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| even brook trout get the blues: Even Brook Trout Get The Blues John Gierach, 2010-05-11 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. “Once an angler has become serious about the sport (and ‘serious’ is the word that’s used), he’ll never again have enough tackle or enough time to use it. And his nonangling friends and family may never again entirely recognize him, either.” In other words, he (or she) will have entered Gierach territory. And fishermen who choose to brave the crowds at the big hold, commune with the buddies at the “family pool,” or even wade into questionable waters in the dark of night are sure to recognize themselves in Even Brook Trout Get the Blues. Whether debating bamboo versus graphite rods, describing the pleasure of fishing in pocket waters or during a spring snow in the mountains, or recounting a trip in pursuit of the “fascinatingly ugly” longnose gar, Gierach understands that fly-fishing is more than a sport. It’s a way of life in which patience is (mostly) rewarded, the rhythms of the natural world are appreciated, and the search for the perfect rod or ideal stream is never ending. It is not a life without risks, for as Gierach warns: “This perspective on things can change you irreparably. If it comes to you early enough in life, it can save you from ever becoming what they call ‘normal.’” Even Brook Trout Get the Blues will convince you that “normal” is greatly overrated. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers John Gierach, 2021-06-08 Witty, shrewd, and always a joy to read, John Gierach, “America’s best fishing writer” (Houston Chronicle) and favorite streamside philosopher, has earned the following of “legions of readers who may not even fish but are drawn to his musings on community, culture, the natural world, and the seasons of life” (Kirkus Reviews). “After five decades, twenty books, and countless columns, [John Gierach] is still a master” (Forbes). Now, in his latest original collection, Gierach shows us why fly-fishing is the perfect antidote to everything that is wrong with the world. “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). In Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers, Gierach looks back to the long-ago day when he bought his first resident fishing license in Colorado, where the fishing season never ends, and just knew he was in the right place. And he succinctly sums up part of the appeal of his sport when he writes that it is “an acquired taste that reintroduces the chaos of uncertainty back into our well-regulated lives.” Lifelong fisherman though he is, Gierach can write with self-deprecating humor about his own fishing misadventures, confessing that despite all his experience, he is still capable of blowing a strike by a fish “in the usual amateur way.” “Arguably the best fishing writer working” (The Wall Street Journal), Gierach offers witty, trenchant observations not just about fly-fishing itself but also about how one’s love of fly-fishing shapes the world that we choose to make for ourselves. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Still Life with Brook Trout John Gierach, 2007-11-01 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. In Still Life with Brook Trout, John Gierach demonstrates once again that fishing, when done right, is as much a philosophical pursuit as a sport. Gierach travels to Wyoming and Maine and points in between, searching out new fly-fishing adventures and savoring familiar waters with old friends. Along the way he meditates on the importance of good guides (Really, the only thing a psychiatrist can do that a good guide can't is write prescriptions), the challenge of salmon fishing (Salmon prowl. If they're not here now, they could be here in half an hour. Or tomorrow. Or next month), and the zen of fishing alone (I also enjoy where my mind goes when I'm fishing alone, which is usually nowhere in particular and by a predictable route). On a more serious note, he ponders the damaging effects of disasters both natural and man-made: drought, wildfires, and the politics of dam-building, among others. Reflecting on a trip to a small creek near his home, Gierach writes, In my brightest moments, I think slowing down...has opened huge new vistas on my old home water. It's like a friendship that not only lasts, but gets better against the odds. Similarly, Still Life with Brook Trout proves that Gierach, like fly-fishing itself, becomes deeper and richer with time. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Trout Bum John Gierach, 2013-09-01 Trout Bum is a fresh, contemporary look at fly fishing, and the way of life that grows out ofa passion for it. The people, the places, and the accoutrements that surround the sport make a fishing trip more than a set of tactics and techniques. John Gierach, a serious fisherman with a wry sense of humor, show us just how much more with his fishing stories and a unique look at the fly-fishing lifestyle. Trout Bum is really about why people fish as much as it is about how they fish, and it is ultimately about enduring values and about living in a harmony with our environment. Few books have had the impact on an entire generation that Trout Bum has had on the fly-fishing world. The wit, warmth, and the easy familiarity that John Gierach brings to us in Trout Bum is as fresh and engaging now was when it was first published twenty-five years ago. There's no telling how many anglers have quit their jobs and headed west after reading the first edition of this classic collection of fly-fishing essays. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Fool's Paradise John Gierach, 2008-05-06 A lighthearted and lyrical new collection of observations on fly-fishing by the author of Still Life with Brook Trout features whimsical complaints about what the author believes is wrong with the world, both within and outside the fishing community. 