Yale Anglers' Journal

Published Issues

"It is first-rate, the prose, the layout, the sketches – and the idea. Heartiest congratulations."
–William F. Buckley, Jr.

"This is the liveliest collection of angling (and angling-related) pieces I have read in a long time. And we can be confident that James Prosek's wonderful watercolors, included as a bonus here, will be a part of the sport permanently."
–Ian Frazier, author of The Fish Eye

"Gems come in small sizes – and are cherished. The Yale Anglers' Journal is a gem of good writing."
–Lefty Kreh

"What a pleasure to see the first issue of this fresh and diverse journal of fly-fishing writing – literary, serious, witty, and with the happy promise of youth!"
–Nick Lyons, Lyons Press

"This is a first-class literary journal."
–Paul Fry, The William Lampson Professor of English, Yale University

The Yale Anglers' Journal is a literary publication dedicated to understanding angling and the natural world. Edited and published bi-annually by Yale University undergraduates, the Journal features prose, poetry and art from fishing writers and artists worldwide. A former U.S. Attorney General, a pole vaulter, a behavioral psychologist, a dentist, and a former U.S. President — all are part of the diverse group of individuals who have chosen the Journal as their medium to share a passion for the art and sport of angling. To subcribe or order back issues, visit our online store.

Recent News

New Haven - Since the first copy of the Yale Anglers' Journal appeared in 1996, readers with an interest in fish and fishing have opened the pages of each issue with anticipation and delight. YAJ founders suspected that others would share their passion for literature and art related to angling; what they had not fully anticipated was the intensity of enthusiasm from readers and writers everywhere. Perhaps they shouldn't have been surprised. Some 35 million Americans regularly fish, and among their numbers are presidents and students, old and young, the famous and the unknown, the busy and the idle.

TIGHT LINES: Ten Years of the Yale Anglers' Journal presents a selection of 50 stories, recollections, essays, and poems featured in the Yale Anglers' Journal during its first remarkable decade, and the volume is lavishly illustrated with more than 30 original paintings by James Prosek.

Edited by Joseph Furia, Wyatt Golding, David Haltom, Steven Hayhurst, Joseph Kingsbery, and Alexis Surovov, TIGHT LINES contains a range of writings that all celebrate fish and the experience of fishing yet could hardly be more diverse. Some evoke a nostalgic earlier time, others vibrate with excitement, and still others offer a humorous view of life's surprises.

The selections come from well-known current writers, little-known newcomers, and even authors of antiquity, such as Homer, who had a thing or two to say about fishing. Contributors include:

Skip Morris	Jimmy Carter	John Hollander
Christopher Buckley	Dana S. Lamb	Elliot L. Richardson
Ron McFarland	Scott Bowen	John E. Smelcer
Robert Behnke	R. Howard Bloch	Steven Rinella

TIGHT LINES includes a foreword by Nick Lyons and a preface by James Prosek and Joseph Furia, who cofounded the Yale Anglers' Journal. Anyone who has felt a line pull tight, or is curious to know why the experience has inspired anglers throughout human history, will want to open the pages of this inviting book.