Travel

Documentary Photography: 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party

December 20, 2023 By Jess McGlothlin

It was a great pleasure to fly into Boston this past weekend to photograph the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. As someone who’s always delved deeply into American history it was incredibly special to document the reenactment, starting in the Old South Meeting House, walking the streets of Boston, and then finally at the site of the original Tea Party in Boston Harbor. Thanks to the event organizers, the actors, and everyone involved in putting on this historic event.

Most of my images are going to a private party, but here are a few behind-the-scenes images I’m able to share.

Stats Breakdown: The Past 11 Weeks on the Road

November 3, 2023 By Jess McGlothlin

The past months have been a sprint. Some of it you’ve seen here on social media, some of it you haven’t. It’s been a mix of jobs—some fishing, some not fishing—airports, camera gear, fly rods, medical kits, and endless words jotted out onto various documents. Emails and editors and clients and customs agents.

Here’s a brief look at a some of the good, the bad, and the ugly:

– 1x Someone breaking into my quarters while I was sleeping (Of note, this happened on a non-fishing job. Which I’m taking as a sign that I should do more fishing work, and less of the other.)

– 1x Me breaking into a rental house when we were locked out

– 9 Dives into the medical kit

– 6 Countries

– 7 Client shoots

– 5 Personal best fish

– 7 New species

– 42 Airplane flight legs

– 13 Helicopter flight legs

– 21 Boat transfer legs

– 2 Bags lost by airlines

– 200 Dollars won in a self-tourniquet contest in a hotel bar

– 2 Fast-tracks through customs

– 13 Published stories (more coming soon)

– Way too many bad coffees in airports

There’s more travel yet to come in 2023, and 2024 is shaping up to be a pretty good adventure as well. Thank you to all the clients, guides, editors, and everyone who makes this work possible—you make it all happen!

Image: Transfers, jungle style, with a pass through Oromomo Village. Last week in Bolivia with Tsimane Lodge.

Quick Assignment—and a Fishing Tournament—in Baja California Sur

July 19, 2023 By Jess McGlothlin

Just spent a few quick days down in Baja California Sur fishing in the MAJA El Grande Tournament and covering a few assignments for various outlets. Stories coming soon—watch my social for updates!—but in the meantime, here’s a few snapshots of a very (too!) quick job south of the border.

Ready to get back to Mexico and spend more time…

When Good Things Go Wrong: Salt Water Sportsman Feature

June 1, 2023 By Jess McGlothlin

This was one of the more fun writing assignments to come across my desk so far in 2023. When the editors of Salt Water Sportsman sent me an email saying, “We want you to write about when fishing trips go wrong,” a long list of former trips sprang to mind. It was an enlightening trip down memory lane to recount past trips-gone-wrong, and to really sit and put pen to paper about why we travel to chase fish around the world. (Which, when you think about it, is a fairly strange thing to do.)

The print issue just dropped yesterday, but if you’re not a subscriber, read the abridged digital version here.

Fly Fishing for Yellowfish in Lesotho With African Waters

March 5, 2023 By Jess McGlothlin

The end of January and early February was spent exploring the Johannesburg area with good friends, then I flew to Pietermaritzburg and met up with the African Waters team. From there, it was a 10-hour drive across the border into Lesotho, crossing over mountain passes and winding our way along dirt roads past the massive Katse Dam (Africa’s second largest double-curvature arch dam) and on to Makhangoa Community Camp. The small camp rests in the Maluti Mountains, not far from the local village of Makhangoa.

Maluti Mountains and Bokong River in Lesotho, overlooking from the Makhangoa Community Camp run by African Waters.

Guide Greg and I arrived as dusk was falling, on a cool, foggy, rainy night that challenged my perceptions of African weather. We met up with the rest of the guide team—Kyle, Riley, and Chris were awesome—and settled in for a “get to know you” before the work started.

It’s still one of my favorite parts of this job; arriving into a new camp or lodge and getting the lay of the land and the crew at hand. It’s never boring.

You’ll read more about the week in upcoming magazine articles, but suffice to say, yellowfish are unlike any species I’d fished for anywhere else around the world. South Africans call them “African bonefish,” and the same fits. Constantly on the move, picky dry fly eaters, and almost comical in appearance, yellowfish have quickly pressed near the top of my “fish I like fishing for” list, and I’m already very keen to get back to Africa for more chances to chase the fish.

Yellowfish caught while fly fishing the Bokong River in Lesotho, Africa.

My time in Lesotho was epic, and I can’t wait to share the stories. From long walks along the nightly Bokong River, to galloping young two-year old horses along dirt paths, to sitting outside in the dark at night with beer and cigarettes solving life’s problems, it felt so strangely like home.

Thanks to the African Waters team for having me; I’m looking forward to he next adventures! In the meantime, stay tuned here and on Instagram for updates as these Lesotho stories and images hit the streets.

David ties on new flies while fly fishing for Yellowfish on the Bokong in Lesotho, Africa, with African Waters at Makhangoa Community Camp.

