Comments on: John Gierach’s Latest Due May 6: Tour Dates Listed on FR&R Site

By: Lisa Davis

Lisa Davis — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:49:10 +0000

Just came back from a vacation of fly fishing in Wisconsin on Cheq Bay, the Willow, Kinni & a few others. This week will be 1 yr since I hired a guide, Ouitdee, for my first fly fishing forray on the Brule River. I landed a nice amount of trout that day (thanks to Ouitdee), but I was the only one who became deeply hooked.
A new friend & his 2 dogs allowed me to stay at their home for a large amount of this year’s trip. Otherwise, I ‘camped’ in the CR-V, having fished too long/late to properly set up a camp. Plus, I’m lazy about some things. This friend, a falconer who is also a hooked fly angler, lent me 4 of John Gierach’s books.
My fave is ‘Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing’. Why? It’s the first book I’ve completed. Not a direct quote, but so … : “I don’t know what you learn when fly fishing, but I think it’s important to know”. I’m currently reading ‘Even Brook Trout Get the Blues’.
A friend & I are taking a week to fish in Montana in Oct. Perhaps this IL gal will land trout in beautiful country & happen by John(former Illinoisan) & A.K. on the water. Now that’s a fish tale I’d love to tell!!
And just what would a fly angling man think if he spotted a woman on a park bench reading, “Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing”? A) must’ve bought it for her husband B) dangnabbit, soon I won’t even get my man-time out on the water! C) must cast slightly upstream, set hook properly & bam! get that lady’s number…

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 18:07:47 +0000

Dan Sylvester: I have heard several people pronounce his name several ways. Having purchased and read 13 books so far I would like to know how it really is supposed to be pronounced.

I'd go with "Gear-Rock" (emphasis second syllable) until we hear otherwise.

By: Dan Sylvester

Dan Sylvester — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:55:40 +0000

I have heard several people pronounce his name several ways. Having purchased and read 13 books so far I would like to know how it really is supposed to be pronounced. Thank you

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Fri, 02 May 2008 14:51:27 +0000

Beaver: I agree — Gierach’s “How To” titles tend to surpass the others for their readability, though I admit to wishing he’d done a little more research for his bamboo effort.

Jeffrey: And just think — a Gierach book is a hell of a lot easier to carry along than a baby or a dog (the single guy’s two sure-fire chick magnets). Your contribution to the fly fishing world has been noted.

By: Jeffrey Prest

Jeffrey Prest — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:21:05 +0000

‘Sex, Death and Flyfishing’ – because as titles go it hints at depth and a certain other-worldly quality in the reader.

Not one but two attractive women have started conversations with me on train journeys because they were intrigued by this title, which is a damn sight more than I can say for ‘Catch 22′.

By: Beaverkill

Beaverkill — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:27:14 +0000

The View from Rat Lake is my personal favorite…Flyfishing Small Streams is also a good read..Part instructional, part story teller…I believe I have about a dozen of his books, I dont think I have anything after Grave of the Unknown, I will have to check out his latest…Manchester is a bit of a ride, especially when Hendricksons will be on the Delaware..

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:20:03 +0000

Hawg: Good luck. I guess we’re all just one winning lottery ticket away from our new lives… 8-)

Euardo: No translated versions?

By: Eduardo Sanchez

Eduardo Sanchez — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:41:24 +0000

16th book. WOW!! Incredible! To bad that here I can not get those books.

By: Kentucky Jim

Kentucky Jim — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:36:20 +0000

Nymphing Essay, as Mike said, takes the top spot.

By: hawgdaddy

hawgdaddy — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:32:02 +0000

Tom,
Doh!! Too late for me there. Luckily, my lovely wife is of the same mind. Sort of. What I mean is, well, she wants to be a pirate. But I’ve convinced her that fly fishing is very nearly the modern equivalent, and for the time being she’s believing me. Although she’s currently more interested in painting fly fishing scenes as opposed to fly fishing itself. Regardless, we both want out of this.

“After all, anything done truly well looks simple, but in the case of Gierach, I think it’s deceptive.”

Excellent! Very true! Take care,

hawgdaddy

By: Tom Chandler

Tom Chandler — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:37:51 +0000

Hawg: I wasn’t married when I bolted (though it did cost me a relationship). That way, moving to the mountains and buying a Man Cave kind of house was a lot easier.

Mike: I think Gierach’s a misleadingly folksy writer; some have complained that he’s writing a lot of “Me and Joe” fishing stories, but there’s a lot more going on in his essays.

His writing’s so straightforward and accessible, I think a lot of folks miss the depth.

After all, anything done truly well looks simple, but in the case of Gierach, I think it’s deceptive.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:35:16 +0000

Well I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read, and he really does come out with some terrific one liners. I suppose Trout Bum has a special place though because it’s also the first one I read. The nymphing essay is just wonderful.

By: hawgdaddy

hawgdaddy — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:07:41 +0000

I’m stuck in the South’s very own version of Silicon Valley, the Huntsville metro area in Alabama, and I’m in the early stages of making my plans for escape from this lifestyle. Like you, I can’t say Gierach is responsible for the urge, but his books certainly resonated when I happened upon them. As for a favorite, I still have to go with Trout Bum. I don’t think it’s the best written or most meaningful or the cleverest of his books, but it’s the one I feel most at home with. I look forward to Fool’s Paradise. Take care,

hawgdaddy