Dances with Trout (John Gierach's Fly-Fishing Library) - Softcover

Gierach, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0671779206 ISBN 13: 9780671779207

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 1995

Synopsis

In Dances with Trout, John Gierach roams the globe in search of good fishing and even better fish stories. He writes about fishing for trout in Alaska, for salmon in Scotland, and for almost anything in Texas. He offers perceptive observations about such subjects as ice-fishing ("There's something about sitting on a frozen, windswept lake staring down that eight-inch-diameter hole that looks - at least from a distance - like the primitive equivalent of watching television"), getting lost, fishing at night, and the art of tying flies ("Evaluating a fly solely on whether it catches fish is like saying a painting of Elvis on velvet is as good as a Picasso because both will cover the same crack in the plaster"). On the subject of fishing tournaments, Gierach has this to say: "A tournament that accurately represented all the subtleties of fly-fishing doesn't exist and probably never will. It would have to have not only casting and fish-catching competitions, but also categories for fashion . . . not to mention lunch and wine selection, the invention and naming of fly patterns, bird and edible plant identification, good-heartedness, humor, lying, trespassing, philosophical detachment, creative misdirection of fellow anglers and so on." Dances with Trout also lets readers in on Gierach's tested hunting techniques, such as his method of waiting quietly in the woods, reading a good book, and looking up occasionally to see if any deer happen to have wandered into view. Written with the wry humor and wit that are Gierach's trademarks, Dances with Trout is sure to delight fishermen and non-fishermen alike.

About this title

Review:

Tom McGuane I find myself reaching for gierach when I can't get to the river.

Sports Illustrated If Mark Twain were alive and a modern-day fly-fisherman, he still would be hard put to top John Gierach in the one-liner department.

from 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.

Kirkus Reviews These well-crafted gems sparkle.

About the Author:

John Gierach is the author of more than twenty books about fly-fishing. His writing has appeared in Field & Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal, and Fly Rod & Reel, where he is a regular columnist. He also writes a column for the monthly Redstone Review. He lives in Lyons, Colorado.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0671779206
• ISBN 13: 9780671779207
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208