50,000 first printing. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Gilgamesh to Gierach James W. White, 2024-08-02 Fish have figured profoundly in both human history and imagination for millennia. They are both gifts of the sea, drawing civilizations to the water, and terrors of the deep, holding revelations of the unconscious and the unknown. Today, fly fishing attracts millions looking to escape modern life and reconnect with some primal, meditative instinct to partake in nature’s offerings. Gilgamesh to Gierach is a collection of three hundred fishing, water, and fish tales spanning four millennia and numerous genres. More than a historical overview, White has distilled this immense topic into threads that flow through time, from legends and literature to nursery rhymes, poems, and humorous fish tales. Anglers will discover fly fishing’s ancient roots and spiritual seekers the fish’s religious and existential implications. Among the included voices are Homer, St. John, Ovid, Brendan the Navigator, Dame Juliana Berners, Shakespeare, Walton, Melville, Yeats, Thoreau, Hemingway, Rodrick Haig-Brown, and Norman Maclean. Whether told in full or, more often, condensed, these stories will leave the reader with a strong sense of the fish’s significance to many of the world’s greatest thinkers. Brimming with jokes, histories, simple folk tales, and great tragedies, this impressive work offers something for everyone. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Fool's Paradise John Gierach, 2008-05-06 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. If John Gierach is living in a fool’s paradise, then it’s a paradise that his regular readers will recognize and new fans will delight in discovering. Laced with the inimitable blend of wit and wisdom that have made him fly-fishing’s foremost scribe, Fool’s Paradise chronicles the fishing life in all its glory (catching your biggest fish ever) and squalor (being stranded in a tent during a soaking rainstorm). In Gierach’s world, both experiences are valuable, and perhaps inevitable. Fishermen everywhere will understand Gierach’s quest to discover and explore new waters (and then not to divulge the best locations to anyone), the unlikely appeal of winter fly-fishing, or his dismay at encroaching development (“You never get to point at a meadow full of browsing mule deer and say, ‘You know, all this was once condos.’”). Braving trips on small prop planes and down “Oh-My-God” roads, Gierach and his fishing buddies pursue bull trout in British Collumbia, steelhead in the Rocky Mountains, and pike so fierce that a wise fisherman wears Kevlar gloves for the obligatory trophy photo. Equal parts fishing lore, philosophy, and great fish stories, Fool’s Paradise may not be a perfect substitute for actually being out on the water, but it’s surely the next best thing. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Standing in a River Waving a Stick John Gierach, 2010-05-11 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. With his inimitable combination of wit and wisdom, John Gierach once again celebrates the fly-fishing life in Standing in a River Waving a Stick and notes its benefits as a sport, philosophical pursuit, even therapy: “The solution to any problem—work, love, money, whatever—is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be.” After all, fly-fishing does teach important life lessons, says Gierach—about solitude, patience, perspective, humor, and the sublime coffee break. Recounting both memorable fishing spots and memorable fish, Gierach discusses what makes a good fly pattern, the ethics of writing about undiscovered trout waters, the dread of getting skunked, and the camaraderie of fellow fishermen who can end almost any conversation with “Well, it’s sort of like fishing, isn’t it?” Reflecting on a lifetime of lessons learned at the end of a fly rod, Gierach concludes, “The one inscription you don’t want carved on your tombstone is ‘The Poor Son of a Bitch Didn’t Fish Enough.’” Fortunately for Gierach fans, this is not likely to happen. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders John Gierach, 2001-02-21 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders collects forty of John Gierach’s finest essays on fishing from six of his books. Like all his writing, these essays are seasoned by a keen sense of observation and a deep knowledge and love of fishing lore, leavened by a wonderfully wry sense of humor. Gierach often begins with an observation that soon leads to something below the surface, which he finds and successfully lands. As Gierach says, writing is a lot like fishing. This is the first anthology of John Gierach’s work, a collection that is sure to delight both die-hard fans and new readers alike. To enter Gierach’s world is to experience the daily wonder, challenge, and occasional absurdity of the fishing life—from such rituals as the preparation of camp coffee (for best results, serve in a tin cup) to the random, revelatory surprises, such as the flashing beauty of a grayling leaping out of the water. Whether he’s catching fish or musing on the ones that got away, Gierach is always entertaining and enlightening, writing with his own inimitable blend of grace and style, passion and wit. |
| even brook trout get the blues: All the Time in the World John Gierach, 2024-03-19 Discover the answer to life’s most pressing problems through the joy of fly-fishing from master philosopher John Gierach, “the dean of fly-fishing” (Kirkus Reviews), who is “arguably the best fishing writer working” (The Wall Street Journal). Once again, John Gierach tells the world why the pastime of fly-fishing makes so much sense—except when it doesn’t. In this “shrewd, perceptive, and wryly funny” (The Wall Street Journal) book, he recalls the joys of landing that trout he’s been watching for the last hour—and then losing an even fatter one a little later. Joy and frustration mix in Gierach’s latest appreciation of the fly-fishing life as he takes us from his home waters on the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado to the fishing meccas all over North America. From fishing lodges in Alaska to memories of the local creek in the Midwest where he grew up, Gierach celebrates the indispensability of the natural world around us. |
