Water Lines - by Riverhorse Nakadate (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A luminous, deeply felt collection of essays from Riverhorse Nakadate--angler, musician, conservationist, and lifelong nomad--whose devotion to wild places and the healing power of water pulses through every page. For readers of Edward Abbey, Barry Lopez, Mary Oliver, and Jim Harrison, this book is a soulful invitation to step off the grid and into the current.

Across thirty-two essays, Nakadate paddles, hikes, casts, surfs, and canoes through landscapes as varied as the alpine lakes of Colorado, the salt marshes of his native Texas, the trout streams of Minnesota, and the mangrove swamps of the Yucatán. Whether he's chasing redfish in a hurricane, rescuing baby squirrels or migrating monarch butterflies, or honoring his mother's legacy with a canoe ride and a slice of sweet-potato pie, Nakadate writes with poetic precision and a fierce, tender reverence for the natural world and his fellow human travelers.

At the heart of the book is a love for water in all its forms--river, rain, surf, snowmelt--and a belief that wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity. Nakadate's prose is rich with sensory detail and emotional depth, blending humor, heartbreak, and philosophical insight. He reflects on solitude, friendship, loss, and the quiet heroism of those who, like him, strive to protect our wild spaces. His encounters with wildlife, fellow anglers, and strangers on the road become meditations on connection, resilience, and the redemptive gifts of wanderlust.

Environmental themes run deep: from the threatened Boundary Waters to the shark-finning crisis in the Gulf, Nakadate bears witness to the fragility of ecosystems and the urgency of conservation. Yet his tone remains hopeful, grounded in the belief that small victories--one fish released, one river defended--can ripple outward.

Water Lines is not just about fishing or travel; it's a celebration of living deliberately, loving fiercely, and listening deeply to the rhythms of the earth. For anyone who's ever felt the tug of a river, the pull of a distant horizon, or the quiet joy of a campfire under the stars, this book will feel like coming home.

Review Quotes

"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 can turn on a dime from amusing and wry to pithy and aphoristic, then wind up charming and sweet. . . . A delicious collection to be savored individually or as a whole." -- 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

"Delight emanates from every essay, from every paddle stroke, from every roadside pie that Riverhorse eats and cake that he bakes. Each essay is like a micro-dose of reverence for the natural world. The book itself is also beautifully designed, with artwork by Sarah Stephens accompanying many of the essays. This aesthetic touch enlivens Nakadate's already rich, energetic prose and adds yet another of many reasons Water Lines will become a coffee-table book people want to pick up and read over and over." -- Fly Fisherman

"For anyone who has ever stood beside a river and felt that familiar urge to see what lies around the next bend, this is a book worth having on the shelf." -- Trout and Salmon

""A book release from Patagonia is cause for raucous celebration. . . . You can live a thousand lives through the books you read. I'd like to live several chapters as Riverhorse." -- California Fly Fisher

About the Author

Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate is a Patagonia fly fishing ambassador, adventurer, environmentalist and musician whose writing can be found in a number of surfing, guitar and fly-fishing magazines. He is most often found on the fringes of a southern salt marsh with his cherished canoe, a journal and an eight-weight. He resides in the Lone Star State, in a historic district of Houston.

Illustrator Sarah L Stephens is an artist and designer based in Seattle. Being outside and fostering community gives her the energy to create.