Standing in a River Waving a Stick

Simon & Schuster, 2000. Trade paperback. Very Good. Previous owner signature; else in Very Good+ condition. With his inimitable combination of wit and wisdom, John Gierach once again celebrates the fly-fishing life in Standing in a River Waving a Stick and notes its benefits as a sport, philosophical pursuit, even therapy: The solution to any problem, work, love, money, whatever is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be. After all, fly-fishing does teach important life lessons, says Gierach about solitude, patience, perspective, humor, and the sublime coffee break. Recounting both memorable fishing spots and memorable fish, Gierach discusses what makes a good fly pattern, the ethics of writing about undiscovered trout waters, the dread of getting skunked, and the camaraderie of fellow fishermen who can end almost any conversation with Well, its sort of like fishing, isnt it?. Reflecting on a lifetime of lessons learned at the end of a fly rod, Gierach concludes, The one inscription you don't want carved on your tombstone is The Poor Son of a Bitch Didn't Fish Enough. Fortunately for Gierach fans, this is not likely to happen. His books are based on his various fly fishing adventures, some of which take place with his friend, A.K. Best. A few of his works include The View from Rat Lake, Even Brook Trout Get the Blues, and the cult classic, Trout Bum, which popularised the term "trout bum".His work has appeared in Gray's Sporting Journal, Field & Stream, where he is a contributing author, and Fly, Rod, and Reel, where he is an editor at large. He also writes columns for the Longmont Daily Times-Call out of Longmont, Colorado, the monthly Redstone Review, and a monthly column for The New York Times. Gierach was the 1994 recipient of the US Federation of Fly Fishers Roderick Haig-Brown Award. The award recognizes a fly fishing author whose work embodies the philosophy and spirit of Roderick Haig-Brown, particularly a respect for the ethics and traditions of fly fishing and an understanding of rivers, the inhabitants and their environments.