Thank You, Taylor Sheridan—My Wife Finally Understands Why I Fly Fish After Watching 'The Madison'

Fly fishing is hard to explain. The Madison shows why it matters.

A feeling like no other. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

I think it’s safe to say Taylor Sheridan, the creator of The Madison, is a fly fisherman. He has to be. You don’t capture the depth and width of fly angling like he does without knowing it.

The Madison Gets it Right

The Madison isn’t about fly fishing, but it uses it to tell a story of loss, regret, enduring love, and redemption—and it avoids the fly fishing clichés most films fall into. A River Runs Through It is the only other time I’ve seen it done right.

It's all fly fishing. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Another Layer

I’ve read that the series is told through a woman’s lens. I can see why. The director and DP, Christina Alexandra Voros, is female, and Michelle Pfeiffer carries the story. It makes sense—but I’m not fully on board.

Sheridan’s writing is clearly sensitive to a woman’s perspective, but I see something else. I see a man calling out to the woman he loves: “See me! This is who I am, and why.” It might sound a little over the top, but seeing it on screen, it resonated with me.

Why Do You Fish

Why someone fly fishes isn't easy to explain. Writers have tried. I’ve tried my whole life. Now I just say, “I like it. It’s fun.” But it runs deeper than that, and Sheridan shows it.

He nails the moments—inside jokes, a look, a pause, a sound, a jab at your fishing partner. You can’t fake that. Like all good things in fly fishing, it comes from time on the water.

From father to son. | photo by Ken Baldwin

Montana Beauty Captured on Film

Then there’s the way Voros captures the Madison Valley—the river, the mornings, the moving water. It’s thick with atmosphere. Her images make you want to be there—and make it painful because you're not.

Watching the Show

I have a visceral reaction halfway through the first episode, I jump to my feet, pointing at the screen: “Right there! That’s me! That’s why!”

My wife, sitting next to me is sobbing, wrapped up in Pfeiffer’s story.

And here's the brilliance in the story. Michele Pfieffers' pain and suffering is served up with a side of fly fishing. All the things I've tried to explain about my love of the sport get through to my wife in a way I could never get them to.
What I’ve tried to “Mansplain” to my wife for years, The Madison does in a few episodes.

Some will look at you as crazy. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Fly Fishing Details

Not every fly fishing scene is perfect. There are times when fish get dragged across the surface, or when a net is sitting right there on the angler's waist and never gets used. Instead, the fish is grabbed—or worse, left hanging from the leader while the hook is removed. It looks amateur. Enough to take me out of the story for a moment.

Wild and all colored up. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

You Won't Regret It

Taylor Sheridan can write, and his crew knows how to make a film. Their shows occupy rare air for a reason. April is the beginning of trout season in most states. I can’t think of a better way to kick-start the season than to binge-watch the six episodes of The Madison. It will throw fuel on the fire.

It happens enough to keep you coming back. You walk up to a pool, everything is right, and you understand the term sacred water. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

For the Win

After watching it together, my wife understands my fly fishing in a way she never did before—which means she understands me better.

…And me, I get a longer leash when it’s time to go fishing.

~Ken Baldwin

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"Slow down...listen to the hoppers...be patient with yer wife...eat sardines with hot sauce... catch “Gagger” trout!!!" – Flip Pallot