No Shortage of Good Days

Consider this observation about fishing: “From my own experience I can say that a bad back makes you hike slower, stove-up knees keep you from wading confidently, tendinitis of the elbow buggers your casting, and a dose of giardia can send you dashing into the bushes fifteen times in an afternoon, but although none of this is fun, its discernibly better than not fishing.”

Or this explanation for every fishermans fascination with small streams: “The idea is to fish obscure headwater creeks in hopes of eventually sniffing out an underappreciated little trout creek down an un-marked dirt road. Why is another question. I suppose its partly for the fishing itself and partly to satisfy your curiosity, but mostly to sustain the belief that such things are still out there to find for those willing to look.”

And perhaps the ultimate explanation for the fishing obsession: “I briefly wondered how much trouble a guy should go to in order to catch a few little trout, but then any fish becomes worth catching to the extent that you cant catch it, so the answer was obvious: Once you decide to try, you go to as much trouble as it takes.”

In No Shortage of Good Days Gierach takes usfrom the Smokies in Tennessee to his home waters in Colorado, from the Canadian Maritimes to Mexico—saltwater or fresh, its all fishing and all irresistible. As always he writes perceptively about a wide range of subjects: the charm of familiar waters, the etiquette 27.99 of working with new fishing guides, night fishing when the trout and the mosquitoes are both biting, fishing while there is still slush on the river, fishing snobbery, and the delights of fresh fish cooked and eaten within sight of where it was caught. No Shortage of Good Days may be the next best thing to a day of fishing.

Gierach again demonstrates the wit, eloquence, and insight that have become his trademarks. No Shortage of Good Days is the next best thing to a day of fishing.

John Gierach’s latest book finds him fishing from the Smokies in eastern Tennessee to his home waters in Colorado, from the Canadian Maritimes to Baja California, and many points in between. As always, John has plenty to say about fishing and about life more generally.

In No Shortage of Good Days Gierach writes about the charms of familiar, third-rate streams; the value and etiquette of fishing guides; night fishing, when the trout—and the mosquitoes—are biting; winter fishing, when you can have the river all to yourself because you’re the only one foolhardy enough to venture out on a day when there is more ice and slush than water in the streams.

No Shortage of Good Days is filled with observations that are always entertaining, often surprising, and sometimes even profound. As always with Gierach, it’s a pleasurable, rewarding read.