Trout Are Stupid

The biggest barrier to becoming an accomplished trout fisherman is buying into the mythology surrounding the species. This book sets the record straight in a straight-forward and entertaining manner.

- Catching trout simplified - A brilliantly written and well-crafted exposes fly fishing's greatest myths--selectivity, matching the hatch, pressured fish, fish feeling pain, precise imitations, drag-free drifts - Recipes for the author's tried-and-true patterns - Practical, down-to-earth suggestions for catching fish

Anders Halverson provides an exhaustively researched and grippingly rendered account of the rainbow trout and why it has become the most commonly stocked and controversial freshwater fish in the United States. Discovered in the remote waters of northern California, rainbow trout have been artificially propagated and distributed for more than 130 years by government officials eager to present Americans with an opportunity to get back to nature by going fishing. Proudly dubbed an entirely synthetic fish by fisheries managers, the rainbow trout has been introduced into every state and province in the United States and Canada and to every continent except Antarctica, often with devastating effects on the native fauna. Halverson examines the paradoxes and reveals a range of characters, from nineteenth-century boosters who believed rainbows could be the saviors of democracy to twenty-first-century biologists who now seek to eradicate them from waters around the globe. Ultimately, the story of the rainbow trout is the story of our relationship with the natural world--how it has changed and how it startlingly has not.

This vibrant blend of memoir, travelogue, and reflection on the deep truths of angling is framed around an annual fishing trip that Mark Kingwell and his father and two brothers take each year to British Columbia. Between the drinking, the cigars, and the piloting of a small dingy, Kingwell, previously of the belief that “fishing is stupid,” finds that the sport does allow for one important thing—quite a bit of time just to think, to allow thoughts to wander and new vistas to open up. This realization leads Kingwell, who makes his living as a professor of philosophy, to ponder everything from masculinity and procrastination to golf and the value of work—not to mention the relative benefits of wet versus dry flies, the cast, and how best to fool a fish. As the book engagingly shows, fishing is worth thinking about because of the thinking that fishing allows. Especially when the trout aren’t biting.

Trout Bum is a fresh, contemporary look at fly fishing, and the way of life that grows out ofa passion for it. The people, the places, and the accoutrements that surround the sport make a fishing trip more than a set of tactics and techniques. John Gierach, a serious fisherman with a wry sense of humor, show us just how much more with his fishing stories and a unique look at the fly-fishing lifestyle. Trout Bum is really about why people fish as much as it is about how they fish, and it is ultimately about enduring values and about living in a harmony with our environment. Few books have had the impact on an entire generation that Trout Bum has had on the fly-fishing world. The wit, warmth, and the easy familiarity that John Gierach brings to us in Trout Bum is as fresh and engaging now was when it was first published twenty-five years ago. There's no telling how many anglers have quit their jobs and headed west after reading the first edition of this classic collection of fly-fishing essays.

Summary: The most beautiful fish in the entire ocean discovers the real value of personal beauty and friendship.

What defines a small stream? For Dave Hughes, it's not size but "that sense of intimacy" you get when you can observe the whole stream and "feel that you're a large and integral part of it." Hughes draws on his years of experience to teach you everything you need to know about fishing small streams, from choosing rods and flies to reading the weather and water. Hughes knows that successful fly fishing is more than just catching the most or the biggest fish. Small streams provide the opportunity for exploration and discovery—in addition to the fish. This second edition contains new chapters on reading the seasons and tenkara and is superbly illustrated with more than 100 new color photos.

The sheer variety of fly-fishing environments and experience covered in Taking Trout make it a worthy addition to a fishing library. Fishing a canyon stream with midges, Hughes teaches the basics of presentation. Fishing stair steps, Hughes covers strategies to prevent drag. Fishing bank water, Hughes teaches how to cast upstream near the bank for the trout there. Fishing slicks, deciphering whether trout are feeding on the surface of the water or subsurface, the benefits of spike camping away from the base camp in order to fish less congested waters—all are covered by Hughes. Learn from an experienced fisherman and talented fly-fishing author, who himself admits he is still learning how to take trout.

Consider these cases of misdirected human activity, each in the name of science: The Illinois Department of Conservation spent $180,000 to study the contents of owl vomit. Georgia State University psychology professor James Dabbs discovered in 1988 that trial lawyers have about 30 percent more testosterone in their bodies than normal people (regardless of gender). Dabbs stated in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology that high testosterone levels are often linked to aggressiveness and "antisocial behavior." We all knew that lawyers were full of something—now we know it's testosterone. What do stinky cheese and unclean feet have in common? They both attract mosquitoes according to a November 8, 1996 article from Reuters.