Top five

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Eperous
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Top five

#1

Post by Eperous »

So it was a stormy, threatening crappy type day here in the Catskills, thus we did our "annual spring cleaning" of the family room where our woodstove resides... we cleaned the walls, cleaned the bookshelves, and shampooed the rug... while cleaning the bookshelf, I got thinking about the "top five" authors of angling literature, not that "how to" stuff that just keeps repeating itself.... and I pose this question to board members, who does your top five list consist of?

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Personally in thinking about this, I think longevity, like election to baseball's Hall of Fame comes into play... I didn't include any one-book wonders in my list, though I have several favorites who didn't produce a lot of piscatorial literature..,

My top five consists of: Roderick Haig-Brown, Nick Lyons, and Harry Middleton.... though he's written many favorites of mine, but IMO not quite at the same level as the three mentioned yet is John Gierach... I feel the passage of time will change this opinion of mine...

I also think one's author selection might have something to do with the individual's age, how long one's been fishing, and where fishing...

As a longtime Catskill flyfisher I would be remiss if I did not mention Sparse Grey Hackle's Fishless Days, Angling Nights--- though not many books, Ernest Schwiebert's Remembrances of Rivers Past--- my hero, though far from all angling literature, and Robert Traver's Trout Madness--- though limited angling works and not Catskill...

For great short stories I'd have to include: Ernest Hemingway's "Big Two-Hearted River" and Paul O'Neil's "In Praise of Trout--- and also me".

So, I'm curious what others think, as I'm always searching for a good read, valuing opinions of this board's members...

Thanks,

Ed

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Flyman615
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Re: Top five

#2

Post by Flyman615 »

In no particular order--Nick Lyons, John Gierach, Ernest Schwiebert, Charles E. Brooks and A.J. McClane.

Scott
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Eric Peper
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Re: Top five

#3

Post by Eric Peper »

Howard Walden, Dana Lamb, McClane, Gordon MacQuarrie, and, as on off the wall favorite, Patrick MacManus. And, since no one asked for more, I have to add Arnold Gingrich, Gierach, and a host of others who have made Covid isolation somewhat livable.

Eric
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headwaters
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Re: Top five

#4

Post by headwaters »

Middleton, Travers / Voelker, Leonard Wright Jr, McClane, Gingrich. Followed closely by Schwiebert, Proper, Marinaro, Gierach, and Lyons.

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andre49
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Re: Top five

#5

Post by andre49 »

Whetherell, Tapply, Walden, Ford, Lamb. Always Gierach and Sparse.
Outside of Gierach all write about places I fish regularly.
Last edited by andre49 on 08/31/22 22:52, edited 1 time in total.

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creakycane
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Re: Top five

#6

Post by creakycane »

Well, I recently purchased a limited edition of "The Gordon Garland" with the leather binding and slipcase. Not that hard to find fairly reasonably these days, the interesting thing is that this copy belonged to R. Palmer Baker. It is signed or inscribed to RPB by a dozen of those featured, including Lamb, Schwiebert, Sparse Grey Hackle, Marinaro and Gingrich - even John Groth signed his endpaper art. It's one volume that covers many of my "top 5" authors - also Haig-Brown, McClane and RPBaker himself are there - and never fails to revive me.
So for 5, I' d take Traver along with a few from "the Garland", and maybe add a latter day writer - that would be either Nick Lyons or Thomas McGuane, depending upon one's taste and mood, or maybe Middleton.
I find the concept of only 5 very limiting, almost impossible to keep to!

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Caneghost
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Re: Top five

#7

Post by Caneghost »

Ernest Schwiebert, Dana S, Lamb, Nick Lyons, Sparse Gray Hackle and Gene Hill: though he wrote much more about shooting than angling, he is still Gene Hill.
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magpie
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Re: Top five

#8

Post by magpie »

McGuane, Chatham, Volker,Gierach and Dave Hughs (for clear writing and no b.s)

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Hellmtflies
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Re: Top five

#9

Post by Hellmtflies »

Dr. E Schwiebert X's 5. Is there another angling writer? :)

ted patlen
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Re: Top five

#10

Post by ted patlen »

personal favorite writers...Bergman, Zern, Valla, Kreh and Herd

GBU31v1
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Re: Top five

#11

Post by GBU31v1 »

Russ Chatham, Norman Maclean, Seth Norman, Robert Traver, John Gierach
Last edited by GBU31v1 on 06/30/20 14:57, edited 1 time in total.

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Eric Peper
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Re: Top five

#12

Post by Eric Peper »

Hellmtflies wrote:
06/28/20 09:27
Dr. E Schwiebert X's 5. Is there another angling writer? :)
Totally agree on Ernie's skill with the language and his phenomenal research talents. I think I've read and reread and enjoyed just about everything he's done. Notwithstanding all of that, I still occasionally wonder if he ever caught a trout less than three pounds. :) ;) >:D

Eric . . . just being a PITA.
A mountain is a fact -- a trout is a moment of beauty known only to men who seek them
Al McClane in his Introduction to The Practical Fly Fisherman . . . often erroneously attributed to Arnold Gingrich

magpie
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Re: Top five

#13

Post by magpie »

Hellmtflies wrote:
06/28/20 09:27
Dr. E Schwiebert X's 5. Is there another angling writer? :)
Several.

SalmoNewf
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Re: Top five

#14

Post by SalmoNewf »

In no particular order....
Roderick Haig Brown
Dana Lamb
Harry Plunkett Greene
John Gierach
John Ashley Cooper

jim royston
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Re: Top five

#15

Post by jim royston »

Bergman, La Branche, Charles Brooks, Hewitt, Theodore Gordon

perfesser
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Re: Top five

#16

Post by perfesser »

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Last edited by perfesser on 07/01/20 15:38, edited 1 time in total.

reelytrout
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Re: Top five

#17

Post by reelytrout »

Odell Shepard “Thy Rod and Thy Creel” Norman Maclean “A River Runs Through It”,W.D. Wetherell”Vermont River”,Ted Leeson “The Habit of Rivers”,Harry Middleton “The Earth Is Enough”. Of course Lyons, Hilyard, Traver, Gierach, McGuane, Schwiebert, Proper, are all candidates also.

DaveNJ
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Re: Top five

#18

Post by DaveNJ »

Marinaro, Bergman, Carmichael Jr, Charlie Craven, Stephen Sautner.

Love Raymond Carver's fishing related stories, too.

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Eperous
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Re: Top five

#19

Post by Eperous »

reelytrout wrote:
06/29/20 11:13
Odell Shepard “Thy Rod and Thy Creel” Norman Maclean “A River Runs Through It”,W.D. Wetherell”Vermont River”,Ted Leeson “The Habit of Rivers”,Harry Middleton “The Earth Is Enough”. Of course Lyons, Hilyard, Traver, Gierach, McGuane, Schwiebert, Proper, are all candidates also.
Reads like more than five, but some some excellent authors and great reads mentioned in throughout thread...

How could anyone not like Ernie Schwiebert... plus if you're of a Catskill bent, American Trout Fishing and The Complete Fly Fisherman, the Notes and Letters of Theodore Gordon should be included in "the single category" entry....

Schwiebert was my hero, and over time I acquired almost all his books, though his second two-volume version of Nymphs could put one to sleep reading all the nuisances if not careful, IMHO...

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Ed

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Re: Top five

#20

Post by Cork & Cane »

In no particular order:

Ernest Schweibert.
Roderick Haig Brown.
John Voelker/Traver
Nick Lyons
Vince Marinaro, and as you go through the stacks you may find Charlie Fox, well worth a read.

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