Across 32 essays, Nakadate paddles, hikes, casts, surfs, and canoes through landscapes ranging from the alpine lakes of Colorado and salt marshes of his native Texas to Minnesota trout streams and the mangrove swamps of the Yucatán. Along the way, he chases redfish in a hurricane, rescues baby squirrels and migrating monarch butterflies, and honors his mother’s legacy with a canoe ride and a slice of sweet-potato pie.

At the heart of Water Lines is a love for water in all its forms: river, rain, surf, and snowmelt, along with a belief that wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity. Nakadate blends humor, heartbreak, adventure, and reflection as he explores solitude, friendship, loss, conservation, and the connections we form with wild places and one another.

Environmental themes run throughout the collection, from the threatened Boundary Waters to the shark-finning crisis in the Gulf. Nakadate bears witness to the fragility of ecosystems while maintaining a sense of hope that small victories, from one fish released to one river defended, can ripple outward.

More than a book about fishing or travel, Water Lines is a celebration of living deliberately, loving fiercely, and listening closely to the rhythms of the natural world. For anyone who has felt the tug of a river, the pull of a distant horizon, or the quiet joy of a campfire under the stars, these essays will feel familiar.

6 x 9 inches
256 pages

Reviews

Reading these essays is a bit like sitting around a campfire by a lake at night, listening to Nakadate muse about his numerous adventures, large and small. A natural-born storyteller, Nakadate moves effortlessly from amusing and wry to thoughtful, charming, and sweet. — Kirkus

Water Lines is a beautiful, beautiful work. Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate has stuck a dart into the wind. And like a Texas largemouth, best to just inhale it. — The Flyfish Journal

About the Author

Riverhorse Nakadate is a Patagonia fly-fishing ambassador, adventurer, environmentalist, and musician whose writing has appeared in numerous surfing, guitar, and fly-fishing magazines. He has starred in three films: Love & Water, A Northern Light, and The Reindeer Journals. He is the recipient of the first-ever Texas BHA Leadership in Public Land and Water Conservation Award and resides in a 1910 bungalow in a historic district of Houston.

Sarah L. Stephens is an artist and apparel designer based in Seattle whose work is inspired by time outdoors and a passion for fostering community.