Fisherman's Spring

William Morrow & Company, 1951. First edition. Hard cover. Very Good/Good. The dustjacket has some short tears, chipping, and edgewear. Scarce in First Printing. A "fisherman's spring must start, I think, with the opening of [the] trout season," writes Roderick Haig-Brown, and so begins this lively, informed book that ranges from the intricate mechanics of fly fishing to a broad statement of the author's philosophy of life. "...As much a book about the practical aspects of fly fishing, with learned advice from a master about everything from fly selection to wading techniques, as it is about the deep rewards an angler can find through his sport". Chapters include: The art of fishing; Spring defined; Figures and definitions; Fry imitations; Early cutthroat lakes; The maculate purist; The unexpected fish; Recognising birds; Putting fish back; Local knowledge; The fish by the cedar stump; Fly types; The forecast; The new rod; Fly lines; A boy and a fish pole; Northward geese; Stonefly imitations; The secret life; Boats and fast water; On wading; Fishing and the common man; When is a rainbow...Leave the guns at home; On casting; Charles Cotton; Fishermen and forestry; Family sortie; Essential simplicity; Don't you ever get tired?; Garden party day; Fishing and milkmaids; The depth of the wood. This is the third book in Haig-Brown's 'Seasons' series - Fisherman's Fall, Fisherman's Winter, Fisherman's Spring, and Fisherman's Summer. Roderick Haig-Brown was an influential fly-fisherman and thinking man -- a philosopher some might say. He became a very influential advisor to the fledgling organizations of his time, Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Flyfishers. These organizations were responsible for starting the movement to curtail put-and-take trout stocking and focus on trout habitat. Through his writings he chronicled early efforts in game and fish conservation, fly fishing, and the art of the fly fishing experience. He was a prolific writer who published many books, including A River Never Sleeps, first published in 1946. In 1947 Haig-Brown won the inaugural Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award, recognizing his 1943 novel Starbuck Valley Winter, which features trapping. He won award again in 1963 for The Whale People, a novel that features Native Americans. In 1953 Haig-Brown received an honorary LLD (Doctor of Laws) from the University of British Columbia. His books for younger readers won several awards, including the Governor General's Award for "Saltwater Summer