John Gierach on Fly fishing in PA

[fishbaithohaha]

Yes, by a buzzer beater. I can easily relate to Gierach and enjoy his writing style. Hemmingway was a good writer. A man's writer. Never humbled by a river.

March Madness round 2; Gierach v. N. Maclean = N.Maclean. Had he not been an "outdoor " writer, Maclean would have recieved greater praise and recognition. He would have acknowleged, a fish could be more then a fish and fisherman more then a fisherman.

 

[troutbert]

Comparisons are odious.

 

[jbomb]

I love JG's books. They're entertaining, and his mannerisms remind me of so many different people that I've fished with ... I also see his books as another way that I can go "fishing" when I can't go fishing, like reading this forum, talking on the phone with friends and relatives or tying flies.

 

[mario66pens]

Gierach has the dead pan humor that I enjoy.

 

[JeffK]

I don't mind Gierach writing about PA. He is certainly entitled to his opinions based on trips to PA even if he isn't (and doesn't claim to be) an expert. Sometimes it is fun to read an outsiders view of your home turf.

 

[RCFetter]

I extracted the following from Wiki:

Gierach has written 19 books on fly fishing, co-authored 4 other books on tying and was the 1994 recipient of the Federation of Fly Fishers Roderick Haig-Brown Award. He coined the term Trout Bum with his book of the same name. He has written for the NY Times and Grey's Sporting Journal. A few of his books such as "Fly Fishing Small Streams" are instructional.

I would call him an expert but some on this forum disagree. I guess it depends on how you define expert.

 

[pcray1231]

I'm sure the guy is plenty skilled. He probably qualifies as an "expert" in my book. But his books are not at all about expertizing. Even if he could fit that mold, I struggle to see him that way. And that's his intent. He does not want us to see him as "above us", he wants us to see him as "one of us". And he does it well.

He's a talented writer, with a good sense of humor, who speaks our language fluently. And as such, we can relate very well. It's not about reading something that could teach us something. It's about reading a story and seeing ourselves in his shoes. When I read one of his stories, I am not learning from him, I am him. Even when I can't be physically on the water, I can read one of his books and be there in spirit.

And for that, he sells a lot of books. I'll happily keep buying them. But it's hard to play the role of "expert" while allowing all of your readers to imagine they are you.

 

[ratgunner]

I just watched John on YouTube and he reminds me of Tommy Chong lol.

 

[Coughlin]

pcray, I think you got it right. I have all of Gierach's books and read them (over and over) as 'literature'. He's much more a philosopher than expert, though I'll bet there'd be much to learn from him. anyway, no one has done better what he does.
Coughlin

 

[barbless]

I'd like to see Gierach do another piece on fly fishing in Pa. If you've read the one being discussed, you know that he got practically no decent fishing in, because the creeks were blown out.

He deserves a chance to see what it's really all about. And maybe get properly schooled, ha ha.