From AMFF:
The John D. Voelker Foundation and the American Museum of Fly Fishing (AMFF) are pleased to announce the winner of the 2024 Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing Award: “Last Salad on the Gairezi” by George Rogers. This is a personal story of fly fishing for nonnative trout in Zimbabwe that provides insightful context for destination fishing in a country with a complicated history.
The winning entry will receive a $2,500 prize and is available to read on the American Museum of Fly Fishing’s website at www.amff.org/traver-winners-2024 and the Voelker Foundation website at www.voelkerfoundation.com. “Last Salad on the Gairezi” will be published in the Winter 2025 issue of the American Fly Fisher, the journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing.
George Rogers is a high school science and English teacher who lives in Chateaugay, New York, with his wife, Denise. He spends his summers at his cabin in Cantwell, Alaska, where he owns and operates the fly-fishing guide service Denali Angler. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including the Boston Globe and Los Angeles Times. He is currently a senior contributor at the Drake magazine. His essay, “The Pink Ranchers,” was selected as a notable essay in The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023. His piece, “The Last Good Days of a Very Good Dog,” was voted the Boston Globe’s number-one Ideas essay of 2022.
Mr. Rogers commented, “It is an honor to receive the 2024 Robert Traver Award. I would like to thank the Voelker Foundation, the American Museum of Fly Fishing, and the judges for their time and consideration—there were no doubt many deserving entries. I am truly grateful.”
The Traver Award judges also bestowed Honorable Mention recognition on two other entries:
“Blind Willie’s Pool” by Chris Bishop of Beckenham, Kent, United Kingdom
“How to Say Gila” by Joseph Jackson of Anchorage, Alaska
Both honorable mention stories are available on the American Museum of Fly Fishing and Voelker Foundation websites, and their writers will each received a $250 prize.
