Even Brook Trout Get the Blues

Simon & Schuster, 1993. Trade paperback. Very Good. Once an angler has become serious about the sport, 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. Its 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. Gierach's work has appeared in Gray's Sporting Journal, Field & Stream, where he is a contributing author, and Fly, Rod, and Reel, where he is an editor at large. He also writes columns for the Longmont Daily Times-Call out of Longmont, Colorado, the monthly Redstone Review, and a monthly column for The New York Times. Gierach was the 1994 recipient of the US Federation of Fly Fishers Roderick Haig-Brown Award. The award recognizes a fly fishing author whose work embodies the philosophy and spirit of Roderick Haig-Brown, particularly a respect for the ethics and traditions of fly fishing and an understanding of rivers, the inhabitants and their environments.