Exploring Hawks Cay Resort

October 24, 2022 By Jess McGlothlin

Duck Cay Marina in the Florida Keys near Hawks Cay Resort.

Was able to make a quick trip down to the Florida Keys a few weeks ago to visit Hawks Cay Resort.

Yellow fin snapper caught near Hawks Cay Resort, on Duck Cay in the Florida Keys.

Resorts aren’t my typical fare, but I was pleased to see Hawks Cay lived up to the promise of good fishing and a quick break. It was a quick few days with plenty of good food, a bit of snapper, and a quick taste of the Florida Keys. I’ll likely be back to visit, and hopefully slide into a bit of backcountry fishing as well. Hawks Cay is a great family-friend destination (most of the places I visit aren’t), but also has some hideaways for adults seeking to avoid noisy kids (the rum bar is top notch).

Andiamo Firenze

September 26, 2021 By Jess McGlothlin

The Arno River in Florence, Italy, with bridges including the Ponte Vecchio.

It finally happened. In early August, after 18 months of relatively steady travel, I finally caught the c-bug. And it knocked me for a bit of a loop. August was largely a blur; sleeping a lot and managing my symptoms solo in my little Missoula apartment. I lost all sense of taste and smell, and things got a little strange for a while. (As always, very grateful for family members in the medical field who could give savvy advice.)

Realistically, it’s a bit of an inevitability, and I’m very glad to now have the natural immunity. It’s amazing what our bodies can do, even if we have to help them along sometimes.

Being sick gave me a lot of time to think. In the last 18 months, I’ve spent less time working in person with teams, and more time staring at a computer screen than ever before. And it’s shitty. Don’t get me wrong — I’m very, very grateful for the ability to be able to work from anywhere, but I’m also a very firm believer in face-to-face work. There’s something about a good, old-fashioned handshake that doesn’t translate over Zoom.

It was also a good reminder to take opportunities while you have them. With a positive test in hand, I had to cancel another stint as the Guest Fishing Director at El Pescador Lodge in Belize. Another trip canceled due to the pandemic. Less human interaction, more time solo in my apartment.

In this age of dehumanization and separation, I realized it’s more important than ever to celebrate those things that are inherently human… Art. Food. Travel.

And so, as soon as I felt well enough to do so, I bought a ticket to Florence.

Rape of the Sabine Women statue, photographed at night with people in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. Why Florence? Why Italy?

I wanted a place totally removed from usual fishing-centric destinations. A place where I didn’t speak the language at all, where I could just wander a city for days, finding my own adventures. Some place with fresh, good food.

Somewhere that would remind me of just how transitory we are.

And so I headed to Florence. I walked miles each day down old cobblestone streets, camera in hand, shooting what I wanted to shoot, not fulfilling a client assignment. I ate gelato every day, and found a new favorite way to cook tripe. I sat under statues that have seen so many centuries pass by; so many pandemics and wars and dramas. I bought coffee and a pastry every morning and sat in the shadow of the duomo, watching the city wake up.

And one day, I booked a ticket to Rome and logged 14 miles on foot, exploring the city. Just because I could. Equestrian statue of Cosimo I in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, photographed at night.

I’m back stateside now; actually in Austin, Texas, as I write this, for a quick client trip. I’m missing the tastes, smells… the air in Italy. But getting ready for a very busy autumn — three trips / projects coming up in October alone — and determined to make the most of whatever’s thrown my way.

Life is very strange right now. So find the little victories. And keep fighting for those things that make us human.

Back to Belize

March 10, 2021 By Jess McGlothlin

It’s been a hectic Q1. (Okay, really it’s been a hectic year, since the world went topsy-turvy in March 2020.) Now, a year later, we’re still muddling through it.

I was fortunate enough to kick off 2020 with another visit down to Belize’s El Pescador Lodge to continue shooting saltwater fly-fishing imagery. Between hosting a group of anglers for a week, working as a producer for a videographer, and shooting my own work for El Pescador and several editorial clients, it was a hectic visit but—as always—a good one. (Stay tuned for two editorial features about to drop, covering the reopening of Belize and what both travel and fishing look like there now.) The weather was uncooperative for the most part, but we made the most of it and our rain gear got plenty of mileage.

Then it was back to Montana, settling back into what’s become my routine of lap swim in the early morning, come back to the apartment to work until lunch, go for a walk or run, work the afternoon, then rinse, repeat, and do it all over again. It’s feeling an awful lot like Groundhog Day, but there’s light on the (far) horizon.

I’ve been asked to head back down to El Pescador in May to fill-in as Fishing Director for a few weeks. Excited to get back down into the salt and slip into the now-familiar routine of what’s become rather a second home. (What is home, anyway? It’s an incredibly fluid concept, and mine certainly isn’t Missoula.)

So, if you’re looking for an escape, come hang and fish at El Pescador in May. I’m not hosting, nor giving a photo school, but would love to see some friendly faces in the tropics. Shoot me a note and I’ll give you the details!