| even brook trout get the blues: The Zen of Home Water Jerry Hamza, 2020-11-17 A Collection of Fishing Stories from Across the Globe, by a Master Storyteller. To the uninitiated, it might be somewhat surprising to discover that fly fishermen tend to be rather contemplative sorts. During those dark nights and long seasons when fishing is not a promising endeavor, we settle down to the next best thing, reading our vast libraries of ancient fishing lore, interspersed with the odd philosophical tome. And when we do, we usually don’t want to read proverbial stories about “landing the big one,” or lengthy how-to expositions on how to catch the aforementioned big one. Rather, we tend to prefer stories that place our beloved piscatorial pastime within the larger context of life and nature. Stories that, as Hamza describes, “…sparks a light. A light that is both familiar and comforting.” Such is The Zen of Home Water, the latest angling book by Jerry Hamza. Hamza is a John Volker for the new millennium. His book is interspersed with stories about monster brook trout, beautiful North woods streams and lakes, quirky backwoods guides, and legendary fly hatches. Through it all, he shows us one of the most profound truths of life, that “It takes the acquisition of wisdom to understand that a happy life is actually a mosaic of small and insignificant events…we string together moments in life—like pearls becoming a beautiful necklace.” The iridescent pearls that Hamza strings together are many and include the importance of “freestyling”, that uncontrollable escape impulse that implores us to drop whatever we are doing and head to the stream, any stream, with fly rod in hand. Another recurring theme is the need to unplug from the modern, electronic world. He instructs us how to trespass (with bartered permission) and fish those waters that look so inviting yet so out of reach to the (usually) law abiding. His recipe for squirrel stew is not jealously guarded but freely shared. And his stories of catching giant brook trout in the Maine North Woods allow the reader, who usually can’t participate in such acts of angling greatness, to at least know that they are occurring to someone, somewhere. Hamza is a member of that peculiar subset of anglers, the bamboo rod aficionado. While acknowledging the cold, hard fact that bamboo rods are nothing more than conglomerations of “expensive blades of grass,” he also realizes that these handmade treasures passed down to us from previous generations will hopefully outlive us (and our car doors) and that we are merely their caretakers for a time. Although the dreaded “g” word (i.e., graphite) does make a brief appearance, Hamza is definitely one of those anglers who would rather hold an aged, organic creation of the bamboo rod maker’s art than the latest admittedly efficient chemical concoction straight from the laboratory. This puts him squarely in the tradition of John Gierach, although Hamza’s writing is better and his stories more entertaining. Hamza’s own home waters are dual--Maine’s Grand Lake Stream area and the southern shore of the Lake Ontario region. There are echoes of Thoreau’s Maine Woods in his stories of remote lakes and plentiful trout. And while he takes us all around the country when relating his angling exploits (Kerouac’s On the Road is a particular favorite of his), it is evident that the concept of “home water” carries a lot of weight with him. His beloved “Zen Lake”, with its less than perfect history and many small fish, could be the home water of any of us. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Dances With Trout John Gierach, 2010-05-11 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. With the wry humor and wit that have become his trademark, John Gierach writes about his travels in search of good fishing and even better fish stories. In this new collection of essays on fishing—and hunting—Gierach discusses fishing for trout in Alaska, for salmon in Scotland and for almost anything in Texas. He offers his perceptive observations on the subject of ice-fishing, getting lost, fishing at night, tournaments and the fine art of tying flies. Gierach also shares his hunting technique, which involves reading a good book and looking up occasionally to see if any deer have wandered by. Always entertaining, often irreverent and illuminating, Gierach invites readers into his enviable way of life, and effortlessly sweeps them along. As he writes in Dances with Trout, “Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It’s not even clear if catching fish is actually the point.” |
