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John Gierach Biography

John Gierach is an American author and freelance writer who formerly resided on the St. Vrain River in Lyons, Colorado and now lives in Larimer County, Colorado. His books are based on his various fly fishing adventures, some of which take place with his friend, A.K. Best. A few of his works include The View from Rat Lake, Even Brook Trout Get the Blues, and the cult classic, Trout Bum, which popularised the term "trout bum".

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John Gierach Quotes

Cell phones have changed us from a nation of self-reliant pioneer types into a bunch of men standing alone in supermarkets saying, ‘Okay, I’m in the tampon aisle, but I don’t see it. '

Alone, Men, Okay, Phones, Self

The things fishermen know about trout aren't facts but articles of faith.

Faith, Fishing, Know, Lakes, Sea, Things

Fly-fishing is solitary, contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations. It's not even clear if catching fish is actually the point.

Aesthetic, Catching, Considerations, Fishing, Hands, Poetic

Fly tackle has improved considerably since 1676, when Charles Cotton advised anglers to 'fish fine and far off,' but no one has ever improved on that statement.

1676, Cotton, Fishing, Lakes, Sea, Statement

We do have to think seriously about conservation now, although it is chilling to realize there are catch-and-release fishermen alive today who don't know how to clean and fry a fish.

Although, Fry, Lakes, Rivers, Think, Thinking

Sure, it was your idea and your fly, but he caught the big fish. Remember, fairness is a human idea largely unknown in nature.

Big Fish, Caught, Ideas, Life, Nature, Unknown

Luckily, though, there are still a few guys around who will look you straight in the eye and say, eloquently and to the point, ‘It’s been too goddamned hot for too long and the river has gone off. ’

Eye, Long, Look, Rivers, Say, Though

Lawyers are like nuclear weapons. By all rights they shouldn't exist, but if some people have them, then you'd better have one, too, just in case.

Exist, Nuclear, People, Rights

It's an odd fact of life that whichever side of the stream you're on, two-thirds of the best water is out of reach on the other side.

Fishing, Lakes, Sea, Side, Stream, Water

Fish sense, applied in the field, is what the old Zen masters would call enlightenment: simply the ability to see what's right there in front of you without having to sift through a lot of thoughts and theories and, yes, expensive fishing tackle.

Fishing, Having, Lakes, Sea, Sift, Thoughts

Flyfishing does have its social aspects - on some of our crowded trout streams it can get too social - but esentially it's a solitary, contemplative sport. People are left alone with themselves in beautiful surroundings to try to accomplish something that seems to have genuine value.

Alone, Beautiful, Contemplative, Fishing, Sports, Surroundings

Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn't determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed.

Fisherman, Fishing, Fly, Lakes, Maybe, Sea

The best fisherman I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them.

Instead, Lakes, Mistake, Remember, Sea, Strive

I think I fish, in part, because it's an anti-social, bohemian business that, when gone about properly, puts you forever outside the mainstream culture without actually landing you in an institution.

Culture, Fishing, Landing, Mainstream Culture, Part, Thinking

They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore.

Anymore, Fishing, Fit, Forget You, Things, Trout

Accurately recalling an entire day of fishing is like trying to push smoke back down a chimney, so you settle on these specific moments.

Accurately, Entire, Fishing, Lakes, Sea, Smoke

I still enjoy the company of most dogs more than that of most people, because dogs are capable of uncomplicated enthusiasm.

Capable, Dog, Dogs, Enthusiasm, People, Uncomplicated

The solution to any problem -work, love, money, whatever -is to go fishing, and the worse the problem, the longer the trip should be.

Fishing, Love, Money, Problem, Trout, Work

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 elbows buggers your casting, and a dose of giardia can send you dashing to the bushes fifteen times in an afternoon, but although none of this is fun, it's discernibly better than not fishing.

Fun, Lakes, Sea, Fishing, Keep, Buggers

I used to like fishing because I thought it had some larger significance. Now I like fishing because it's the one thing I can think of that probably doesn't.

Lakes, Larger, Sea, Think, Thinking, Thought

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