J. R. Hartley's best-known catch to date is the public imagination. Here are his elusive fishing recollections told in a series of sometimes vividly comic chronological cameos, ranging period and location from York school days in the early 1930s through memorable outings on stream, spate river and loch to startling conclusion half a lifetime later on a Scottish summer night. Complimented by his protege Patrick Benson's evocative illustrations and with his anglers expertise lightly threaded throughout, J. R.'s story will touch every fly fisherman's experience. But it is book too that will appeal to everyone even those who have never held a rod, for the engaging point that emerges of the ultimate reluctant hero.

This virtual treasure trove of amusing anecdotes, profound insights, and recollections of fly fishing and camping moments too marvelous (and sometimes too frustrating) to forget resurfaces for its fortieth anniversary. Sparse Grey Hackle's classic is a mixture of sentiment and hilarity. This fortieth anniversary edition--complete with a new introduction by the author's longtime friend, editor, and fellow fisherman, Nick Lyons, is sure to be a favorite of the next generation of fly fishermen and women.

"Part angling memoir, part history - the kind of book you can dip into at a moment's notice, or read straight through as you would a novel. You'll enjoy the warm positive tone registered by author Lyon's insights. It'll make you want to fish. It'll shape your viewpoint in ways you didn't expect. Something for everyone. Scientific angling information for those who want that. Hilarious anecdotal material you'd only get by knowing these people firsthand. It's the perfect book to be sitting on your lakefront coffee table.It's there when you want a dose of insights into New England glacial water. It captures in words -- and with great feeling -- what the big lake has to offer.Steve Hickoff - Outdoor Columist and Writer

“A lavishly photographed dreambook of the world’s top angling spots” (Men’s Journal) Amateur or expert, every angler dreams of landing “the big one,” but that’s only part of the appeal of fly fishing. Because even when hours pass without a bite, nothing beats the rugged beauty of the surroundings. For both armchair travelers and avid outdoorsmen who may have already started a checklist of their own, Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die maps out the meccas of the fly-fishing world. Through in-depth interviews with the sport’s acknowledged gurus, author Chris Santella goes beyond standard guides to convey the very essence of the recommended locations. Readers can vicariously cast mouse patterns to fifty-pound taimen in the wilds of Mongolia, wrangle with wily permit off the Florida Keys, and match the hatch on Montana’s Armstrong’s Spring Creek. Jardines de la Reina, Cuba (tarpon), the Zhupanova River, Kamchatka (rainbow trout), and the Rio Negro, Brazil (peacock bass) are also included. The fifty essays include a cultural and natural history of each site, along with colorful anecdotes based on the author's and authorities’ experiences. With breath-takingly-beautiful photos of the spots, many by celebrated fly-fishing photographer R. Valentine Atkinson, the book also provides adventurous anglers with enough travel-and-tackle information so that they, too, can start planning excursions to go fish around the globe. Praise for Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die “Santella offers 50 short takes on the ultimate fly-fishing destinations in this beautifully photographed and nicely packaged volume . . . With its elegant descriptions, gorgeous photos and practical information, this book is a dream travel guide for avid fly-fishers.” —Publishers Weekly “Everything dad needs to tackle his next trip.” —Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Modern-day fly fishing, like much in life, has become exceedingly complex, with high-tech gear, a confusing array of flies and terminal tackle, accompanied by high-priced fishing guides. This book reveals that the best way to catch trout is simply, with a rod and a fly and not much else. The wisdom in this book comes from a simpler time, when the premise was: the more you know, the less you need. It teaches the reader how to discover where the fish are, at what depth, and what they are feeding on. Then it describes the techniques needed to present a fly at that depth, make it look lifelike, and hook the fish. With chapters on wet flies, nymphs, and dry flies, its authors employ both the tenkara rod as well as regular fly fishing gear to cover all the bases. Illustrated by renowned fish artist James Prosek, with inspiring photographs and stories throughout, Simple Fly Fishing reveals the secrets and the soul of this captivating sport.

