If you’re a fan of fly fishing literature and art, you’ve likely encountered the work of Bob White. Whether through his expressive artwork, his years as a guide in Alaska and beyond, or his close collaborations with John Gierach, Bob’s name and work have become icons in outdoor art.

Bob’s career has spanned decades and disciplines. He has guided in Argentina and Alaska, illustrated John Gierach’s essays for over 35 years, and hosted anglers in some of the world’s most celebrated fisheries. He has also seen the evolution of outdoor media, from when illustrated magazine covers were the norm to the dominance of photography. Yet his work remains timeless precisely because it does something photographs often can’t—allowing viewers to feel the moment rather than simply see it.

Bob’s artistic path has followed one similar to the fabled stages of angling: first, catching any fish, then catching a lot of fish, a big fish, a difficult fish, and finally just enjoying the act of fishing. In his art, Bob’s evolution went from creating something recognizable, to capturing technical detail, to portraying hyper-realistic–nearly photographic–flair, and finally finding the place where magic lies in suggestion, allowing the viewer to complete the image on their own.

Beyond the easel and driftboat oars, Bob is a storyteller, and his book, The Classic Sporting Art of Bob White, brings his paintings and words together in a way that celebrates not only his career but the core reasons we fish, hunt, and paint in the first place. As he humbly puts it, “I think the stories are as good as the artwork.”

Indeed. Bob is more than an artist who paints fishing scenes, he’s a master storyteller, equally comfortable with brush and canvas, pen and paper, or words and microphone. His paintings capture not just the subjects of the sporting life but the moments in between. The restless anticipation of a rising trout, the flicker or flash of light from a riffle, or simply time spent by old friends on the water. As Bob puts it, he isn’t concerned with photorealistic detail but rather with the allusion of detail. The best paintings—and the best stories—don’t tell you everything. They leave space for memory, emotion, and personal connection.

In the latest episode of the Reading the Water podcast, Tim Schulz talks with Bob about a remarkable journey beginning in the Midwest, winding through remote fishing camps, duck blinds, and ultimately onto the pages of outdoor literature. They also cover Bob’s longtime partnership with his wife, Lisa, the joys and challenges of hosting trips, and what it means to develop a career as an artist or guide and build a life in the outdoors.

In the conversation, Bob reflects on his early days as a guide in Alaska, salvaging copper wire from old motors to tie what would become the Copper Bob, a parallel invention to John Barr’s famous Copper John, recounting the efforts he and his fellow guides put toward keeping their secret fly under wraps—cleaning boats meticulously to leave no evidence of the pattern that was out-fishing everything else.

You can listen to the entire discussion with Bob White on the Reading the Water podcast, available through Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Pocket Casts.