Confessions of a Fly Fishing Addict

The author describes how he became fascinated with fly fishing, discusses his efforts to learn casting techniques, and shares his impressions of a variety of fishing spots

These essays, reprinted from Fly Fisherman magazine, form a smooth and satisfying collection. A book publisher and essayist, Lyons ( Bright Rivers ) is adept at both writing and fly fishing--qualities in evidence despite his humility and self-deprecating humor, which prompt a friend to chide him: "You're downgrading yourself too much, Nick. You're not nearly so bad a fisherman as you make out." His language sparkles ("What a glorious pool it is. The water sweeps down from a four-hundred-yard-long riffle, hits the bend, and makes marvelously trouty music"), and sound advice is leavened with wit and charm. To make a dry fly appeal to a fish, he counsels, have it behave naturally. "If you saw a piece of steak moving unnaturally on your plate, would you eat it?" The various pieces range in style from touching simplicity to slapstick comedy. Fly fishing, Lyons contends, is a panacea, "a pleasant, restful time, with the kind of happy, leisurely rhythms that are addictive." So are his essays.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This book of 49 essays (all previously published in the author's "Seasonable Fisherman" column in Fly Fishing magazine) is a handy collection for those fans who feel that Lyons is the best fishing essayist writing today. A skilled editor responsible for some of the finest recent literature in the field (he is the Lyons of Nick Lyons Books, now Lyons & Burford), Lyons the author is perceptive, witty, and even profound. He has the welcome tendency to not take himself too seriously (refreshing in an angling-writing fraternity that often does), yet a fluent love of nature and his chosen sport enlighten every page. Recommended for all libraries with fly fishing interests.
- David J. Panciera, Westerly P.L., R.I.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.