When he was 18 years old, Austin Leonard had a friend who gifted him his first fly rod. He’s been hooked ever since. Now, the Bend, Oregon–based angler is paying it forward by introducing his favorite pastime to roommate and friend Joey Pasternak. A college student by day and DJ by night, Pasternak rarely gets time to spend in the great outdoors. It doesn’t take much convincing to lure him on a fishing trip to the Owens River, which snakes along the majestic foot of the Eastern Sierra.

While the escape from daily stressors is one thing, fishing together in such grandeur is another. Braving the elements, encouraging one another, and celebrating each other’s success makes this often solitary pursuit into a team sport, which adds a new dimension to their friendship.

“We get to bond in a new way,” Leonard says. “And it’s not like we’re bonding over music or something else. It’s something I’m truly passionate about and get to share with him.”

For Pasternak, the experience reignites a love for nature—one he plans to prioritize more frequently—while echoing Leonard’s perspective on a day that helps the duo “slow things down a little while, just get on the water and take a breath of fresh air.”

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