John Gierach

Last updated
John Gierach
Occupation Writer
Language English
Alma mater Findlay College
Genre Narrative essays
Subject Fly-fishing
Notable worksThe View from Rat Lake
Even Brook Trout Get the Blues
Trout Bum
Notable awardsRoderick Haig-Brown Award from US Federation of Fly Fishers

John Gierach is an American author and freelance writer who lives in Larimer County, Colorado. He was born in Illinois in 1946. [1] Gierach graduated from Findlay College in Ohio with a degree in philosophy and a minor in English. [1] In 1969, he moved to Colorado and began fishing nearly every day while working at a silver mine. [2] [3]

Contents

He began writing more seriously after his move to Colorado. [3] His books are based on his various fly fishing adventures all over the world, some of which take place with his friend, A.K. Best (Gierach frequently refers to Best as the "dryflyguru" due to Best's affinity for dry flies). [4] A few of his works include The View from Rat Lake, Even Brook Trout Get the Blues, and the cult classic, Trout Bum, which popularized the term "trout bum." Gierach also writes poetry and authored two books of poems. [1]

John Gierach's archival collection can be found at Montana State University, as well as an oral history interview conducted by MSU pertaining to Gierach's life as an angler and an angling writer. [5] The collection includes his manuscripts, poetry, photographs, fishing logs, and general correspondence ranging from 1976 to 2014. [1]

Writing career

Gierach began writing professionally because he needed money. Starting out, he wrote contributory notes and features for the Fly Fisherman to pay his monthly rent. Prior to selling his work, Gierach had been writing consistently and felt that he could write as well as the angling authors who were getting published at the time. [6]

His work has appeared in Gray's Sporting Journal , Field & Stream , where he is a contributing author, and Fly, Rod, and Reel, where he was an editor at large. In the 1990s, he wrote an column for the "Outdoors" section of The New York Times. [7] Gierach also wrote columns for the Longmont Daily Times-Call, the monthly Redstone Review, and the quarterly publication TROUT for the non-profit Trout Unlimited. [8] [1] These articles pertained mostly to the sport of fly fishing, but Gierach's perspective on nature, philosophy, and life were also central to his work. The New York Times also featured several of Gierach's books in a "Books of the Times" article. [9]

A.K. Best, a close friend of Gierach's, is included in many of the articles due to their relationship built around fly fishing. Best previously owned a fly shop in Colorado where he tied flies at a production level (tying many identical flies for international vendors). [10] He worked for the Orvis Company, creating fly tying tools and advertising flies, and was a signature tyer for Umpqua Feather Merchants. [11] [12] Gierach encouraged Best to start writing about production fly tying and fly fishing as a whole. [13]

After making a name for himself in angling magazines, Gierach's work garnered attention from Sports Illustrated and The Wall Street Journal, with the latter calling him "the voice of the common angler". He is one of the only angling authors to be published by a premier publishing house. [2]

Recognitions

Gierach was the 1994 recipient of the US Federation of Fly Fishers Roderick Haig-Brown Award. The award recognizes a fly fishing author whose work embodies the philosophy and spirit of Roderick Haig-Brown, particularly a respect for the ethics and traditions of fly fishing and an understanding of rivers, the inhabitants and their environments. [14] Gierach's interest and knowledge of the natural world is detailed in his publications, though he considers himself an "amateur" naturalist. [6]

In 2015, he was inducted into the Catskills Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. The criteria include, amongst other traits, that the inductee has made "significant contributions to the sport" by furthering aquatic habitat understanding, innovating fly fishing techniques, or furthering appreciation and knowledge of the sport. [2]

Selected bibliography

Sole works

Gierach's introductions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fly fishing</span> Angling technique

Fly fishing is an angling technique that uses an ultra-lightweight lure called an artificial fly, which typically mimics small invertebrates such as flying and aquatic insects to attract and catch fish. Because the mass of the fly lure is insufficient to overcome air resistance, it cannot be launched far using conventional gears and techniques, so specialized tackles are used instead and the casting techniques are significantly different from other forms of angling. It is also very common for the angler to wear waders, carry a hand net, and stand in the water when fishing.

