Cowboy Trout

[roundtrout]

I just finished reading Cowboy Trout by Paul Schullery and was wondering what you all thought about it. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to do much fishing this summer, so I've been living vicariously through literature. "Cowboy Trout" almost seems like an attempt at a specialized history book to me. I'm glad I read it, but its not the stuff of Traver, Lyons, Gierach, etc. Has it been used in any history courses you know? It claims to be a history of western fly fishing, but is really more of a history of Montana fly fishing. I was disappointed it didn't discuss other areas in the west such as Colorado (though maybe too much has been written about that) or southern Missouri/northern Arkansas (then again, maybe I wouldn't appreciate new found popularity on these streams). What do you think?

[gonefishin]

I never heard of it so my opinion wouldnt be worth much but, I think if the truth were known fishing back in the cowboy days would be much different than we know it today. JMTC

[roundtrout]

Its not so much about fishing in the Cowboy days, although that is part of it, but a treatise on the history and tradition of western fly fishing, specifically, Montana fly fishing. As you'd probably expect, the stonefly is a large part of it. The perspective is that western fly fishing is perceived as having no history by the current practitioners whereas eastern fly fishing has a definite tradition. The author claims that is not accurate, that there is actually a long tradition of western fly fishing and significant contributions. It reads more like a textbook than anything else, I think that it is intended to be used as such.

[Al Agnew]

I agree, it reads much like a textbook, and the author seems to have purposely made it so. I found it interesting, but was hoping for better and more entertaining writing.

[roundtrout]

Ditto, Al! I'm reading Nick Lyons' Confessions of a Fly Fishing Addict and its much more entertaining.