Body of Water A Sage, a Seeker, and the World's Most Alluring Fish

Chris Dombrowski was playing a numbers game: two passions—poetry and fly-fishing; one child, with another on the way; and an income hovering perilously close to zero. Enter a miraculous email: Can’t go, it’s all paid for, just book a flight to Miami.

Thus began a journey that would lead to the Bahamas and to David Pinder, a legendary bonefishing guide. Bonefish are prized for their elusiveness and their tenacity. And no one was better at hunting them than Pinder, a Bahamian whose accuracy and intuition were virtuosic.

By the time Dombrowski meets Pinder, however, he has been abandoned by the industry he helped build, watching as the world of his beloved bonefish is degraded by tourists he himself did so much to attract. But as Pinder’s stories unfold, Dombrowski discovers a profound integrity and wisdom in his life.

Born in Michigan, Chris Dombrowski earned his MFA from the University of Montana. His publications include two collections of poems, most recently Earth Again. His poetry and nonfiction have been widely published in leading journals and magazines. Also a fly-fishing guide, Dombrowski lives in Missoula, Montana.