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Overview
"In the world of fishing there are magic phrases that are guaranteed to summon the demon. Among them are: 'remote trout lake,' 'fish up to 13 pounds,' 'the place the guides fish on their days off,'" writes John Gierach in this wonderful collection of thirteen essays inspired by a fishing trip to Rat Lake, a remote body of water in Montana. Once again John Gierach does what he does best -- explain the peculiarities of the fishing life in a way that will amuse novices and seasoned fly fishers alike. The View from Rat Lake deftly examines man in nature and nature in man, the pleasures of fishing the high country, and the high and low comedy that occasionally overcomes even the best-planned fishing trip.Some typically sage observations from The View from Rat Lake:
"One of the things we truly fish for [is] an occasion for self-congratulation."
"In every catch-and-release fisherman's past there is an old black frying pan."
"We...believe that a 12-inch trout caught on a dry fly is four inches longer than a 12-inch trout caught on a nymph or streamer."
Thirteen handsome new essays on fishing trips and fishing rivers from the author of Trout Bum.
Synopsis
"In the world of fishing there are magic phrases that are guaranteed to summon the demon. Among them are: 'remote trout lake,' 'fish up to 13 pounds,' 'the place the guides fish on their days off,'" writes John Gierach in this wonderful collection of thirteen essays inspired by a fishing trip to Rat Lake, a remote body of water in Montana. Once again John Gierach does what he does best -- explain the peculiarities of the fishing life in a way that will amuse novices and seasoned fly fishers alike. The View from Rat Lake deftly examines man in nature and nature in man, the pleasures of fishing the high country, and the high and low comedy that occasionally overcomes even the best-planned fishing trip.
Some typically sage observations from The View from Rat Lake:
"One of the things we truly fish for [is] an occasion for self-congratulation."
"In every catch-and-release fisherman's past there is an old black frying pan."
"We...believe that a 12-inch trout caught on a dry fly is four inches longer than a 12-inch trout caught on a nymph or streamer."
Library Journal
Gierach here follows up his highly successful Trout Bum with another collection in the same vein. He continues to educate and entertain in his rough-talking, fishing-crony style. But be not deceived. This philosophy major who once worked as a plumber's helper is apt to allude to Salvador Dali, Shakespeare, and Heraclitus of Ephesus in a discussion of perch jerkers, maggots, and bass. Well read in the literature and well practiced in the art of fly fishing for trout, Gierach is one of the wittiest and most articulate contemporary fishing writers. A definite acquisition for libraries catering to sports enthusiasts. David J. Panciera, Westerly P.L., R.I.