Fly-Fishing
Practices
For those who consider fishing to be more than just a sport or simple pastime, Fly-Fishing should be as attractive as a colorful lure. Christopher Schaberg’s compact, wry meditation celebrates the wide range of experiences the activity offers.
Schaberg’s personal chronicle of his fishing history features explorations of inland lakes in Michigan, Montana, and Louisiana, while also noting the fine details of making a handmade lure or discovering a secluded spot where the fish bite. In poetic fashion, Fly-Fishing reflects on the intermingling of ecosystems, shifting weather, and constant change, as each fishing trip brings new challenges and surprises. Whether fishing with a grizzled nonagenarian or introducing his son to the activity, Schaberg finds amusement (and bemusement) in how fishing reflects life in all its uncertainty and serendipity.
Featuring straightforward yet supple prose, Fly-Fishing ranges through the seasons and across the map in stream-of-consciousness fashion, offering snapshots of memorable incidents and places. Even as the book notes the passage of time, it makes a convincing case for engaging with the natural environment while treasuring the unknown, much like Schaberg’s lures skim the surface of a lake, unaware of what will emerge from beneath.
Celebrating the joys of repetition and routine against the backdrop of an ever-changing world, Fly-Fishing is an affectionate paean to finding one’s bliss.
Reviewed by
Ho Lin
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
