Description
If you like to read and if you like to fish, you’ll like this book. It will quickly become one of your favorites. Read it for the “why I fish” and “what I get from fishing” messages woven into his stories. He doesn’t try to tell us where or how to catch fish. That’s O.K. There are other fishermen who can do that. What none of them can do is share their fishing experiences in the way that Prof. Larmouth brings his streamside thoughts to the printed page. At one time he graded my writing at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. It was with some trepidation that I asked him to write a fishing column for our fledgling statewide outdoor newspaper in 1994. He accepted and the result was about 14 months’ worth of “Riffles and Back Eddies” before we had to sell the newspaper. I always looked forward to reading Prof. Larmouth’s columns when they came in. I guess, on paper, I was his editor, but that was just on paper. I never changed so much as a comma or period in any of his writings. I thought his fishing stories were perfect, just as they were. You’ll think so, too. Enjoy the book. // WHAT THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING: “Riffles and Back Eddies—Days and Nights in the North Woods” by Don Larmouth is a collection of short stories about his experiences as an angler, the fellow anglers he met along the way and his passion for the outdoors. Don Larmouth authored “Tarpon on Fly” in 2002. It is still one of the most respected “how-to” tarpon fly fishing books in print. It’s a great book. His new work, “Riffles and Back Eddies” is a completely different format than “Tarpon on Fly” but another home run. After reading “Riffles and Back Eddies” I’m convinced he could have had a very successful career as an outdoor writer. These stories soon make you aware of his passion for fishing and the outdoors. His keen powers of observation bring to life both the environment and the people in his essays. He has a razor sharp wit that makes this book all the more fun to read. Don is a very good angler and one of the best casters of both conventional and fly gear that I know, yet his self-deprecating personality shows through in his words. These are stories that everyone will enjoy no matter their skill level. We have all stumbled along the trail and Don isn’t afraid to share his gaffes when they happen. // This book took me back to a simpler time where all that mattered was time on the water. This is a time that I miss and Don’s stories made me think of the places and times when these events took place. Don’s first book was geared around becoming a better angler, “Riffles and Back Eddies” will make you just want to go fishing. – Pat Ehlers, The Fly Fishers Milwaukee, WI