Lines On the Water: A Fly Fisherman's Life On the Miramichi (original 1998; edition 2003)

I picked this up as a sale/discard item from my local library and it just sat in a pile of similar items until I picked it up a few days ago. I wish I'd taken the trouble to read it before now.

The author's stamping-ground is thousand of miles away from mine, and many of his fishing methods and experiences are also many miles away from my own, metaphorically speaking. However, it certainly struck a chord once I gave it my attention. As a previous reviewer has said, it also has potential to appeal to a more general reader.

The more philosophically-minded angler will probably find parallels with their own experiences, thoughts and motivations, while the general reader may gain some insight into an angler's mindset, and how it can evolve.

A brief footnote: according to the circulation-sheet inside the book, this copy was loaned just three times during a shelf-life of seven years. Why did I choose to pass it by when it was on the shelves I was scanning regularly? ( )

Winner of the Governor General's award in Canada, Lines on the Water: A Fisherman's Life on the Miramichi consists of the author's reminiscences about fishing on that river. Not having fished myself, I never thought that a book primarily about fly-fishing would be so compelling. David Adams Richards, writing in a simple and beautiful way, gives us a glimpse into this other world and helps us understand the relationship between man and nature, fisherman and fish. ( )