| even brook trout get the blues: All Fishermen Are Liars John Gierach, 2014-04-15 This “elegiac tribute to the elusive art and ineffable pleasure of fly-fishing” (Kirkus Reviews) shows us why life’s most valuable lessons—and some of its best experiences—are found while fly-fishing. For John Gierach, “the master of fly-fishing” (Sacramento Bee), fishing is always the answer—even when it’s not clear what the question is. In All Fishermen Are Liars, Gierach travels around North America seeking out quintessential fishing experiences, whether it’s at a busy stream or a secluded lake hidden amid snow-capped mountains. He talks about the art of fly-tying and the quest for the perfect steelhead fly (“The Nuclear Option”), about fishing in the Presidential Pools previously fished by the elder George Bush (“I wondered briefly if I’d done something karmically disastrous and was now fated to spend the rest of my life breathing the exhaust of this elderly Republican”), and the importance of traveling with like-minded companions when caught in a soaking rain (“At this point someone is required to say, ‘You know, there are people who wouldn’t think this is fun’”). And though Gierach loses some fish along the way, he never loses his passion and sense of humor. Wry, contemplative, and lively—that is to say, pure Gierach—All Fishermen Are Liars is a joy to read—and, as always, the next best thing to fishing itself. “From the early days…to his present cult status, Gierach’s candor and canniness at the water’s edge have been consistent…His grizzled, laconic persona is engaging and the voice of the common angler” (The Wall Street Journal). |
| even brook trout get the blues: Good Flies John Gierach, 2014-10-21 The favorite fly patterns of one of the country's top angling writers, revised and updated. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Where the Trout Are All as Long as Your Leg John Gierach, 2012-03-13 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. Fly-fishing’s finest scribe, John Gierach, takes us from a nameless stream on a nameless ranch in Montana to a secret pool off a secret creek where he caught a catfish as a five-year-old, to a brook full of rattlesnakes and a private pond where the trout are all as long as your leg. As Gierach says, “The secret places are the soul of fishing.” Hearing about a new one never fails to entice us. And so Where the Trout Are All as Long as Your Leg transports the reader to the best of these places, where the fish are always bigger and the hatches last forever. After all, it’s these magical places that Gierach so vividly evokes that remind us how precious—and precarious—are the unspoiled havens of the natural world. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Flyfisher's Guide to Colorado Marty Bartholomew, 2017-07-15 This all-new third edition of this best-selling flyfishing guide to Colorado's waters includes an 8.5x11-inch layout, full-color photos and maps, and many brand-new redesigned highly detailed river and lake maps with GPS coordinates for all access points. Breaking the state into six sections, Bartholomew, a Colorado native and guide, blends his personal knowledge with the experience of state biologists and regional shop owners to offer the most complete flyfishing guide ever offered on Colorado. Also includes a warm-water section. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Fly Fishing Small Streams John Gierach, 1989 Laced with fishing stories and a guest appearance or two from the inimitable A.K. Best, Gierach's book offers advice on tackle selection, reading water, casting technique, and small-stream scouting. Photos and drawings. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Why I Fly Fish Chris Santella, 2013-04-02 Chris Santella, bestselling author of the Fifty Places series, is back in action with the inspirational gift book Why I Fly Fish. Based on 25 interviews with fly-fishing professionals and celebrity hobbyists alike, Why I Fly Fish encapsulates the life lessons fly-fishing aficionados have learned from their favorite pursuit. Featured contributors include Donald Trump Jr., Bill Ford (CEO of Ford Motor Company), Conway Bowman (host of several flyfishing TV programs), actor Henry Winkler, Lefty Kreh (the world’s best-known fly-fisherman) and many more. With personal photographs by the contributors themselves, Why I Fly Fish is an inspirational and intimate reflection on the beloved sport and pastime. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Trout Culture Jen Corrinne Brown, 2015-05-01 From beer labels to literary classics like A River Runs Through It, trout fishing is a beloved feature of the iconography of the American West. But as Jen Brown demonstrates in Trout Culture: How Fly Fishing Forever Changed the Rocky Mountain West, the popular conception of Rocky Mountain trout fishing as a quintessential experience of communion with nature belies the sport’s long history of environmental manipulation, engineering, and, ultimately, transformation. A fly-fishing enthusiast herself, Brown places the rise of recreational trout fishing in a local and global context. Globally, she shows how the European sport of fly-fishing came to be a defining, tourist-attracting feature of the expanding 19th-century American West. Locally, she traces the way that the burgeoning fly-fishing tourist industry shaped the environmental, economic, and social development of the Western United States: introducing and stocking favored fish species, eradicating the less favored native “trash fish,” changing the courses of waterways, and leading to conflicts with Native Americans’ fishing and territorial rights. Through this analysis, Brown demonstrates that the majestic trout streams often considered a timeless feature of the American West are in fact the product of countless human interventions adding up to a profound manipulation of the Rocky Mountain environment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKMwEkKj9jg |
| even brook trout get the blues: Fast Water Nymphing Tactics John Tedesco, 2004 Nymph fishing is a specialized form of fly fishing. Here is a how-to book that addresses this specific niche in the fly fishing world. Tedesco takes it one step farther by instructing the reader how to nymph fish effectively in fast moving water year-round. |
| even brook trout get the blues: No Shortage of Good Days John Gierach, 2012-04-24 A collection of fly-fishing essays reflect the author's visits to regions ranging from the Smokies to the Canadian Maritimes, where he explored such interests as fishing etiquette, mosquitoes, and the charms of third-rate streams. |