Orvis is an American family-owned retail and mail-order business specializing in fly fishing, hunting and sporting goods. Founded in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856 by Charles F. Orvis to sell fishing tackle, it is the oldest mail-order retailer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fly tying</span> Process of producing artificial flies used in fly fishing

Fly tying is the process of producing an artificial fly used by fly fishing anglers to catch fish. Fly tying is a manual process done by a single individual using hand tools and a variety of natural and manmade materials that are attached to a hook. Although the recent history of fly tying dates from the middle 1800s, fly tyers were engaged in tying flys since at least 200 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artificial fly</span> Lure used in fly fishing

An artificial fly or fly lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing. In general, artificial flies are an imitation of aquatic insects that are natural food of the target fish species the fly fishers try to catch. Artificial flies are constructed by fly tying, in which furs, feathers, thread or any of very many other materials are tied onto a fish hook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of fly fishing</span>

This general annotated bibliography page provides an overview of notable and not so notable works in the English language regarding the sport of fly fishing, listed by year of first publication. Although not all the listed books are devoted exclusively to fly fishing, all these titles contain significant fly fishing content. The focus of the present page is on classic general texts on fly fishing and its history, together with notable public or university library collections dedicated to fly fishing.

<i>Favorite Flies and Their Histories</i> 1892 fly fishing book by Mary Orvis Marbury

Favorite Flies and Their Histories - With many replies from practical anglers to inquiries concerning how, when and where to use them-Illustrated by Thirty-two colored plates of flies, six engravings of natural insects and eight reproductions of photographs is a fly fishing book written by Mary Orvis Marbury published in Boston in April 1892 by Houghton Mifflin. It was considered by most fly fishers as the standard reference on flies in its era.

<i>Blackers Art of Fly Making</i> 1842 work of fly tying literature by William Blacker

Blacker's Art of Fly Making - comprising angling and dyeing of colours with engravings of Salmon and Trout flies shewing the process of the gentle craft as taught in the pages with descriptions of flies for the season of the year as they come out on the water is a work of fly tying literature with significant fly fishing content written by William Blacker, a London tackle dealer and first published in London in 1842 by George Nichols. The 1842 and 1843 editions were only 48 pages while, the 1855 edition was considerably expanded by Blacker with hand-painted, colored illustrations and 252 pages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Bailey (conservationist)</span>

Dan Bailey was a fly-shop owner, innovative fly developer and staunch Western conservationist. Born on a farm near Russellville, Kentucky, Bailey is best known for the fly shop he established in Livingston, Montana in 1938. Dan Bailey's Fly Shop is still in business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parks' Fly Shop</span>

Parks' Fly Shop is a fly shop and licensed fly fishing outfitter in Gardiner, Montana. In business since 1953, the shop located at 202 2nd Street between Main and Stone is the oldest business in Gardiner under continuous family ownership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of fly fishing (species related)</span>

This annotated bibliography is intended to list both notable and not so notable works of English language, non-fiction and fiction related to the sport of fly fishing listed by year published. Although 100% of any book listed is not necessarily devoted to fly fishing, all these titles have significant fly fishing content. Included in this bibliography is a list of species related fly fishing literature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibliography of fly fishing (fly tying, stories, fiction)</span>

This annotated bibliography is intended to list both notable and not so notable works of English language, non-fiction and fiction related to the sport of fly fishing listed by year published. Although 100% of any book listed is not necessarily devoted to fly fishing, all these titles have significant fly fishing content. Included in this bibliography is a list of fly tying, fly tackle, regional guides, memoirs, stories and fly fishing fiction related literature.

Lee Wulff, born Henry Leon Wulff, was an artist, pilot, fly fisherman, author, filmmaker, outfitter and conservationist who made significant contributions to recreational fishing, especially fly fishing and the conservation of Atlantic Salmon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk Hair Caddis</span>

The Elk Hair Caddis is a dry fly commonly used for trout fishing. The Elk Hair Caddis was created by Pennsylvania fly tyer Al Troth in 1957. He is considered a pioneer in the sport of fly fishing for this invention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Wulff</span> Artificial fly fishing lure

The Royal Wulff is a popular artificial fly used for dry fly fishing. It is an attractor pattern and a descendant of both the Royal Coachman fly and the Wulff style of hair wing flies named for Lee Wulff.

