Welcome to Week CLXXXI of ‘Fishing Parkland Shorelines’. Like most of us I am a novice fisherman, loving to fish, but far from an expert. In the following weeks I’ll attempt to give those anglers who love to fish but just don’t have access to a boat, a look at some of the options in the Yorkton area where you can fish from shore, and hopefully catch some fish.
If there is one thing I have come to realize, and it is evidenced by a bookshelf piled helter-skelter with piles, you can never have too many books.
In my case the books on my shelf cover a wide range of genres from the tales of Tarzan, to a shelf full of quick-read westerns, to pastiches to Sherlock Holmes, and of course books on fishing.
I pulled a couple off the shelf to include here this rainy week to start November.
The first is an interesting look at the love affair of fly fisherman chasing trout with bamboo rods; ‘A Wisp in the Wind’ by Jerry Kustich.
Kustich has several books to his credit, but this one, sub-titled ‘In search of bull trout, bamboo, and beyond’ in my only foray into his books.
The book, as you might have gathered, is fully focused on the fly fisherman, so it will appeal most to those with an interesting in casting flies to hungry trout.
And, for those who are into fly fishing, the bamboo rod is near a holy grail.
The book cover touches on that connection to the bamboo rod; “if split cane fly rods are the spiritual height of fly fishing, then the R. L. Winston bamboo rod shop approaches a mystical place. A Mecca for the few who find their way to Twin Bridges, Montana, most anglers only hear rumors of bearded rod makers bent over benches, illuminated, one would suppose, by a magical ray of Western sunlight. Until now, the heart of their discussions and the secrets of their techniques were only the stuff of conjecture and dreams.
“In A wisp of the Wind, rod maker and dedicated fly fisher Jerry Kustich invites us through the rod shop door and bids us welcome. We meet the craftsmen we’ve only imagined, free thinking rod makers with humor, dedication, and lively conversation, immersed in the business of beveling cane strips and committed to the ideal that each of us, every angler, is going to have to fight for the future of every trout.
“As much a celebration of a life spent fishing, enriched by both the solitude and the company found there, as an observation of the lessons learned from halcyon kingfishers and elusive bull trout, Kustich takes us steelheading in British Columbia, spring creek fishing on Poindexter Slough, and late winter fishing on the Bitterroot. We travel along through the history of the Winston Company – of Lew Stoner, Robert Winther and their successors.
“We face the inevitability of the passing of eras, of people, and wild places with an activist’s hope. We ponder slowing the clock as precious moments seem to race by, faithful friends and family slipping into our dreams.
“And we consider, why bamboo? What is a “bamboo kind of day”? Any angler, with graphite or cane, who has found peace in the simplicity of a line well cast or a moment beyond the reach of time, will understand the quest and understand the greatest truth; the journey is the goal.
A Wisp in the Wind is a journey worth taking.”
As a modest wordsmith myself, I am always interested in an author’s view of the craft, and Kustich does me the service of touching on that in his introduction.
“My greatest fear in writing a book of this kind is trying not to sound like an old fart rambling on as if the only matters of importance somehow occurred years ago when I was younger,” he writes. “This is an ultimate concern to me, because what I write should speak as much to today’s youth as it does to those of us who have admirably survived the gauntlet of many years. Understanding the role of tradition and history can tell us much about ourselves, but it is only in the context of our morality that the continuum we call life makes everything we do come into focus. And one is never too young to grasp this reality. To the youth of today, I say make the most of life by choosing wisely the paths that determine your future. I hope this book will encourage young folks to consider lifestyles that are unique, creative and responsible. To elders, I say don’t put off until tomorrow those dreams you still want to pursue. I hope this book will prompt you to be a dream follower and, in the end, that you will share these dreams with the young.”
Certainly I agree with the idea that a young person is well-served to learn to enjoy time fishing.
Book two is ‘The Essential Guide to Fly Fishing Tactics: Catch that fish …’ one of those great thrift store finds with the hardcover costing only a fin.
This book covers a range of areas, most giving great information on how to fish.
“Much of the thrill of fly fishing is that it offers so many challenges,” details the book. “The various species of trout and salmon, environmental conditions, and water types all pose different problems which must be solved if the angler is going to be consistently successful. By using this handy cross-reference guide you can easily flip between the pages to answer all of those important questions about what fly to use, and how to cast in all weather and water conditions. So, pick your fish, choose your location and discover all the essential techniques to catch that fish.”
From there the book begins into greater specifics, including what gear you need.
“Although fly fishing requires considerable skill, the tackle is simple and light, allowing the angler to cover great distances searching out fish in wonderful locations,” details the book. “Choosing the correct rod, reel and line is crucial and it is important that the tackle should always be perfectly balanced. For example, a line which is the incorrect weight will never load the rod correctly, making casting extremely difficult. Here is a breakdown of the major items required for most types of trout and salmon fishing. A glossary at the back of the book will explain all the technical information including rod length, line weight, hook size and angler terminology.”
And, then there are what to fish for.
“There are a large number of species of salmonidae which can be successfully fished for with a fly,” noted the book. “This book covers the dozen or so of the most important varieties, including the rainbow trout, cutthroat and brown trout plus Atlantic and Pacific salmon. Not all are species in their own right; the steelhead and sea trout are sea run forms of the rainbow trout and the brown trout, but are different enough in habit and form to be treated separately. All the species listed here have a natural range limited to the Northern hemisphere, but due to man’s intervention and his thirst to increase the amounts of sporting fish throughout the world, a number of salmonidae species have been introduced into regions as far ranging as Australasia, South America, Africa, and Asia. Rainbow trout, in particular, have been stocked into a vast number of waters where conditions are cool enough to allow them to survive, making rainbow trout by far the most popular and widespread game fish species in the world.”
This book was a great find as the information is nicely laid out, providing an old basis to fly fishing without it becoming bogged down in the detail of the hobby that does exist for the experienced fisherman.
So on a rainy day, both these books are worth sitting down with an enjoying when it’s bit too cold and wet to really enjoy a day casting.
