20 Years of Trout Bum

Remember the first time you picked up a copy of John Gierach's Trout Bum?

Fly-fishing for trout is a sport that depends not so much on catching fish as on their mere presence and on the fact that you do, now and again, catch some. As for their size, the bigger they are, the better, to be honest about it . . . . I own a number of flies by A.K., who is well known for his crisp dry flies. He tied Eastern-style flies in Michigan for years, but his style changed after he'd lived in the Rocky Mountain West for a while. His dry flies now have heavier tails and hackles, but somehow they retain that fine, delicate silhouette we associate with Eastern flies. Read more – offline – from the current issue; subscribe to FRR.