Luckily, though, there are still a few guys around who will look you straight in the eye and say, eloquently and to the point, ‘It’s been too goddamned hot for too long and the river has gone off.’

Accurately recalling an entire day of fishing is like trying to push smoke back down a chimney, so you settle on these specific moments.

The things fishermen know about trout aren't facts but articles of faith.

I don't really know how to tie a fly until I've tied a hundred dozen of them.

We do have to think seriously about conservation now, although it is chilling to realize there are catch-and-release fishermen alive today who don't know how to clean and fry a fish.

I still enjoy the company of most dogs more than that of most people, because dogs are capable of uncomplicated enthusiasm.

From my own experience I can say that a bad back makes you hike slower, stove-up knees keep you from wading confidently, tendinitis of the elbows buggers your casting, and a dose of giardia can send you dashing to the bushes fifteen times in an afternoon, but although none of this is fun, it's discernibly better than not fishing.