| even brook trout get the blues: All Fishermen Are Liars John Gierach, 2015-04-28 Gierach travels across North America from the Pacific Northwest to the Canadian Maritimes to seek out quintessential fishing experiences. Whether he's fishing a busy stream or a secluded lake amid snow-capped mountains, Gierach insists that fishing is always the answer-- even when it's not clear what the question is. |
| even brook trout get the blues: A Fly Rod of Your Own John Gierach, 2017-04-04 “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). |
| even brook trout get the blues: Fishing Bamboo John Gierach, 2014-10-07 An introduction to bamboo fly rod fishing by a master of the sport, revised and updated. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Touching the Wild UP John Highlen, 2021-10-15 Just like with people, connections with our natural world are made through personal contact. Being a lifelong lover of the outdoors, especially wild places, John Highlen has a tendency for mingling with nature in a variety of fashions. Across the seasons, through backyard surprises, extended wilderness treks, exploring Lake Superior by kayak, scaling vertical ice formations, building a rustic log cabin, or simply taking a hike. This book is a collection of adventures from the author's close and personal contact with the wilds of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Where the Bright Waters Meet Harry Plunket Greene, 2006 First published in 1924, this book talks about trout fishing. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Another Lousy Day in Paradise and Dances with Trout John Gierach, 2011-04-19 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. For the first time, two of John Gierach’s most popular fishing books are collected in one volume—a double dose of delight for longtime fans or first-time visitors to Gierach country. As Gierach astutely observes in Dances with Trout, “Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It’s not even clear if catching fish is actually the point.” This observation might also describe Gierach’s writing—catching fish might be the subject, but most of the fun and (mis)adventure comes well before that point. Whether it’s fishing close to home waters (Colorado) or farther afield (Alaska, Scotland, Texas); ice-fishing, tournament fishing, or night fishing; fishing for trout, salmon, carp, splake, or grayling; fishing with familiar companions like A.K. Best or the enigmatic “Zen master among fishing guides”; no detail of the fishing life is too insignificant or too absurd for Gierach. As he writes in Another Lousy Day in Paradise, “The real truth about fly-fishing is, it is beautiful beyond description in almost every way, and when a certain kind of person is confronted with a certain kind of beauty, they are either saved or ruined for life, or a little bit of both.” So start reading and be saved—or ruined—by Gierach’s wonderful insights into the world around us. |
| even brook trout get the blues: A Place on the Water Jerry Dennis, 2013-11-22 More than a collection of fishing stories, A Place on the Water is a passionate and eloquent exploration of subjects with broad appeal: love of land and water, informed and unsentimental appreciation of nature, and outrage at changes that threaten to obliterate places we can no longer afford to take for granted. Jerry Dennis’s sparkling prose and Glenn Wolff’s captivating illustrations transport us to a world we recognize from childhood: a place of limitless range and possibility, shimmering with life, where the very next cast will be the one that hooks something enormous and wonderful. PRAISE: “A Place on the Water is a collection of lyrical, haunting essays, set in northern Michigan. Many are about fishing, but that does not necessarily mean they are to be enjoyed strictly by anglers. Hemingway’s Big Two-Hearted River was about fishing, too, but can be read for pleasure if you have never wet a line…Dennis covers a lot of ground, then; but there is throughout the book a kind of constant tone, as sharp and precise as the scent of cedar. And it stays with the reader long after he has put down the book.” —Geoffrey Norman, author of American Way “Eloquent essays about the author’s adventures exploring his love of land, water and nature in his beloved Michigan…Enjoyable reading with beautiful, evocative illustrations.” —Sports Afield Jerry Dennis is one of a handful of superb writer who love angling deeply and write memoirs full of warmth, eloquence, and wit. A Place on the Water is a book of many robust—and fragile—miracles. —Nick Lyons, author of Spring Creek |
| even brook trout get the blues: Taut Lines Cameron Pierce, 2016-08-01 THE PERFECT FATHER'S DAY GIFT! Since the earliest writings of civilization, people have been writing about fish and the pursuit of them. Taut Lines is a book of the present with regular forays into the past, reflecting not on where we're going, but where we've come from. As all anglers know, the fish themselves are only half of fishing. Finding peace, spirituality, or a sense of belonging in nature; the meditative tranquility that settles into the mind and body as you cast into the waters for hours on end; the companionship or, alternately, the solitude: these are some of the things that hook anglers as much as the fish. They are all explored in this book. In the name of variety, coverage has been extended to some fishes typically overlooked in fishing anthologies, up to the great white shark from Jaws, the most famous (and feared) fish in all of film and literature. There are as many types of fishing literature as there are fishermen. One of these is humorous stories about the follies that inevitably plague anglers. Several stories of this type are to be found in Taut Lines, including Rudyard Kipling's 'On Dry-Cow Fishing as a Fine Art' and Eric Witchey's 'Bats, Bushes, and Barbless Hooks.' Fishing is more