Books - Margo+Lola

The Fish I Dated: A Fly Fisherman’s Field Guide to Early Relationships

Fly fishing introduces you to all kinds of fish. Some are eager, some are selective, some are mysterious, and a few make you question your decisions. After nearly fifty years on rivers, lakes, and saltwater flats, Mark Walinske realized something unexpected: the personalities of fish often mirror the personalities we encounter in early relationships.<br><br>Through humor, stories, and a playful field guide to the species along the way, The Fish I Dated explores the surprising parallels between fly fishing and meeting interesting characters before you finally understand what you’re doing. Because sometimes the river isn’t just teaching you how to fish—it’s teaching you how to meet the world.

The Un-Hooked Life (What Fly Fishing Teaches Us About Letting Go)

The Unhooked Life: We’re taught to secure, to hold, to control. Fly fishing offers a different lesson. Fish barbless and you choose presence over pressure. You hold steady without tearing. You handle with care - and you let go without spectacle. Over time, that quiet discipline reshapes how you move through the world. <br><br>In this reflective collection, angler and storyteller Mark Walinske explores catch-and-release as a model for leadership without leverage, marriage without control, work without possession, and success without residue. This isn’t a self-help book. It’s a field guide to participation without ownership.<br><br>39 pages short (long).

A Collection of Uncommon Fly Fishing Topics (First Edition)

Before I Knew What I Was Doing: An Uncomplicated Beginning in Fly Fishing

In Before I Knew What I Was Doing, Mark Walinske follows his crooked path into fly fishing across Northern Michigan—from the Boardman to the Platte (not that one), and the blue-collar waters of Lake St. Clair. Along the way are cigar smoke, questionable judgment, and Ernest Hemingway showing up everywhere.<br><br>This isn’t a how-to book. It’s a funny, reflective story about learning the hard way, getting comfortable too soon, and realizing that the real point isn’t catching fish—it’s knowing when to hold the door open for the next beginner.<br><br>For fly fishers and anyone who’s ever figured something out midstream, this is a reminder that the best lessons arrive long before you’re sure you know what you’re doing.<br><br>28 pages short (long).

Holding the Door Open: What Fly Fishing Asks of Anglers

Holding the Door Open looks at the quiet influence experienced anglers carry—often without realizing it. From accidental leadership to everyday gatekeeping, Mark Walinske explores how small interactions on the water shape who stays, who leaves, and who feels welcome.<br><br>With humor, honesty, and restraint, this book challenges anglers to think beyond technique and gear—to consider tone, timing, and the difference between helping and performing.<br><br>Not a how-to. Not a lecture. Just a thoughtful reminder that fly fishing lasts when people do. Because once you’re visible, what you do matters.<br><br>38 pages short (long).

The Quiet Middle: Staying with Fly Fishing When Progress Slows

The Quiet Middle explores the least discussed stage of fly fishing: the period after you’ve started but before you feel like you belong. It’s the stretch where progress becomes subtle, confidence forms quietly, and comparison has a way of sneaking in.<br><br>This is not a guide to catching more fish. It’s a book about learning to trust your judgment, fish alone (and like it), ask questions without apologizing, and recognize progress when it no longer announces itself. The Quiet Middle offers reassurance, perspective, and something rare in fly-fishing literature: permission to stay exactly where you are.<br><br>40 pages short (long).

M+L T-Shirt (Unisex)

M+L Mag Fly Patch

M+L Trucker Hat (OSFA)

M+L Sweat Shirt (Unisex)