The author and a fishing friend, paying their dues to Festus.

Benevolent Ass

Drake Magazine Back Issue 2026, Drake Magazine Spring 2026, Homepage Content, Stream Access, TroutLeave a comment

There is a holler high in the hills of East Tennessee, guarded by an ornery old ass named Festus. His bellows shake the walls of the valley night and day as he protects his livestock and property. Donkeys are stubborn and strong-willed guardians; known to fight off all manner of danger to protect their herd. Festus looks over a group of about forty cattle and is warden to a small creek that borders the pastures he roams. A small creek with big trout.

Ian Slater (L) and Nathaniel Linville, after winning the 2026 March Merkin with nine permit. PC: Lea Luna Productions

Seven

Drake Magazine Back Issue 2026, Drake Magazine Spring 2026, Fly Fishing News, Homepage Content, Lodges, Outfitters, and Guides, Saltwater Fly FishingLeave a comment

Daybreak on the last day of the March Merkin permit tournament in Key West. The sky is virtually cloudless, the winds light. It’s not what Nathaniel Linville and Ian Slater had in mind. “We like it when it’s tough out,” Linville says. In 2024, he and Slater had won the Gold Cup tarpon tournament in horrific conditions. “Our strength is outlasting and outworking everyone else when it’s like that.”