than folly, however, and so many of the stories tackle more personal and profound subjects. Kevin Maloney's 'Soldiers By the Side of the Road', Gretchen Legler's 'Border Water', and Gabino Iglesias's 'Fourteen Pounds Against the World' are just three of many heartbreaking essays which prove that while fishing is an effective medicine for grief and loss, it can also lead to contemplations of death and mortality, both the fish's and our own. A passion for angling is most often passed down through families, and so many of the pieces in Taut Lines examine familial dynamics in relation to fishing, like 'Fish' by Judith Barrington and 'Unsound' by Nick Mamatas. There are great stories of big fish by angling legends such as Jeremy Wade, Bill Heavey, and Zane Grey, along with stories of daring rescues ('The Man in the Fish Tote' by Tele Aadsen) and war ('I Used to Be a Fisherman' by Weston Ochse), alongside a new modernized version of the first text written about sportfishing, 'Treatise of Fishing with an Angle' by Dame Juliana Berners and 'Fishing for a Cat' by Francis W. Mather, perhaps the earliest known essay devoted to catfish angling. There are also some long-lost classics, like former Atlantic editor Bliss Perry's 'Fishing with a Worm'. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Outdoor Chronicles Jerry Hamza, 2015-11-24 We hold a great affection for the deep tradition of American storytelling. The ability to spin a yarn that can hold our attention and provide a gentle direction for life is something that has been with us for a long time. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories hold us with their gentle wit and carry us away for just a little while. In Outdoor Chronicles, Jerry Hamza takes up the gauntlet of the storyteller to take readers away for a little fun. There are already plenty of how-to fishing and outdoor books, and this is not one. Hamza’s stories will not make you a better caster or shooter, but they will make you want to spend more time fishing or hunting. This book is a collection of outdoor stories wrapped in the human condition. They were written with an eye toward honesty and cynicism. They will make you laugh out loud, and you will want to carry them with you wherever you go. If this book goes missing, it’s a sure thing that, when you do find it, it will be in the possession of a member of your household, regardless of their interest in casting a fly. The stories cover the gamut from a fishing trip to northern Canada to a little stream that was actually better than remembered, to how the baby boomers almost trampled a sport to death, to a solitary trek along railroad tracks during a cold, dark, and dreary February, and many more. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for hunters and firearms enthusiasts. We publish books about shotguns, rifles, handguns, target shooting, gun collecting, self-defense, archery, ammunition, knives, gunsmithing, gun repair, and wilderness survival. We publish books on deer hunting, big game hunting, small game hunting, wing shooting, turkey hunting, deer stands, duck blinds, bowhunting, wing shooting, hunting dogs, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Sex, Death, and Fly-Fishing John Gierach, 2010-05-11 From the irrepressible author of Trout Bum and The View from Rat Lake comes an engaging, humorous, often profound examination of life's greatest mysteries: sex, death, and fly-fishing. John Gierach's quest takes us from his quiet home water (an ordinary, run-of-the-mill trout stream where fly-fishing can be a casual affair) to Utah's famous Green River, and to unknown creeks throughout the Western states and Canada. We're introduced to a lively group of fishing buddies, some local experts and even an ex-girlfriend, along the way Contemplative, evocative, and wry, he shares insights on mayflies and men, fishing and sport, life and love, and the meaning (or meaninglessness) of it all. |
| even brook trout get the blues: View From Rat Lake John Gierach, 2013-03-19 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. “In the world of fishing there are magic phrases that are guaranteed to summon the demon. Among them are: ‘remote trout lake,’ ‘fish up to 13 pounds,’ ‘the place the guides fish on their days off,’” writes John Gierach in this wonderful collection of thirteen essays inspired by a fishing trip to Rat Lake, a remote body of water in Montana. Once again John Gierach does what he does best—explain the peculiarities of the fishing life in a way that will amuse novices and seasoned fly fishers alike. The View from Rat Lake deftly examines man in nature and nature in man, the pleasures of fishing the high country, and the high and low comedy that occasionally overcomes even the best-planned fishing trip. Some typically sage observations from The View from Rat Lake: “One of the things we truly fish for [is] an occasion for self-congratulation.” “In every catch-and-release fisherman’s past there is an old black frying pan.” “We . . . believe that a 12-inch trout caught on a dry fly is four inches longer than a 12-inch trout caught on a nymph or streamer.” |
