Matt Smythe, or as most knew him through his blog’s pseudonym, fishingpoet, always was a notch above the rest.
From afar, I’ll admit it was hard to not be a smidge envious. Matt always seemed to be doing interesting stuff. His work was regularly published in fishing periodicals. He scripted thought provoking movie projects. The comments section of his blog was often filled with notes from the “cool kids”. Might have even had a few “ins” in the fly fishing industry. And he just wrote so damn well. So. Damn. Well. Made my almost daily attempts look like a collection of fart jokes.
However, that tinge of envy reversed course into full blown admiration rather quickly. The level of artistry Matt regularly brought to fishingpoet was impossible to not appreciate. Plus, after bumping into him at a few fly fishing shows, I learned that he’s a great guy to have a real-life conversation with too.
I should also add that even though it still amazes me anybody thought association with this blog was a good idea, Matt was one of the original members of the T! Party. 🤘
Now, let’s catch up with Matt Smythe…
Matt, what have you been up to over the last ten or so years?
Short answer: A lot.
Longer answer: I’ve managed to keep my feet under me over the last decade, which is saying a lot. My kids are all grown and out in the world conquering everything. I was Director of Communications for The American Fly Fishing Trade Association for a handful of years and then Covid hit. That position ended and I wound up taking a senior staff writer position at Free Range American, a hunt/fish/survival magazine from Black Rifle Coffee Company, which I held down until 2023. I’m now heading into academia as Writing faculty, still do freelance advertising comms work, and am a certified water treatment operator for a large winery here in western NY.
I published a book of poetry – Revision of a Man (Dead Reckoning Collective, 2022), have another book being considered by them, and wrote a novella (my first attempt at fiction), which was just awarded as the runner-up for the William Faulkner Society Novella Award. It’s titled Letters to Trout Fishing in America, and it picks up a conversation with TFIA where Richard Brautigan left off with his original in 1962. I revived/evolved fishingpoet into Glorious Mayhem on Substack.
I’ve divorced and re-married and am the happiest I’ve ever been. And I’ve been sober for just shy of six years.
Ten years is a crazy-long amount of time to look back on. I feel like I’ve lived a lifetime and I know there are so many things that I’ve left out. I think Covid sort of warped my concept of time. Everything changed. The six years prior to 2020 feel like they might as well have been the 80s.
Do you miss the fishing blogging community at all? Have you kept in touch with anyone from that bygone era?
I do miss that community and conversation, although many of us have become part of the consistent writing that makes its way into The Drake, The Flyfish Journal, Hatch Magazine, Gray’s Sporting Journal, Southern Culture on the Fly, and others. We all grew and matured into an important part of fly fishing’s writing tradition. Several have made their way back to consistent writing and sharing online through Substack, too — which I love to see. Along with some salty veterans like Jason Tucker, Alex Cerveniak, yourself, Brian Bennett, Chris Hunt, Matt Dunn, and a few others, there are some great new voices making themselves known as well.
I’ve been able to fish for carp, pike, and smallies with Mike Sepelak, Cam Mortenson, and Alex Landeen, keep in touch with Matt Dunn (he’s now the brewmaster for Southern Tier Brewing Co.), and have the occasional check-in with Chris Hunt. Of course we all follow each other through our social channels, so it feels like there’s still a connection, even if virtual.
Are you still fishy? Do you still find time to fish? If so, how often, where, and for what?
I still love to fish — that’ll never change. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to make the time for some months now. No excuses (except renovations on a new home). I need to, soon. Last year was probably one of my happiest years of fishing — a lot of time on Lake Ontario tribs for browns and steelhead, plenty of creek fishing for brookies, bass fishing with my wife, jigging for lake trout with one of my sons, and a trip to Montana via Amtrak with a couple buddies to fish the Blackfoot, North Fork Flathead, and Wind (that story just came out in the FFJ). I also went on a 5-day wilderness canoe trip with my wife in the Boundary Waters and fished in Bristol Bay with the older of my two sons the summer of Covid.
I found most people wrote their blogs as a personal journaling exercise or a creative outlet. What’s your creative outlet today?
Writing is still a huge part of my life, and I read a lot, too. Gotta feed the brain if I’m going to exercise it. The outdoors in general — hunting, camping, hiking, mowing the lawn — is a constant source of refilling the tank. Also, I have a partner now who really rounds out my happiness. We camp, catch a lot of live music, grill out, take on house renovations that are always bigger than she anticipates, and, well, just enjoy each day. Not sure how much of a creative outlet the latter is — I suppose creativity is an unsung part of strong relationships.
I’m interviewing you today. Is there anybody from outdoor blogging’s past you think I should track down and interview next?
Brian Bennett, Rebecca Garlock, Erin Block, Pete McDonald (fishing jones), Alex Landeen, Matt Dunn.
Finally, assuming you’d want to be found, where can some of your old blog friends find you today?
Substack and Instagram (@fishingpoet) are the two.
Many thanks to Matt Smythe for “Catching Up With…” us today.
Post Script: If you’re wondering why I’m interviewing these random people, or just what “Catching Up With…” is all about, visit this page for a brief backstory.