackerel, and squid.
For a deeper dive into the science, biology, and conservation of striped marlin, read more from The Billfish Foundation.
An Fly — Rupert Harvey of Rupert Harvey Flies ties big flies for big fish. Clean lines. Durable custom-made materials. Foam heads that push water without feeling oversized. Poppers and crease-style flies made for open water, repeated casts, and whatever shows up.
Call for Curators and Writers
We’re looking to expand our editorial staff and what better place to start than with the community we’ve built. If you have a passion for fly fishing and storytelling, and are interested in curating future issues of the Fishing Club Journal, we’d love to hear from you.
An Artist — Mod Home Ceramics makes work that circles the water. Schools of fish. Repeating forms. Plates, bowls, and bottles etched with movement and pattern. Each piece feels observed rather than illustrated. I particularly like the sardines.
Check out Mod Home Ceramics on Instagram.
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with that there is.” — Earnest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
A Recipe —This one comes from Jonathan Zaragoza, a chef we’ve been following for a while. The move that makes it is pressing the tuna flat in a tortilla press, a trick picked up from Jesse Jenkins. Same ingredient. Different texture. Everything else builds quietly around it.
Check out Jonathan Zaragoza on Instagram.
A Cigar — The Straphanger from Principle Cigars is part of their Archive Collection. The band on early editions was made from old bus stickets, a quiet nod to the anme and piece of tangible history. The smoke leans medium with notes like leather, earth, citrus, and dark fruit. Balanced and unrushed.
Size: 46 x 6
Wrapper: Dark Corojo (Ecuador)
Binder: Habano 2000 (Ecuador)
Filler: Dominican (3)
Check out Principle on Instagram and learn more about Darren Cioffi, “the most interesting man in cigars” here.
That’s a wrap! Thank you for reading and we hope to see you on the next issue or on Instagram. If you don’t already, you can follow the Fishing Club Journal on Instagram and feel free to reach out with tips, feedback or just to say hello.
Our Mission
To inspire stewards of our fisheries so they thrive for future generations.
The Fishing Club Journal (FCJ) is our vehicle for advancing this mission. We’re a reader-supported publication curating stories that illuminate the passion, and positivity inherent in the world of fly fishing. To unlock full member benefits, consider becoming a paid member.
