On a cold, clear day at the beginning of winter, the guide and angler strolled beside a beautiful stream. It was a mid-20s temperature, and the ice covered the steep bluffs. I had the feeling of walking in a natural church. In the place of religious icons, however, the pools held steelhead. A gift for those who sat streamside murmuring prayer to fishes and waiting for an take.
Courtesy Alberto Rey
I’d driven nearly eight hours to Dunkirk in western New York to fish for steelhead with Alberto Rey, a 63-year-old, Cuban-born guide and retired art professor who in 2021 was selected as the Orvis Guide of the Year. I’ve known Rey by way of phone calls and emails for several years, when he first started submitting paintings, sketches and essays to Anglers Journal. This was the first time we’d met in person.
I’d come to learn more about Rey and to chase steelhead. The hours we spent on the stream — not to mention the rum and Cuban cigars we later enjoyed in his studio…
