John Gierach’s about to push his 16th book out the door, and he’s supporting it with a limited book tour.
If you’re one of the lucky few who lives near the right city (the tour touches down in Colorado, Oregon and Washington, with a trip to Orvis in Vermont), then consider making plans to see fly fishing’s most popular writer.
It seems like a lifetime’s passed since I first read Gierach’s Trout Bum (late 1980s), and in one sense, it was a lifetime ago.
Back then, I lived in the kill-or-be-killed Silicon Valley, and today I live minutes from good trout water in a sparsely populated rural county.
I won’t pretend Gierach’s wholly responsible, but yeah, his books did suggest there was an alternative to slowly growing heavier, angrier and more desperate in the grip of "civilization," and though I didn’t make a play for the whole trout bum lifestyle, I worked things out well enough to get a little chunk of it.
My favorite Gierach book? The answer varies almost hourly, but I seem to keep returning to Even Brook Trout Gets the Blues, mostly for the title essay.
What about the Undergrounders? Can you pick a favorite Gierach title?
See you at the bookshelves, Tom Chandler.
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
hawgdaddy(Quote)
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.
mike(Quote)
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.
Tom Chandler(Quote)
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
hawgdaddy(Quote)
Nymphing Essay, as Mike said, takes the top spot.
Kentucky Jim(Quote)
16th book. WOW!! Incredible! To bad that here I can not get those books.
Eduardo Sanchez(Quote)
Hawg: Good luck. I guess we’re all just one winning lottery ticket away from our new lives… 8-)
Euardo: No translated versions?
Tom Chandler(Quote)
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..
Beaverkill(Quote)
‘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′.
Jeffrey Prest(Quote)
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.
Tom Chandler(Quote)
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
Dan Sylvester(Quote)
I’d go with “Gear-Rock” (emphasis second syllable) until we hear otherwise.
Tom Chandler(Quote)
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…
Lisa Davis(Quote)