A NATURALISTS FLY-FISHING NOTEBOOK: FOR RECORDING YOUR MEMORIES, INSPIRATIO

A NATURALISTS FLY-FISHING NOTEBOOK: FOR RECORDING YOUR MEMORIES, INSPIRATIONS, AND NOTEWORTHY CATCHES A FISHING JOURNAL, WHY? I began fishing when I was nine years old. Two other important things happened in my life that year - my mother left home, and I began to keep a journal. I'm not sure of the exact order of events, but I think it was: Mom left, began fishing, started journal. Because no one in my immediate family fished, the activity was completely mine. I didn't associate it with my mother - like I did bird-watching or biking. It was a reality all my own, a new place to dream about, that mysterious place below the surface of the water. My "outdoor journal," as I called it, didn't contain personal thoughts, just superficial notations that were important to me at the time, like how many bass or sunfish I'd caught, what lure or fly I'd used, the place where I caught the fish, and the technique I used to catch them. The content of the journal stayed very matter-of-fact for several years, only later evolving into a matter of feelings and reflection.But even at its inception, the act of creating a list of fish I'd caught on a particular day, or recording an anecdote about the weather, filled me with purpose. I had always had an instinct to record (I suppose I followed the example of my father, a retired Merchant Marine who kept a detailed log), and also a collecting instinct, filling vials with sand from different beaches or pinning dead butterflies to Styrofoam.From a very early age I loved books, not necessarily reading them, but holding them, and flipping through the pages. One of my favorite books was Audubon's Birds of North America that my father brought home from the local library. You could never build an aviary big enough, or with all the appropriate habitats, to house all the birds of North America - yet, here was this fictional world where they all flew, living and ecstatically colorful with-in the confines of the pages. Before I began keeping a journal, I used to sandwich paper together between pieces of cardboard and sew a spine, then fill my makeshift book with stories and illustrations; ones I copied, like Peter Rabbit, but also my own. Keeping a journal, in a way, was my opportunity to make a book.For the fly-fishing enthusiast, or anyone who enjoys reflecting on the splendor of nature, this smart journal provides an ideal place to jot down notes about adventures en plein air. Filled with thoughtful essays, recommendations, and beautiful watercolor images, this journal also includes an illustrated lure and fly glossary, pages for recording expedition specifics, and plenty of room for sketching and recording reflections on that mysterious world above and below the surface of the water. ISBN: 0-307-38286-9 publish date: 03/17/2008