| even brook trout get the blues: At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman John Gierach, 2010-05-11 Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers. Proving that fishing is not just a part-time pursuit, At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman takes us through a year with America’s favorite fishing scribe, John Gierach, who dedicates himself to his passion despite his belief that “In the long run, fishing usually amounts to a lifetime of pratfalls punctuated by rare moments of perfection.” Beginning with an early spring expedition to barely thawed Wyoming waters and ending with a New Year’s Eve trip to the Frying Pan River in Colorado, Gierach’s travels find him fishing for trout, carp, and grayling; considering the pros and cons of learning fishing from videos (“video fishing seems a little like movie sex: fun to watch, but a long way from the real thing”); pondering the ethics of sharing secret spots; and debunking the myth of the unflappable outdoorsman (“masters of stillness on the outside, festering s***holes of uncertainty just under the surface”). With an appreciation of the highs, the lows, and all points between, Gierach writes about the fishing life with wisdom, grace, and the well-timed wisecrack. As he says, “The season never does officially end here, but it ends effectively, which means you can fish if you want to and if you can stand it, but you don’t have to.” As any Gierach fan knows, want to and have to are never very far apart. |
| even brook trout get the blues: The Classic Sporting Art of Bob White Bob White, 2020 A collection of 200 of Bob White's best paintings and drawings-of fly fishing, upland and waterfowl hunting, gamefish, birds, and dogs, and landscapes from Alaska to Patagonia. Text and sidebars provide background and highlight the artist's process-- |
| even brook trout get the blues: Mount Bellew Ron Dull, 2004-12-28 When Hermann Olsen initially left the kidney-bashing back road of Route 226 in the Wasatch range of Utah and limped stiffly into the Mahogany Ridge Club, he was simply looking for a cold beer, some companionship, and a place to escape the omnipresent western dust. He soon makes the acquaintance of the rough ranchers who frequent the town's favorite watering hole, and hours later he becomes the dubiously proud owner of a dilapidated tavern, an out-of-commission ski hill, some ancient chairlifts, and a fat old search-and-rescue dog more renown for her gas than for her work ethic. Hermann's plan is simple: put just enough money into the area in order to revitalize it as a place for the locals, and then leisurely sit back and watch life go by from the tranquil banks of the teeming trout streams. Good plan. But life is a roller coaster ride with its own ideas of what is in store for us, and despite our best intentions and our worst flaws, we sometimes experience unexplained success. The seriously out-of-the-way hill known as Mount Bellew soon attracts a cult of hardcore skiers and snowboarders who are enamored with its legendary lack of facilities and un-groomed slopes. Mount Bellew explodes beyond the edges of Hermann's dream, and in a very short expanse of time, the ex-hippie finds himself attempting to manage a lively and bustling ski resort. Desperate times call for desperate solutions, Hermann believes. He soon surrounds himself with the colorful and equally desperate characters that make up his personnel staff. Told through the viewpoint of a simple bus driver who is looking back on his youth, Mount Bellew shows us how all of our heroes are seriously flawed, struggling through individual changes and challenges in their lives, and how every life is a unique season of hope. Men do change, and the change comes like the wind that ruffles the curtains at dawn, and it comes like the stealthy perfume of wildflowers hidden in the grass. -- John Steinbeck How we handle it all is the measure of the man. How Mount Bellew survives the growing pains is the richly entertaining story to be told . . . |
| even brook trout get the blues: Upriver and Downstream New York Times, 2009-02-04 Upriver and Downstream gathers seventy columns about fishing—from freshwater to saltwater, from small ponds to the Great Lakes, from the Pacific Northwest to post-Soviet Russia—written for the “Outdoors” column of the New York Times. Contributors include such celebrated names as Nick Lyons, Thomas McGuane, Nelson Bryant, Peter Kaminsky, Ernest Schweibert, and Robert H. Boyle. Short, evocative, informative, and entertaining, here are pieces about fly-fishing for wild brook trout, bait-fishing for striped bass, casting into tailwaters, or angling in midwinter. The settings range from Hudson River piers to the Florida Everglades, from Iceland to the Amazon, and the fish include everything from the common sunfish to the esoteric paddlefish. These engaging essays remind us of what fishing is all about: companionship and solitude, challenge and relaxation, nature and technology, from coast-to-coast to around the globe. Rich with the particulars of water, light, and air, as well as a keen awareness of, as Verlyn Klinkenborg puts it in his introduction, “what is happening out there—in the deep, in the shallows, at the end of the line,” these reflections and recollections beautifully capture the natural world and one of life’s most challenging, perennial pursuits. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Sex, Death and Fly-fishing John Gierach, 1995 Written by the author of Where the Trout Are All as Long as Your Leg, Dances with Trout and Trout Bum, this book deals with that all important trinity - the subjects that come up late at night by the river when its too dark to fish but not too late to drink. |
| even brook trout get the blues: The Gift of Trout Ted Leeson, 1996 Features such celebrated writers as David Quammen, Roderick Haig-Brown, and Thomas McGuane. |
| even brook trout get the blues: The Compleat Angler Izaak Walton, 2013-09-01 The Compleat Angler, Izaak Walton's fishing classic, is a celebration of the art and spirit of fishing. Through prose, verse, song, and folklore, Walton inspires readers to go into nature -- to go to its meandering streams and rivers -- and fish. Walton teaches us about a life filled with harmony between nature, man, and God; and a life spent in the company of friends and free from the hustle of the city. |
| even brook trout get the blues: Medical Doctor , 1992 |
EVEN Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of EVEN is having a horizontal surface : flat. How to use even in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Even.
