From Publishers Weekly
Longtime fly fishing essayist Tapply shares reflections on fly fishing that range from anecdotes illustrating the sport's appeal to detailed tips for pros. While the book doesn't dazzle with flowery prose, its even tone of understated reverence neatly conveys the author's feelings without much embellishment, recalling the work of beloved nature writer Sigurd F. Olson. Fans of nature writing in general will find plenty to enjoy, but they should know the book also contains its fair share of the sport's technical side, including passages like this: "We used ten-weight fly rods, minimum stick to throw three-hundred-grain sinktip lines and to wrestle those mighty fish. Sturdy disc-drag reels with two hundred yards of backing." Casting those concerns aside, however, readers can focus on Tapply's smart pacing and succinct descriptions. While renowned as a fly fishing writer, Tapply is also the author of the Brady Coyne mystery series, and his deft way with a story line comes across particularly in the collection's delicate title story. The title itself may be trite, but it's a good indicator of the unpretentious nature of the writing within, which makes for a pleasant read—even if readers haven't the slightest idea what a "bushy bivisible" is.
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* The 28 essays collected here ruminate on fly fishing in a variety of beguiling ways, from advice on technique to anecdotes about big fish to more inspirational reflections on the sport and its pleasures. Tapply, also author of the popular Brady Coyne mysteries, once lived near Walden Pond, and he weaves Thoreau into his essays in an unforced and thoroughly appealing manner. Literary allusions notwithstanding, however, the subject here is fly fishing, and the quarry--pursued not only across New England but throughout the U.S and Canada--include trout, Atlantic and landlocked salmon, steelhead, pickerel, bass, and yellow perch. Fans of Tapply's mysteries often comment on his comfortable narrative voice--effortlessly charming--and he brings that same quality to his fishing essays. His love of family and friends and his dry humor (toothy pickerel meets bare toes) emerge forcefully here, but so does his always-useful advice on technique and his ever-insightful takes on a variety of fly-fishing topics, from overlooked places where big trout hold in rivers and streams to his selection of the 10 best flies. This is the best Tapply essay collection yet, and it belongs on the shelf with fish lit's other master stylists, Thomas McGuane and John Gierach. One of the best sports books of the year.
John RowenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
