For me, the premier flyfishing book. It's the only fishing story I'll read every year.
If they had a hardcover version, I'd buy it.

I was a fan of Nick Lyons' after reading "Bright Rivers" and this book just solidified that. Although not a "how to" book on fishing spring creeks, it does offer some instruction in the form of the author's experiences. Lyons' books are similar to Gierach... well written, funny, witty with a little self deprecating humor, and A LOT of fishing! Some of his experiences on this creek are nothing short of amazing. A definite classic.

Just enough taste of Traver's life and philosophy to make you want more. You get a picture of a self-effacing man who downplays his professional achievements as well as his fly-fishing mastery. Although he frequently laments that he wasted his life fishing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, you discover he was a successful district attorney, defense attorney, and state supreme court justice as well as a best-selling fiction author (Anatomy of a Murder). While he downplays his abilities as a fisherman, you learn he gave public flycasting demonstrations that brought the audience to their feet.

Makes you yearn to be one of the boys who gather at Frenchman's pond for a warm summer day of brown trout on dry flies with long, thin leaders, followed by a night of cribbage and whisky sours from a tin cup.

Traver will teach you as much about life as about fishing, and make you appreciate both more.

The technical info on fly-fishing gear was current when Ike was in the White House; but this isn't a how-to fish book, it is a why-to fish book; and I'm glad I discovered it and Robert Traver.

If you are a Robert Traver fan or fly fisher, you will surely enjoy this book. While it recounts several of the stories you
may have read in Trout Magic or Trout Madness, it also offers some of the articles Traver wrote for magazines. In additon,there are a couple of articles which present an interesting background on a truly remarkable man.

It does recall the best of Traver on fishing and a wonderful
additon to a fisherman's library.

A. D. Livingston's writing style informs, entertains, and provides insight into this form of fly fishing. Unlike other books on the subject, the book doesn't have that feel of being a sales tool for a company's products. From basic casting to fly selection, Livingston covers all aspects of using the fly rod for bass. He is an accomplished fisherman and his superb knowledge of the species provides very educational reading. My only complaint about the book is that it was originally written 20 years ago. He gives opinions and recommendations on matters that are somewhat dated. However, I still highly recommend this book because of A. D.'s style. As you read, his personality jumps out of the words, making you feel like he is in the room talking to you. You will find yourself smiling, wishing you could have this guy over for dinner sometime, just to hear more of his stories and opinions.

I've enjoyed reading all of Mr. Lyon's books and this volume is a wonderful collection of his essay's. I think that both old fans and those just discovering Mr. Lyons will find a lot of gems here. I especially enjoyed following him on his journey from a young angler with a certain philosophy to a more seasoned angler with a wealth of wisdom to share with others.

This is the type of book that you can read straight through or revisit over and over again.

Mr. Lyons, whose books (both edited and written) fill a significant portion of my fly fishing library, has written a very personal book.

The title is accurate at many levels. I doubt that many of us
would share so much about our personal lives - or that we would be able to do so with such candor and joy.

Mr. Lyons description of the travels (and travails) of a special copy of Sparse Grey Hackle's Fishless Days, Angling Nights is worth the price of the book.

Fishing in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty between morning appointments is an incredible story (especially to this former New Yorker ... the Hudson off of NYC was dead in the 60's & 70's).

I never seem to find any time to fish. With this little book, I have a guide of how to find (or take) a little time here and there for fly fishing. Thank you, Mr. Lyons, for your guide to blending avocations with vocations.

Mr. Lyons sold his publishing company recently. May he and his family enjoy many years of post-publishing / editing repose and adventure. We may be lucky enough to have a second volume: perhaps a guide for the next twenty years?

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Harry Middleton is one of those great writers few have heard of. His books are moving and inspirational. Rivers Of Memory, one of Middleton's last books, is full of wonderful warm tales of the outdoor life. If you liked "A River Runs Through It" you will also love this book. Few were published and now it is long out of print. It is very rare. I asked the publisher if it would ever be published again and they said not for a long, long time. I seen copies of this book go for[money]. Buy and read this book.

This book is a "matter of fact" gathered from the thoughts of a fellow who enjoyed the outdoors more than his own life. Within the pages of this 'compilation' a person can understand a little more about a poet that was not revealed through many of the original passages. As I have personally read, many of Hemingway's articles, short stories and novels are written from hindsight and many personal experiences, albiet great compositions; there was a literate outcome and method.
Nick Lyons is a great writer on his own and he has had much of a collection to work with in preparing this book. His [Lyons] piecing of this puzzle has made good sense and his additions have overwhelmed the possibilities.

This is an excellent collection of Hemingway's writings about fishing, each taken from a larger work. It is a great introduction to Hemingway if your new to him, and a great refresher to him if you've been away for awhile. Read this book and you won't be disappointed, but please do each work the respect of reading the book it came from, and experience each work in it's original context.

Hemingway On Fishing gathers Hemingway's writings about angling, and while it fits into our 'literature' section quite neatly with its flowing prose and evocative descriptions, it's the fisherman who will appreciate Hemingway's passion for the sport. Nick Lyons edits the presentation and provide an introduction, Jack Hemingway the foreword in this classic treatise.

Helps me understand feeling a little guilt about going fishing a lot(that's OK!), some really good succinct explanations to help explain to others why we're passionate about in fishing, stories about getting spouses/kids interested in fishing.

Sometimes the old stuff is the best stuff. That is certainly the case with Nick Lyons earliest fly fishing collection, The Seasonable Angler. While Lyons recent works are, in the main, slightly different versions of his monthly column in Fly Fisherman Magazine, this slim volume seems fresh and original. Lyons writes about his fish-crazed childhood, about finding time to fish as a young father and family man, and about his evolution from a spin and bait fisherman to the fly rod. There is a wonderful tale about one opening day when Lyons was a little shaver. Loaded down with enough gear to mount an Arctic expedition he takes the train to his favorite river and proceeds to catch "green perch"; in fact, out of season bass...as a somewhat intimidating game warden explains.

In The Seasonable Angler there is little of the sanctimony that mars and marks much of what is found in today's fly fishing writing. Lyons is not rabid about "catch and release", he occasionally takes a few fish for the frying pan. Nor is he a "fly rod snob" who groups spin/bait fishermen in the same category as Neanderthals.

The writing in this book is fresh, there's barely a whiff of a "formula". The Seasonable Angler feels like writing for writing's sake, not another collection of 1,500 deadline-driven words. Thoughtful, humorous, somewhat nostalgic, this might be my favorite of Lyons works.