EVEN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
EVEN definition: 1. used to show that something is surprising, unusual, unexpected, or extreme: 2. at the same time…. Learn more.
Even - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms - Vocabulary.com
6 days ago · Something smooth and regular, like a wall that's prepped for painting, is even. Even also describes a balance like when you give all the kids an even amount of candy, or …
Even - definition of even by The Free Dictionary
even - to a greater degree or extent; used with comparisons; "looked sick and felt even worse"; "an even (or still) more interesting problem"; "still another problem must be solved"; "a yet …
EVEN - Meaning & Translations | Collins English Dictionary
You use even to suggest that what comes just after or just before it in the sentence is rather surprising. 2. You use even with comparative adjectives and adverbs to emphasize a quality …
What does even mean? - Definitions.net
What does even mean? This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word even. "even an idiot knows that"; "declined even …
even adverb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes ...
Definition of even adverb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. used to emphasize something unexpected or surprising He never even opened the letter (= so he certainly didn't …
even | English Definition & Examples | Ludwig
The word "even" is correct and usable in written English. It is often used to emphasize a point or to refer to something that is unexpected or unexpected. For example: "I was surprised to find …
EVEN Synonyms: 241 Similar and Opposite Words - Merriam-Webster
Jun 3, 2025 · Synonyms for EVEN: certainly, indeed, definitely, truly, surely, really, in fact, undoubtedly; Antonyms of EVEN: partially, partly, just, halfway, half, barely, hardly, scarcely
EVEN | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
EVEN meaning: 1. flat, level, or smooth: 2. An even temperature or rate is regular and does not change very…. Learn more.
EVEN Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of EVEN is having a horizontal surface : flat. How to use even in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Even.
EVEN | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
EVEN definition: 1. used to show that something is surprising, unusual, unexpected, or extreme: 2. at the same time…. Learn more.
Even - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms - Vocabulary.com
6 days ago · Something smooth and regular, like a wall that's prepped for painting, is even. Even also describes a balance like when you give all the kids an even amount of candy, or …
Even - definition of even by The Free Dictionary
even - to a greater degree or extent; used with comparisons; "looked sick and felt even worse"; "an even (or still) more interesting problem"; "still another problem must be solved"; "a yet …
EVEN - Meaning & Translations | Collins English Dictionary
You use even to suggest that what comes just after or just before it in the sentence is rather surprising. 2. You use even with comparative adjectives and adverbs to emphasize a quality …
What does even mean? - Definitions.net
What does even mean? This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word even. "even an idiot knows that"; "declined even to …
even adverb - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes ...
Definition of even adverb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. used to emphasize something unexpected or surprising He never even opened the letter (= so he certainly didn't …
even | English Definition & Examples | Ludwig
The word "even" is correct and usable in written English. It is often used to emphasize a point or to refer to something that is unexpected or unexpected. For example: "I was surprised to find …
EVEN Synonyms: 241 Similar and Opposite Words - Merriam-Webster
Jun 3, 2025 · Synonyms for EVEN: certainly, indeed, definitely, truly, surely, really, in fact, undoubtedly; Antonyms of EVEN: partially, partly, just, halfway, half, barely, hardly, scarcely
EVEN | definition in the Cambridge Learner’s Dictionary
EVEN meaning: 1. flat, level, or smooth: 2. An even temperature or rate is regular and does not change very…. Learn more.
