A Trout's Best Friend: The Angling Autobiography of Bud Lilly

Nowhere is Bud’s commitment to fly-fishing better shown than in his environmental ethic. He’s been called "Trout’s Best Friend" (in a book about his life by environmental historian Paul Schullery), because like Lee Wulff before him, Bud always seems to look at things from the fish’s point of view. As a result, his conservation philosophy is unyielding: he is committed to protecting and preserving the rivers and streams that make the West one of the greatest trout fisheries in the world. Catch-and-release fishing is imperative to this end. "I haven’t kept a fish for probably thirty years," Bud says, at once reflecting his personal philosophy and a sensible preservation strategy. He’s been promoting responsible environmental practices since 1950, long before it became fashionable to do so. He likes to joke about the time his wife accused him of spending more money preserving the environment than buying clothes for the kids.