About this episode

Brett Barry interviews legendary angler-writer Nick Lyons about his life experiences and literary journey shaped by the Catskills.

In this special long‑form conversation, Brett Barry sits down with legendary angler‑writer and publisher Nick Lyons, now 93, whose life has been shaped by water, words, and the Catskills. From a childhood spent catching frogs for pocket money to founding one of the most influential fishing imprints in America, Nick’s story is a rare blend of grit, curiosity, and literary devotion.Recorded in Nick’s home in Woodstock, this episode traces his journey from the Bronx to the Beaverkill, from boarding school loneliness to the rhythms of trout streams, from early rejections to a flourishing writing and publishing career. Along the way, Nick reflects on family, loss, love, teaching, and the deep satisfactions of a life lived close to rivers.In This EpisodeGrowing up in the Bronx with Yiddish‑speaking grandparents and bachelor unclesBoarding school memories and discovering fishing at Ice PondSummers at the Laurel House in Haines Falls — frogs, creeks, and Catskills loreSeeing the Hindenburg fly overhead as a childA difficult stepfather and moves from Mount Vernon to BrooklynThe Army years and the beginnings of serious readingFalling in love with literature at the New School, Bard, and the…

People in this episode

Host: Brett Barry

Guest: Nick Lyons

Topics covered

• fishing
• writing
• Catskills
• personal journey
• literature
• family
• loss

Keywords

• Nick Lyons
• fishing
• writing
• Catskills
• literature
• personal story
• Brett Barry

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Field & Stream, New School, Bard, University of Michigan

Places: Bronx, Woodstock, Beaverkill, Haines Falls

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