Still Life with Brook Trout

I've said for a few years now that John Geirach is a genius. He has that rare ability to make you feel that you are standing in the stream next to him wetting a line. Still Life with Brook Trout continues this tradition. Every time I pick up one of John's books, it's just like being on vacation. I would heartily reccommend this book and all of his others to anyone who enjoys flyfishing or those who might like to try it. He's not only a great writer, but also a great educator.

I can see the hype Gierach gets for his writing from fly fisherman. This guy is into it! Reading this delightful book takes me back to fly fishing times and emits once again those feelings that he so accurately and passionately describes in this book. It is a collection of his various outings, most for trout in Colorado and Wyoming, moving out to Idaho and steelheading in Oregon with other trips east and some even south to Oklahoma and to Nebraska for bass and bluegill types. The hiking out of canyon and wilderness at dark; fishing in pouring rain and snow; catching that big one with no one to witness; glorying in the gorgeous aethestics. All these touched the dormant fly fishing spots in my memory and evoked great remembrances. This guy can fish and he can write about it: "my fly box has over a hundred flies in it .. but use only two. I'm beginning to wonder why I carry the rest." "With steelhead, that's like teaching a new driver how to start a car and then turning him loose in rush-hour traffic" "The one about the guy who kept a twelve-pound rainbow that he wanted to mount, but who then dumped it on the ground halfway out because ..." "sign saying 'See the Real West' means this is one place where the real West no longer exists. Signs in the real West say 'No Trespassing.'" Fishing and outdoors are about this, memories and stories. This book has them in spades and will take those who are into fly fishing and these spots there with author vicariously. Those who haven't experienced them firsthand, will likely get as close as possible in reading this great book. The unique accompanying drawings are just outstanding!

Although the sport of flyfishing still leans toward exclusivity and a certain air of snobbery, John Gierach has managed to take some of the mystery out of it, simultaneously retaining the quiet beauty of the sport and allowing readers glimpses of the absurd lengths anglers will go to to catch nice fish. While his status as a writer and expertise as an angler now allow him to access some of the most exclusive and protected water in the world, he has never strayed far from his roots as a poor Trout Bum, and his adventures on the stream never fail to draw the reader - angler and non-angler alike - into the world of fly fishing. Still Life with Brook Trout is another fascinating collection of the philosophical thoughts that come to fishers who spend too much time alone on a stream, some hysterical and some poignant. A great read as always, whether you fish ot not.

Again, another great read. However, in his last few books, I've noticed a thread of melancholy that was absent in his earlier works. In his earlier books (e.g., "Trout Bum", "Sex, Death, and Fly Fishing"), there was a cocky, swagger-like tenor to his writing. In his later books, such as his one, Gierach seems to be doing alot more nostalgic tripping, and lamenting his increased frailty (recent operation, reliance on pain pills, a more measured approach to hiking treks, etc.). This is not a criticism, just an observation.

Gierach has put together yet another collection of fly fishing stories in and around Colorado, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oregon, Maine and Canada. He's still fishing with his old pals Mike Price, and A.K. Best. He still writes about his love of Bamboo Rods, but not as much as his last book. He's still taking trips to ponds to fly fish for Bass. And, he still writes in that fantastic meat and potatoes style of his. If you dont know Gierach you should know that he is originally a midwesterner who grew up in the 60's. Many of his books, including this one, are spattered with his political thoughts and real life protests against governmental organizations trying to destroy natural habitats. In this book he joins a group of citizens dedicated to fighting a proposal to build a new dam near his home. The proposed reason for the dam is the recent drought the West has been experiencing, which Gierach details in many of his stories. He states that it's ironic how earlier in his life "he wanted change but now just wants things to remain the same". Another significantly new writing subject for Gierach is his developing love for Steelhead fishing using a Spey rod. I predict his next book will have more stories involving west coast trips. All in all Gierach continues to be my favorite contemporary fly fishing author.