"The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life" by David Coggins

[creakycane]

I have not seen a finished copy of this book, but bits I have seen make me interested. It is due out tomorrow; perhaps others on the forum have seen it and can comment, or might be interested.....FYI

[JabaliHunter]

Thanks for the information; I wasn’t aware of it

[atroutbum]

Received my copy through Amazon on Thursday. Excellent book.

[creakycane]

I finally got around to reading most of this book. Mostly when on travel and between visits with relatives, it really deserves a full re-read when I’m more focused/attentive. I missed some of the details when distracted...........
That said, I like it enough to look forward to rereading..... As the subtitle indicates, a case for a life involving fly fishing is made in a most interesting way. The author is an astute observer of river life, fishing culture and himself. He sprinkles in all manner of fly fishing lore and literary references to chapters that each are nice travel pieces.... I believe anglers of all levels of interest and modes of fishing might find something to like. I like the way he packs his fish-car.
Coggins is a sophisticated gent, and that comes through, which some might find as pretentious. It’s just who he is, and how it is. The bits on fishing around NYC are amusing. Catskills, WI, Maine, Patagonia, salmon. He does know Snyder’s sourdough pretzels, in the box, are the definitive fishing snack, and McVitie’s biscuits are a close second. Seems like amazon purchasers liked it. Well worth a read, IMO.

[bearbutt]

I was optimistic going into “The Optimist” but came out of it greatly disappointed.

One perception is that it’s a book about destination fishing: Wisconsin (his home state), Montana, Andros, Patagonia, Montana, the Miramichi, Maine, England. Coggins tries hard to impress his reader about his own evolution as an angler, but it feels like he’s doing this to earn Instagram likes more than he’s doing it because he believes in it. He’s all show. It’s about ‘style.’ It’s the opposite of Mitch Keller’s foray into the Catskills for a year. Keller feels authentic, he’s not trying to impress anyone. Coggin’s book is described on the dust jacket as “A modern tribute to an ageless pastime, and a practical guide to the art, philosophy, and rituals of fly fishing, by an expert, lifelong angler.” Expert? After more than a decade of fly fishing, Coggins still doesn’t tie his own flies, and doesn’t even have the wherewithal to admit it (the New Yorker exposed that he buys his flies at discountflies.com).

It’s not altogether bad—the best part of the book, in the chapter on fishing for stripers in New York, is pretty good when it comes down to describing New York. He knows New York a lot better than he knows fly fishing.

What especially galls me is how he ends the book, saying “I fish for the contained and enduring pleasures of the sport, but also to escape the disappointments of modern life.” “Enduring?” For 237 pages he doesn’t say anything meaningful about water access, climate change, or (in his chapter on salmon fishing) anything about overfishing on the high seas and the effect it has on sustainability of salmon populations. He considers himself lucky: “I feel a shiver of good fortune to be in a world, a world without end.” That could only be written by someone who only cares about himself, and not about the world climate that’s going to pieces in front of his very eyes.

IMHO, I think it’s a pretentious piece of rhetoric for popular consumption.

bb

[GerardH]

Just finished The Optimist and I'll get this out of the way: this Coggins dude can write and comes across as very likeable and can definitely paint a vivid picture in his stories. He covers a lot of diverse water from Wisconsin to Montana to Patagonia to Maine to England and a couple other destinations for good measure. Coggins exhibits a tremendous knowledge of fly fishing and its history, stereotypes, and its magic.

The major flaw I found is there is a reoccurring theme where the author tends to get mired in his own insecurities about his abilities and repeatedly has a fatalistic attitude whenever the sun doesn't shine or he hooks a tree branch. It's fishing, man...relax...enjoy the moment. He does go into a lot of asides and anecdotes, but he tends to pull back on track just before he goes too far off the rails.

Bottom line, it was an enjoyable read overall and I would recommend it.

[Hellmtflies]

I was optimistic going into “The Optimist” but came out of it greatly disappointed.

One perception is that it’s a book about destination fishing: Wisconsin (his home state), Montana, Andros, Patagonia, Montana, the Miramichi, Maine, England. Coggins tries hard to impress his reader about his own evolution as an angler, but it feels like he’s doing this to earn Instagram likes more than he’s doing it because he believes in it. He’s all show. It’s about ‘style.’ It’s the opposite of Mitch Keller’s foray into the Catskills for a year. Keller feels authentic, he’s not trying to impress anyone. Coggin’s book is described on the dust jacket as “A modern tribute to an ageless pastime, and a practical guide to the art, philosophy, and rituals of fly fishing, by an expert, lifelong angler.” Expert? After more than a decade of fly fishing, Coggins still doesn’t tie his own flies, and doesn’t even have the wherewithal to admit it (the New Yorker exposed that he buys his flies at discountflies.com).

It’s not altogether bad—the best part of the book, in the chapter on fishing for stripers in New York, is pretty good when it comes down to describing New York. He knows New York a lot better than he knows fly fishing.

What especially galls me is how he ends the book, saying “I fish for the contained and enduring pleasures of the sport, but also to escape the disappointments of modern life.” “Enduring?” For 237 pages he doesn’t say anything meaningful about water access, climate change, or (in his chapter on salmon fishing) anything about overfishing on the high seas and the effect it has on sustainability of salmon populations. He considers himself lucky: “I feel a shiver of good fortune to be in a world, a world without end.” That could only be written by someone who only cares about himself, and not about the world climate that’s going to pieces in front of his very eyes.

IMHO, I think it’s a pretentious piece of rhetoric for popular consumption.

bb

WOW! Bearbutt, tell us what you really think. Thanx though, I think I'll pass.