About the Author

Beau Beasley has fished the waters of the Old Dominion since early childhood. He picked up fly fishing as an adult when he met the late Bob Guess, creator of Mr. Bob’s Lucky Day Lures. What began as a 911 call for help ended in a lifelong friendship between an elderly fly angler who wished to pass on his love for the quiet sport of fly fishing and a young firefighter who wanted to learn.

Beasley’s first articles appeared in Virginia Outdoor Weekly. Since then he has written for numerous publications including American Angler, Fish & Fly, Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, Fly Rod & Reel, Richmond Magazine, Virginia Sportsman, Virginia Wildlife, and Virginia Living. He is a contributing editor for Fly Fish America and the Mid-Atlantic states field editor for Eastern Fly Fishing. He has won multiple awards for his conservation writing. He also frequently lectures and writes about public access and usage issues including river bottom ownership.

Beau Beasley is the author of Fly Fishing Virginia and Fly Fishing the Mid-Atlantic. His latest book, Healing Waters: Veterans’ Stories of Recovery in Their Own Words, nearly a decade in the making and scheduled for release in December 2023, is a compilation of in-depth narratives from veterans from every branch of service who express how fly fishing and fly tying have brought them healing and peace.

After 30 years as a professional firefighter and paramedic, Beasley retired from the fire service and lives with his family in Virginia. When he is not fishing or writing, Beasley is the director of the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival, the largest fly fishing event in the state, held each year at the state fairgrounds just north of Richmond.