A Fly Rod of Your Own
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
“After five decades, twenty books, and countless columns, [John Gierach] is still a master,” (Forbes) and his newest book only confirms this assessment, along with his recent induction into the Flyfishing Hall of Fame. In A Fly Rod of Your Own, Gierach brings his ever-sharp sense of humor and keen eye for observation to the fishing life and, for that matter, life in general.
Known for his witty, trenchant observations about fly-fishing, Gierach’s “deceptively laconic prose masks an accomplished storyteller…his alert and slightly off-kilter observations place him in the general neighborhood of Mark Twain and James Thurber” (Publishers Weekly). A Fly Rod of Your Own transports readers to streams and rivers from Maine to Montana, and as always, Gierach’s fishing trips become the inspiration for his pointed observations on everything from the psychology of fishing (“Fishing is still an oddly passive-aggressive business that depends on the prey being the aggressor”); why even the most veteran fisherman will muff his cast whenever he’s being filmed or photographed; the inevitable accumulation of more gear than one could ever need (“Nature abhors an empty pocket. So does the tackle industry”); or the qualities shared by the best guides (“the generosity of a teacher, the craftiness of a psychiatrist, and the enthusiasm of a cheerleader with a kind of Vulcan detachment”).
As Gierach likes to say, “fly-fishing is a continuous process that you learn to love for its own sake. Those who fish already get it, and those who don’t couldn’t care less, so don’t waste your breath on someone who doesn’t fish.” A Fly Rod of Your Own is an ode to those who fish that “brings a skeptical, wry voice to the peril and promise of twenty-first-century fishing” (Booklist).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Noted fly-fishing writer Gierach (At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman) chronicles his adventures with rod and reel on some of the most remote lakes and streams in North America, from the Labrador taiga to the grizzly-infested forests of the Alaskan outback (as well as favored spots closer to his Colorado backyard). These undertakings generally involve pre-dawn risings, four-wheel drives, floatplanes, taciturn guides, and of course, fish, although as Gierach practices catch-and release they re all the ones that got away. Twenty-one chapters explore the realms of fly-fishing, from camp cooking to casting strategies. Gierach s deceptively laconic prose masks an accomplished storyteller. He isn t a humorist per se, but his alert and slightly off-kilter observations place him in the general neighborhood of Mark Twain and James Thurber. He s dead serious about fly fishing, but he also recognizes its inherent contradictions and is astute enough to project those absurdities onto the larger range of human aspirations and endeavors. This voice of a thoughtful, cantankerous, and tolerant fisherman in late middle age unifies the various chapters and keeps the pages turning. In his introduction, he writes, Those who fish already get it... don t waste your breath on those who don t. Yet even for those whose idea of paradise isn t standing thigh-deep in an icy stream for six hours hoping for a bite, Gierach is charming company.
