Another Lousy Day in Paradise

April 29, 1996
An affinity between fly-fishing and good writing is evident in these engaging essays. Gierach (Dances with Trout) quips that patience is required for both. He writes about fishing for brook trout in Labrador, Atlantic salmon in Scotland and New Brunswick, grayling in the Northwest Territories. He enters a fly-fishing carp tournament and defends the carp as a sport fish. Gierach gives advice on how to choose a fishing lodge and discusses winter fishing, deer hunting and the rising popularity of fly-fishing. He advocates a clean, healthy, diverse environment in which to go fishing. Upbeat and entertaining. Illustrations not seen by PW.

May 15, 1996
Once again, Gierach shows that he may be the best fishing writer around. The school of fishing scribes is bloated with guys who love to tell you why you should use a #20 Blue Dun nymph rather than a #18 Blue-Winged Olive in a particular situation, but Gierach is not interested in any such nonsense. Although he deeply loves catching trout from streams on a fly rod, he is crazy enough to catch carp on a fly, too, and although purists look down on "him for this desecration of the holy fly rod, Gierach is just having fun--an attitude he carries into his writing. These tales cover the gamut of his fishing experiences, from salmon in Alaska and brook trout in Canada to splake (a hybrid of lake and brook trout) in Colorado. Like his previous collections, this one is thoroughly entertaining, engaging, and, in the end, just big fun. ((Reviewed May 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)