The Trout and Salmonid Collection is a special collection of literature and archives in the Montana State University Library's Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Library. The collection is also known as The Bud Lilly Trout and Salmonid Collection, named after Bud Lilly who was instrumental in starting the collection. The approximately 20,000-volume collection, established in 2000, is devoted to preserving literary, scientific, government and media resources related to all aspects of trout and other salmonids. The collection contains materials in many languages and is not restricted by geography. It is considered a world-class collection of international significance relative to the study of trout and salmonids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra (wet fly)</span>

The Alexandra wet fly is an artificial fly. Also known as the Lady of the Lake, the fly was named by English angler Major William Greer Turle to honour Alexandra, Princess of Wales. The fly is distinguished by the heavy peacock herl wing and silver body which makes the fly resemble a small baitfish or fry. The Alexandra proved to be a very effective fly for trout in lakes and streams in England and Scotland in the late 19th and early 20th century. Many fly fishing purists derided the fly and its use was once banned on many English waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Chicone</span> American author and fly fisherman

Andrew "Drew" Chicone is an American author, saltwater fly designer, fly fisherman and fly casting instructor. He writes books and magazine articles demonstrating how to tie saltwater fly patterns, primarily focused on warm-water fish and fly fishing from standup paddleboards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wulff series of dry flies</span>

The Wulff series of dry flies evolved from a dry fly style conceived by angler Lee Wulff in the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A.K. Best</span> American fly fisherman, professional fly tyer, and author

A.K. Best is a production fly tyer, fly fisher, and angling writer. He was born in 1933 in Iowa and now lives in Colorado. He wrote for angling magazines like Fly Rod and Reel, Fly Fisherman, and Mid-Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide, and published several books on fly tying and fishing. His flies were sold in stores nationwide, as well as from online vendors. Best travels to speak about fly tying at angling clubs nationwide.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Hultman, Heather (9 September 2019). "John Gierach Papers". Montana State University Archives and Special Collections.
  2. 1 2 3 Catskills Fly Fishing Center and Museum (1 October 2015). "John Gierach". Catskills Fly Fishing Center and Museum.
  3. 1 2 Chelius, Ryan (April 20, 2023). "Q&A with John Gierach on his new book "All the time in the world"". Field and Stream.
  4. ↑ Ulf, Borjesson (6 November 2006). "A.K. Best, flugbindare". Flugfiske I Norden. 28.
  5. ↑ John Gierach, https://arc.lib.montana.edu/angling-oral-history/item/7 , Angling Oral History Project, Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT
  6. 1 2 Morgan, Lawrence E. (Spring–Summer 2008). "Trout fishing in America". Weber Journal. 24 (3).
  7. ↑ Gierach, John (April 19, 1992). "On the South Platte, Pushing Our Luck". The New York Times. p. 9.
  8. ↑ Deeter, Kirk (24 July 2019). "Trout magazine welcomes John Gierach and Bob White". Trout Unlimited.
  9. ↑ Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (April 1, 1991). "Books of the times; Fly-fishing and Other Essentials". The New York Times. p. 15.
  10. ↑ Cornett, Linda (April 23, 1984). "All Tied Up in His Work". The Boulder Daily Camera.
  11. ↑ Umpqua Feather Merchants. "A.K. Best - Signature Tyers". Umpqua Feather Merchants.
  12. ↑ Monahan, Phil (May 31, 2023). "Video: How to tie an A.K. Best Spent Caddis". Orvis News.
  13. ↑ Gierach, John. 1989. Introduction. In: Best, A.K. (1989). Production Fly Tying. Pruett Publishing Company.
  14. ↑ "Federation of Flyfishers Awards-Past Recipients". Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2010-03-30.
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