“Beautiful. ... A lyrical companion to his father’s classic, A River Runs through It, chronicling their family’s history and bond with Montana’s Blackfoot River.” —Washington Post A "poetic" and "captivating" (Publishers Weekly) memoir about the power of place to shape generations, Home Waters is John N. Maclean's remarkable chronicle of his family's century-long love affair with Montana's majestic Blackfoot River, the setting for his father's classic novella, A River Runs through It. Maclean returns annually to the simple family cabin that his grandfather built by hand, still in search of the trout of a lifetime. When he hooks it at last, decades of longing promise to be fulfilled, inspiring John, reporter and author, to finally write the story he was born to tell. A book that will resonate with everyone who feels deeply rooted to a landscape, Home Waters is a portrait of a family who claimed a river, from one generation to the next, of how this family came of age in the 20th century and later as they scattered across the country, faced tragedy and success, yet were always drawn back to the waters that bound them together. Here are the true stories behind the beloved characters fictionalized in A River Runs through It, including the Reverend Maclean, the patriarch who introduced the family to fishing; Norman, who balanced a life divided between literature and the tug of the rugged West; and tragic yet luminous Paul (played by Brad Pitt in Robert Redford’s film adaptation), whose mysterious death has haunted the family and led John to investigate his uncle’s murder and reveal new details in these pages. A universal story about nature, family, and the art of fly fishing, Maclean’s memoir beautifully captures the inextricable ways our personal histories are linked to the places we come from—our home waters. Featuring twelve wood engravings by Wesley W. Bates and a map of the Blackfoot River region.

This completely new flyfishing guide to New England is the best flyfishing guide ever on this fishery-rich and historic area. Author and flyfishing guide Lou Zambello provides all the information to improve your catch rate in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Masschusetts. Full-color maps accompany the fisheries, complete with GPS coordinates, access points, public land, access roads, boat ramps (including small hand launches), parking areas, named holes and pools and more. Many flyfishers flock to the same well-known waters that are written about again and again and face crowded conditions. Yet there are hundreds of productive waters that are ignored. Zambello, who has spent over 30 years fishing in New England, teamed with former Maine State Fisheries Director John Boland and other experts to cover many of these great uncrowded waters in the Flyfisher's Guide to New England. Lou spent the last several years criss-crossing New England researching this book, a review of many hundreds of both popular and unknown, moving and stillwaters in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. Following Wilderness Adventures Press' tradition of creating the best flyfishing guide books, the new full-color Flyfisher's Guide to New England will help you get your own piece of fishing heaven. Also check out Zambello's first book, Flyfishing Northern New England's Seasons.

For most anglers, catching a world-record fish is something they can only fantasize about. "Maybe," the angler thinks, "I'll get lucky." But if the reason you fish is to catch world-record fish, then luck is only a very small part of it, as Robert Cunningham has learned in the course of a long quest during which he has caught fifty-seven world-record fish, as certified by the International Game Fish Association (IGFA). Cunningham's pursuit of record fish began on the remote and austere Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, which he reached flying his own seaplane, and where he chased and landed several world-record redfish. Cunningham then moved offshore, where he took record cobia and dolphin on both conventional tackle with a fly rod, and set an astonishing eleven world records in one year. Cunningham has caught record fish in the sloughs of the Mobile River Delta, the interior lakes of the Bahamas, and along tide rips more than one hundred miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. He has fought potential world-record fish for eight hours, only to lose them at boatside, and then gone back for more, and along the way, learned all manner of angling skills as well as the ability to shake off the (literal) bad breaks. His account of one angler's obsession is full of humor, disappointment, and triumph.

Witty and heartfelt, Sixty Seasons looks back over more than half a century of fly fishing and writing about fly fishing. Steve Raymond returns with an informative and delightful collection of memories, stretching over his sixty seasons spent fishing. Raymond takes the opportunity to write passionately about the full cast of his life, as well as how fly-fishing interacts with his life as a journalist, and vice versa. He offers sage advice about books, writers, rods, methods, and guides. He deftly ranges from joyful topics to bittersweet moments to a tongue-in-cheek quiz designed to test your fly-fishing sophistication. Other contemplations include: Essays on fishing for trout, steelhead, bonefish, and carp Surviving a career in journalism Fishing for Atlantic salmon vs. Pacific salmon The impending future of outdoor sports It is with good humor, precision, and thoughtful insight that Raymond reels you in. Sixty Seasons is a must-have for anyone who loves fly-fishing or the natural world.