Tom Sadler is what one might call a “jack of all trades.” A fishing guide, freelance writer, executive director, political strategist, conservationist, veteran, and of course family man… not to mention a few other things I failed to detail.
Back in the early 2010s, Tom’s Dispatches From The Middle River was one of the more informative fishing and outdoor blogs of its day. I originally encountered as Tom online as a fellow “early adopter” of tenkara in the United States, but I grew to appreciate him and his blog for much more. Sure, Tom wrote about his fishing and guiding, but he also wrote quite a bit about conservation, politics, and the sometimes messy intersection of the two. I always felt better informed about the issues of the day after reading his latest dispatch.
As you’ll find out in today’s interview, while Tom’s wearing slightly different hats these days, he’s still very active in all the same interests as mentioned above. And I don’t know if I ever told anyone this, but Tom helped me score my first trade show “press” credential back in the day. So all of my subsequent ICAST/IFTD posts are 100% his fault…
Enough backstory, let’s catch up with Tom Sadler…
Tom, what have you been up to over the last ten or so years?
A lot of water has flowed downstream in 10 years. I turned 70 recently, so that decade encompasses my 60s. A milestone decade that has culminated in a lot of reflection on my life.
Professionally, I left the Outdoor Writers Association of America where I was the Executive Director, to return to advocacy work as the deputy director of the Marine Fish Conservation Network, where I am today. These days I do more communications work than actual lobbying. We started a web-based series called “Waterside Chat” that I host. It’s recorded live via Zoom and then turned into a podcast. I also write articles for our blog, “From the Waterfront.” The whole webinar/podcast ecosystem was accelerated during the pandemic. It reminds me of the early blogging days.
I was appointed to the Board of Wildlife Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, served five years, including as Chairman for the last year of my term that ended this July.
I continue to guide and teach for Mossy Creek Fly Fishing (site of the 2013 Tenkara Summit). We still have a good number of tenkara clients, although it’s nothing like the heydays 10 years ago. There are still some tenkara stories appearing here and there, which helps keep interest up.
Do you miss the fishing blogging community at all? Have you kept in touch with anyone from that bygone era?
I do miss the community for sure. It was quite enjoyable to share ideas with fellow outdoor writers. Watching a new communications channel develop was especially interesting from my position running a trade association for outdoor writers. The evolution from a print and broadcast centric industry to expansion into the internet was exciting because it gave more opportunity for citizen and amateur journalism. It has its obvious challenges, like authenticity and fact-checking. The current state of journalism, both amateur and professional, is a subject I could go on and on about but best left for another forum.
Are you still fishy? Do you still find time to fish? If so, how often, where, and for what?
A: My personal fishing has contracted in the last 10 years. Some of that was COVID imposed, but I’ve found I’m quite happy to fish within an hour or two of my home. Here in the Shenandoah Valley, we are blessed with miles of mountain brook trout streams, so I have plenty of opportunity close at hand. I try to get out once a week when the conditions are right.
I found most people wrote their blogs as a personal journaling exercise or a creative outlet. What’s your creative outlet today?
Yes, in the early days it was certainly both a creative outlet and journaling exercise. I didn’t feel compelled to write for money. I used it to express my personal views on topics of interest, like tenkara and conservation, showcase my writing chops and explore the emerging communications channel. I enjoy writing, so to keep doing that without getting bogged down in the logistics of a website, I started a Substack newsletter called Dispatches from a Trout Wrangler.
Dispatches chronicles things I learn as a fly-fishing guide for Mossy Creek Fly Fishing and my personal fly-fishing adventures. I share fly-fishing tales, travels, tactics and tips that I’ve found useful, informative, entertaining or some combination of each. I draw on my guiding experience and my own time on the water, especially in Virginia’s mountain streams with my beloved brook trout.
I have a separate section, Riding the Thunder, for backstories and commentary on the politics of conservation and outdoor recreation policymaking, With more than 40 years of political and federal policy work under my belt, I’ve gotten pretty good at figuring that stuff out.
Finally, assuming you’d want to be found, where can some of your old blog friends find you today?
My primary social media place is Threads, @tsadler540 (I’m a X/Twitter refugee.) I also have accounts on Instagram, @tsadler540, Facebook, tom.sadler and LinkedIn, tomsadler24482.
Many thanks to Tom Sadler 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.