Whether it's fishing for trout in Labrador, for salmon in Scotland, or at the Big Lip Invitational in Montana - fly-fishing's only carp tournament - it's just Another Lousy Day in Paradise for acclaimed author and self-described trout bum John Gierach as he writes about the agonies and ecstasies of the fishing life.
Whether he's weighing the pleasures and deprivations of fishing solo (who's around to notice when you land the big one?), explaining the finer points of preparing game ("trout caught on dry flies ... do taste better"), contemplating the guilty pleasures of fishing on private water, exploring various cures for fly-caster's elbow, or recounting the perils of trying to get a fishing rod case past airport security ("I was thinking of stopping ... to get a can of spray paint so I could write Fly Rods - Not Guns down both sides of it"), this is John Gierach at his wry and witty best, as addictive as the river itself.