All Fishermen Are Liars

In All Fishermen Are Liars, Gierach travels around North America seeking out quintessential fishing experiences, whether it's at a busy stream or a secluded lake hidden amid snow-capped mountains. This elegiac tribute to the elusive art and ineffable pleasure of fly-fishing shows us why life's most valuable lessons—and some of its best experiences—are found while fly-fishing. He talks about the art of fly-tying and the quest for the perfect steelhead fly ("The Nuclear Option"), about fishing in the Presidential Pools previously fished by the elder George Bush ("I wondered briefly if I'd done something karmically disastrous and was now fated to spend the rest of my life breathing the exhaust of this elderly Republican"), and the importance of traveling with like-minded companions when caught in a soaking rain ("At this point someone is required to say, You know, there are people who wouldn't think this is fun"). And though Gierach loses some fish along the way, he never loses his passion and sense of humor. Wry, contemplative, and lively—that is to say, pure Gierach—All Fishermen Are Liars is a joy to read and, as always, the next best thing to fishing itself. His grizzled, laconic persona is engaging and the voice of the common angler.