We all arrive at certain crossroads that determine the directions our lives will take.For me, the Covid-19 pandemic was that junction.
I quit working as a hospital physician in the emergency department and decided to spend the rest of my career with a strategic focus on being more of a caregiver and less of a bureaucrat. I bought a small commercial property and launched an urgent care focused on the patient’s health and well being. We provide preventative medicine infusions and personalized care for each patient. You have probably seen the ads in the magazine, and I hope you’ve chuckled at the fly casting humor.
I am pleased to say that the new venture is a big hit as so many of the small physician practices on the beach closed during the pandemic. We are providing a needed service here and it has really become the center of my focus.
As a result, I have been quietly transitioning Tail Fly Fishing Magazine to a new management and editorial team that will be taking over after the November 2024 is released. After nine years as the editor-in-chief of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine, I am stepping down in favor of someone who will devote more time and bring new energy and a new voice to the publication.
Admittedly, it has been very hard for me to keep up with the rigors of a new medical practice and the responsibilities of being a publisher and editor. While I will remain the publisher, the editorial, creative, and sales efforts will be guided by a new team. As much as I hate to admit it, Tail Fly Fishing Magazine going to be much better with this new enthusiastic crew.
The new editor is someone you may know, especially if you read magazines such as Garden & Gun, Ducks Unlimited, and Field & Stream, or peruse the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Journal. T. Edward Nickens has been tagged as the new editor, of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine and he will carry the baton starting with the January 2025 issue. When we began discussing this opportunity in the spring of 2024, Eddie—yes, despite his fancy byline, he has a pretty un-fancy nickname—had shared many great ideas on how to improve the magazine without changing the comfortable feel of Tail. He’s won scores of writing awards, and has some 35 years of experience in the field. He’s based out of Raleigh and Morehead City, North Carolina, where he’s most proud of the pool noodle and zip-tie fly rod holder he crafted for his 24-boat. It all made it an easy choice, because Eddie is one of us..
Our commitment to saltwater fly fishing remains steadfast and true. We do provide the only creditable and reliable publication dedicated to saltwater fly fishing, and with these new changes it will only get better and more comprehensive. Eddie will introduce new features and bring a higher level of quality to Tail Fly Fishing Magazine though his decades of experience in publishing and his industry contacts. While this decision is a very emotional one for me, I take solace knowing that someone so capable and competent as Nickens will be at the helm.
On that note, I want everyone to know that while I will not be directly involved in the magazine as I have been in the past, I will still be around. Still fishing, tying flies, and perhaps, when the medical practice becomes more automated, I could be convinced to host a trip or two to our favorite places again.
I sincerely thank you for your support and friendship over the last 12 years. It is a somber time as I write this letter, but I know that it is the best thing for you—my readers and friends—and the future of Tail Fly Fishing Magazine.
Enjoy Tail 2.0 and please keep in touch!
Tight Lines.
Joseph Ballarini
Former Editor-in-Chief of Tail
