I read Downstream a few years after it came out. First, I was impressed by the book. Second, I was surprised that it hadn’t make a bigger splash than it did in fly fishing circles. You may be asking why? to both of those statements. Conveniently, the answers are the same. David O’hara and Matthew …
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But come on… a glassy spring creek flowing through a picturesque meadow? You can’t say that isn’t a stunning sight. Especially if you are a fly fisher who likes challenging trout and year-round opportunities to catch them. Mike Lawson’s Spring Creeks came out in 2003. There were …
Just over ten years ago I was asked to contribute to a project that sought to raise funds for the purchase of a plot of land in south central Pennsylvania. Michael Klimkos was putting together a book for the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy. The group was looking to capitalize on the history of the land, specifically …
One of America’s original vacation destinations is also the birthplace of American fly fishing. New York’s Catskill Region is thick with rivers, fish, and angling history. In Steve Francis’ Catskill Rivers, the reader is introduced to what makes this area so special and historically significant. He first explores the region in general, and then touches …
It is undeniable that fishing streamers is the most direct route to big fish. And 2015’s Strip-Set is the authoritative title on all things modern streamer fishing. In this important, informative, and interesting work, George Daniel equips you to throw streamers from size 12 to 2/0. He covers everything from reading the water, feeding behavior, …
There are some books that simply speak to those who love being outdoors. While I usually share fly fishing books, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to pass along titles that fit the aforementioned category. Steven Rinella’s American Buffalo and Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods are both entertaining and educational reads that have …
Charlie K. Fox’s This Wonderful World of Trout has reached an audience much wider than the tiny spring creeks the author haunted. With an endearing mix of how-to, anecdote, and history, the book has been embraced as a classic of the angler’s library. Fox was numbered among the prominent Pennsylvania fly fishers of the mid-20th …
Maybe you’ve noticed that there are a lot of books about fly fishing. You needn’t have consumed the loads of literary content on Casting Across to know that fly fishing and writing go together. Whether it be gripping narratives, applicable techniques, or pertinent stream guides, a book will help you in some way, shape, or …
There are few fish that inspire as much awe and admiration as salmon. Whether it be their qualities as a sport fish or food source, salmon have been at the pinnacle of many cultures and communities. Mark Kurlansky’s 2020 book is a biography of sorts. It traces the various species, their natural state, their past …
Although it is not the oldest work on fishing in the English language, Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler is undoubtedly the most prominent. From both a literary and cultural perspective it is well known and widely celebrated. For these merits and those intrinsic to the nearly 400 year-old book, you should read a passage or two. …
