The Believer is out today, which is exciting and a little scary. I’m going to get my mind off publishing and have some riesling and watch the Masters. This newsletter will return to travel and style and the other esoteric themes next week. But I wanted to share the wide-ranging world that angling has opened up for me.
Here are some good people, places, books and well-designed objects worth knowing about.
1/ This brilliant Sam Sifton story from the Times that made me want to catch a bonefish.
2/ Tarpon, the 1972 documentary directed by Guy de la Valdène with a jangly soundtrack by Jimmy Buffet. On the Key West scene with writers (Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison, Richard Brautigan). A wild ride.
3/ The Parachute Adams. My favorite fly, which I use from the Catskills to Argentina to England. Elegant, concise, correct.
4/ Fishing with Taite and Verlon in Idaho. From Silver Creek to the Salmon River. These are the pros you want in your life.
5/ My angling cardigan. This has curiously not caught on with the public.
6/ Emerger fishing bags. Waxed canvas and made to order by Chris Freeman in Colorado.
7/ Wheatley fly boxes. The most satisfying English boxes.
8/ Bonefishing on sand bottom flats in the Bahamas.
9/ Fishing the Malleo River in Patagonia with my friend Peter.
10/ The Longest Silence by Tom McGuane. Come for the permit story, stay for the taxonomy of salmon “spongers” who will do anything for a free trip (pardon me).
11/ The Quaker Marine Swordfish hat, which puts me in the mood for saltwater fishing.
12/ Analyzing English chalk streams that I’ll probably never fish.
13/ The compelling and curious AFTCO fishing shorts.
14/ The Orvis Mirage reel. A stealthy great choice.
15/ Blood Knots by Luke Jennings. A remarkable memoir I can’t recommend highly enough.
16/ The Tom Rosenbauer Orvis podcast with John McPhee, one of the great conversations about fishing and writing.
17/ The “trout-fishing” scenes in The Sun Also Rises.
18/ The Sportsman Lodge in Melrose, MT.
19/ Working with Drake’s on our fishing collection a few years ago.
20/ Seeing people catch their first trout.
I never knew how much pleasure I would get from watching friends have angling success. The sport, which began for me as a solitary pleasure (and still often is) became a way to spend time with people I care about. And that’s been a wonderful gift.
Thanks for absorbing all this book content, but this only happens every two or three years. We’ll be back to regular Contender considerations soon.
See you on the water!
David
“The Believer” is a wonderful book!
Can't wait to read The Believer!
And thanks for the heads up on the John McPhee episode. He's one of my favorite writers, and I missed this one back in 2021. Excited to listen.