Friends on the Water: Fly Fishing in Good Company

Of all of life’s companionable activities, there’s nothing like fly fishing to cement new friendships or renew old ones. In Friends on the Water, internationally acclaimed fly-fishing photographer Val Atkinson captures the experiences of camaraderie and communion that seem always to happen when good friends travel together to fly-fishing’s wondrous kingdom.

Atkinson’s evocative images record the many moments that build and bind relationships—moments that angling companions remember for a lifetime. Longtime and newfound friends, husbands and wives, fathers with their sons and daughters—all the permutations of human bonding are to be found in this wonderful book’s pages. And it’s not just person-to-person relationships that Atkinson cares about; there’s a special place in his heart for the friendship between a fisherman and his dog.

Friends on the Water assembles the photos that, in his words, best illustrate Atkinson’s enthusiasm for wild and romantic places, and for the family, friends, and acquaintances with whom he has enjoyed them. Complementing the book’s beautiful pictures are quotes, essays, and stories from famous angler-writers including Ernest Schweibert, Nick Lyons, Zane Grey, Tom McGuane, and Margot Page. This year, there’s no better Father’s Day or birthday gift for the fly-fishing companion in your life.

R. VALENTINE ATKINSON is an internationally acclaimed and much-published photographer specializing in fly-fishing lifestyle and travel whose assignments have taken him to 28 countries. He divides his work between advertising, corporate, and editorial photography and operates his own stock photo library with 80,000 images on file. Atkinson’s books include Distant Waters, Trout and Salmon, and The Greatest Flyfishing Around the World. He was recently inducted into the Flyfishing Hall of Fame. Please visit his Web site at www.valatkinson.com.