Rivers of the Heart

June 1, 1998
Fly-fishermen will enjoy this essay collection by the author of Steelhead Country and former editor of Fly-fisher magazine. There is the obligatory chapter on quaint characters, often laconic and monomaniacal veterans of the ichthyological wars but here broadened to include two visiting Russian opera stars who try their luck in the Pacific Northwest, Raymond's home territory. Four chapters on fishing expeditions to exotic locales--Christmas Island, the River Dee in Scotland, Turneffe Island off Belize and the Miramichi River in New Brunswick--will interest those who have never fished and don't know a bonefish from a salmon, because all make for fascinating travelogues. The subject of fishing is approached in many ways, from a discussion of the problems inherent in reviewing books on the subject through the life-cycle of the mayfly; to bamboo rods and the explosion of fly-fishing in the 1970s; to a portrait of the perfect river. There are informative snippets of information throughout, like the first literary mention of fishing with lures, which dates from the third century A.D. Kristopherson's line drawings add to the book's appeal.