There is a lot of amiable fantasy written about trout fishing, but the truth is that few men know much if anything about the habits of trout and little more about the manner of taking them.

A writer judging his own work is like deceived husband - he is frequently the last person to appreciate the true state of affairs.

One of the first rules in fishing is that there are few rules in fishing that resourceful trout do not manage to break.

Most fisherman, including this one, cling to their pet stupidities as they would to a battered briar or an old jacket; and their dogged persistence in wrong methods and general wrong-headedness finally wins the a sort of grudging admiration, if not many fish.

Fly-fishing is a magic way to recapture the rapture of solitude without the pangs of loneliness.

I listened to a lot of stories when I was a kid. My mother told me stories, and I loved them.

To paraphrase a deceased patriot, I regret that I have only one life to give to my fly-fishing.