Blue Upright: The Flies of a Lifetime - Hardcover

With Blue Upright, Steve Raymond proves once again why he is the Raymond Carver of fly-fish lit. With elegant, unadorned precision, Steve offers the biographies of his favorite flies, which blossom into an autobiography of Steve Raymond and a history of fly-fishing for salmon, trout and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest, with side trips after bonefish and Atlantic salmon. It is complex wisdom simply presented, and belongs on any literate fly-fishers bookshelf. - James R. Babb, Editor, Grays Sporting Journal Few angler-authors can match the skill and insight of Steve Raymond...Through the seasons of the angler's year, Raymond leads his reader to a refined and refreshed understanding of what the natural world is really all about. --Nelson Bryant, The New York Times Few angler-authors can match the skill and insight of Steve Raymond...Through the seasons of the angler's year, Raymond leads his reader to a refined and refreshed understanding of what the natural world is really all about. --Nelson Bryant, "The New York Times" "Taking its name from one of the author's favorite fly patterns, this book takes a look at the top dozen fly fishing lures in Raymond's vast tackle collection. Focusing on one fly at a time, Raymond breaks down each fly's origins, how it is made and how and for what fish he employs it. Most importantly, Raymond uses these rather technical fishing narratives as an impetus to explore cherished personal memories as well as a host of fishing and related nonfishing topics close to his heart. Some of Raymond's tangents are strictly for diehard fishermen, as when he discusses the many fly boxes, in various shapes and sizes, that he keeps his precious flies in or when he looks at various controversies over who first tied a fly pattern. Other memories are more universal, as when he muses about the last time he fished with his father or when he wonders what his favorite river might have looked like 200 years ago. Raymond's storytelling and writing skills enable him to seamlessly work these varied topics into cohesive chapters that both inform and amuse. And no matter where Raymond's thoughts take him, he's always able to convey how each of these tiny fishing flies has affected his life in a big way." -- "Publishers Weekly "Insightful, informative, and always interesting, this book could be a fitting capstone for the author's literary career..."--" Library Journal When it comes to the literature of fly-fishing, I unabashedly admit that I am a fan of Steve Raymond's work. I like the essay form, of which he is, in my opinion, the best practitioner since Roderick L. Haig- Brown: high praise but, I think, well deserved. Steve's books have been well received by angling readers and I, personally, have enjoyed every one of them. The book's subtitle is descriptive of the theme of this collection; these are the Hies that Steve has tied and fished and come to rely upon over the years. Some are his own patterns, some are his modifications of others' inventions, and some are just those highly effective flies that many of us have selected as our own favorites. The 'blue upright" referred to in the Izaak's title is the upright spinner stage of the Cailibaetis mayfly; with its gunnmetal back and its transparent wings Hashing back the blue of sky anvil water, the common name is fitting in more than the poetic sense. The Cal/ibaetis is the premier stillwater mayfly in both its dun and spinner stages, and one of Steve's favorites at Oregon's Hosmer Lake. Eleven essays, eleven Hies, with just few more old Northwest favorites thrown in for good measure. The flies, their histories and his experiences with them, provide rich blend of useful information and just plain good stories. Reflecting the wide range of Steve's fishing interests you can expect to find everything from bonefish to Atlantic salmon to trout . I received a prepublication review copy and. unfortunately, the book will not be available until August. But I think it will lie well worth the wait--"Flyfishing & Tying Journal "Very few writers who write about fish and fishing can pen a book as readable ad entertaining as Steve Raymond."--"Salmon Trout Steelheader ..."perhaps the best kind of fly-fishing book, steeped as it is in thousands of hours the author spent angling the rivers of his home region...""--Gray's Sporting Journal

An essential book of flies for people who tie them and fish with them.