Trout Eyes

Lynn Denison

“Shall I go to Heaven or a-fishing?” asked Henry David Thoreau. There are millions of men and women who can identify with these words, because to them angling is one of life’s incomparable joys.

Just in time for the flurry of spring and early summer fishing, Rowan Public Library has several enticing books on this subject in their new book section. Whether you are an avid fisherman or have never baited a hook before, you will enjoy reading William G. Tapply’s Trout Eyes: True Tales of Adventure, Travel, and Fly Fishing. In his eleventh fishing book, all of which have been highly acclaimed, Mr. Tapply offers a collection of twenty nine essays on fishing. According to Jay Cassell, Deputy Editor of “Field and Stream” magazine, this latest offering is Tapply’s best book yet. Mr. Tapply grew up fishing, and his passion is clearly shown throughout the book. All of his stories are funny, touching, and full of practical fishing advice. He writes affectionately of his father, devoted angler H. G. Tapply, who died in 2002. Tapply tells of sitting on his father’s knee as a young boy learning to tie a fishing fly of his own. He then recounts that many years later his own daughter Sarah, age 7, climbed onto his lap to create her very own fly “The Pink Sarah” and then proudly use it to catch a fish. This embodies the classic image of the fishing tradition—knowledge being passed down from parent to child.

In So Many Fish, So Little Time author Mark D. Williams takes you to the 1,001 places that “all anglers should visit before they go to that great fishing paradise in the sky.” From milkfish in the Seychelles to sailfish off Guatemala to Artic char at the top or the world, Mr. Williams takes you on lively, informative trips to the most prime fishing destinations around the world. He identifies little-known fishing hotspots from urban New York City to the far reaches of the Pacific. His information is for all types of anglers, and he covers every state in the nation, every province in Canada, and a good part of the rest of the world. To paraphrase Mr. Williams, “I was determined to write a book of fishing dreams--a wish list of all the best places in the world to fish. Even if you can’t afford to visit New Zealand until little Bobby finishes college in ten years, you can still read the book and wish.”

Another fishing expert, Ken Schultz, dubbed by ESPN as “Mr. Fishing USA” has written a beautiful book full of information about angling for all of the most popular and available game fish species. Ken Schultz’s North American Fishing contains more than 230 color photos and dozens of illustrations that depict the equipment, species, and methods used across North America’s rivers, lakes and oceans. This is the perfect “wish book” to help both anglers and even yet-to-become anglers imagine the places they can go and the fish they can catch as soon as winter weather gives way to spring.

The library has a wealth of other books on fishing and on many other exciting topics. Why not stop by any of our three locations this week? You’re sure to find just the right book, CD, DVD, or audiotape that will pique your interest.