Consider this observation about fishing: "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 elbow buggers your casting, and a dose of giardia can send you dashing into the
bushes fifteen times in an afternoon, but although none of this is fun, it's discernibly
better than not fishing."
Or this explanation for every fisherman's fascination with small streams: "The idea is to fish
obscure headwater creeks in hopes of eventually sniffing out an underappreciated little trout
creek down an un-marked dirt road. Why is another question. I suppose it's partly for the
fishing itself and partly to satisfy your curiosity, but mostly to sustain the belief that
such things are still out there to find for those willing to look."
And perhaps the ultimate explanation for the fishing obsession: "I briefly wondered how much trouble
a guy should go to in order to catch a few little trout, but then any fish becomes worth catching
to the extent that you can't catch it, so the answer was obvious: Once you decide to try, you go
to as much trouble as it takes."
In No Shortage of Good Days Gierach takes us from the Smokies in Tennessee to his home waters in Colorado,
from the Canadian Maritimes to Mexico—saltwater or fresh, it's all fishing and all irresistible.
As always he writes perceptively about a wide range of subjects: the charm of familiar waters, the
etiquette 27.99 of working with new fishing guides, night fishing when the trout and the mosquitoes
are both biting, fishing while there is still slush on the river, fishing snobbery, and the delights
of fresh fish cooked and eaten within sight of where it was caught. No Shortage of Good Days may be
the next best thing to a day of fishing.
John Gierach is the author of many previous books, including Trout Bum, Sex, Death and Fly Fishing, and
Even Brook Trout Get the Blues. 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 lives in Lyons, Colorado.
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