Standing in a River Waving a Stick, John Gierach
Standing in a River Waving a Stick, John Gierach
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Standing in a River Waving a Stick

Author: John Gierach

Narrator: David Colacci

Unabridged: 5 hr 42 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/26/2019


Synopsis

Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers

With his inimitable combination of wit and wisdom, John Gierach once again celebrates the fly-fishing life in Standing in a River Waving a Stick and notes its benefits as a sport, philosophical pursuit, even therapy: "The solution to any problem—work, love, money, whatever—is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be." After all, fly-fishing does teach important life lessons, says Gierach—about solitude, patience, perspective, humor, and the sublime coffee break.

Recounting both memorable fishing spots and memorable fish, Gierach discusses what makes a good fly pattern, the ethics of writing about undiscovered trout waters, the dread of getting skunked, and the camaraderie of fellow fishermen who can end almost any conversation with "Well, it's sort of like fishing, isn't it?" Reflecting on a lifetime of lessons learned at the end of a fly rod, Gierach concludes, "The one inscription you don't want carved on your tombstone is 'The Poor Son of a Bitch Didn't Fish Enough.'" Fortunately for Gierach fans, this is not likely to happen.

About John Gierach

John Gierach is the author of numerous books on fly-fishing, including At the Grave of the Unknown Fisherman, Standing in a River Waving a Stick, and Dances with Trout. His work has appeared in Gray's Sporting Journal, Field & Stream, where he is a contributing writer, and Fly Rod & Reel, where he is a columnist. He also writes columns for the Longmont Daily Times-Call and the monthly Redstone Review. He lives in Lyons, Colorado.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Henry on April 12, 2024

Great book, fun stories. This one was a little less narratively cohesive than say Still Life with Brook Trout, but I deeply enjoyed it nonetheless. I think Gierach does a really good job of hitting on what's so alluring about fishing—in many ways it's the culture just as much as the activity that is......more

Goodreads review by Dave on March 11, 2021

John Gierach is close to my age, lives not far way in Lyons, CO, and is an unabashed fly fishing addict. These are three reasons for me to read his books. Another reason is John's ability to strike a chord with me on nearly every topic, as I can easily relate to his search for solitude, remoteness a......more

Goodreads review by Lucas on June 05, 2022

This was definitely one of the worst books I read this year. the main reason that I didn't love it is that it was so boring, there wasn't really any structure or plot to the writing. It just felt like I was reading a fly fishing instruction manual with random inspirational quotes spread throughout.......more

Goodreads review by Eric on September 18, 2019

I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. If you are into fly-fishing, I suspect you might enjoy it more than I did, who has only limited experience with the sport. He does use some fly-fishing terminology (like mentioning some specific flies). It doesn't impact your understanding, but th......more

Goodreads review by James on October 04, 2018

I love John Gierach. He is a great writer and reminds me that even though we all have vocations that people imagine identify us, the truth is we are fisherman. Sometimes I feel like using the term angler, but actually we are just a bunch of bums that catch fish.......more