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Spring Creek
For years, Nick Lyons has been one of the most popular fishing writers in America. Now, in Spring Creek, he has created his masterpiece.
Spring Creek is one of those rare places where the trout are as long as your arm but also exceedingly difficult to catch. Lyons recounts a month's adventures on this river, a time in which he explores its secrets and confronts its greatest challenges. At first he catches little. Then, slowly, he acquires the various and special skills and disciplines necessary to take the large, wary brown trout of this extraordinary river.
Spring Creek is the record of halcyon days astream. It is a fisherman's book, drawing a rare portrait of an angler actually learning to fish more wisely, filled with battles between angler and trout, a few epic victories, and even more epic defeats.
Spring Creek is a richly humorous and perceptive account of an angler's passion for his sport - and a book all fishermen will cherish.
Spring Creek is one of those rare places where the trout are as long as your arm but also exceedingly difficult to catch. Lyons recounts a month's adventures on this river, a time in which he explores its secrets and confronts its greatest challenges. At first he catches little. Then, slowly, he acquires the various and special skills and disciplines necessary to take the large, wary brown trout of this extraordinary river.
Spring Creek is the record of halcyon days astream. It is a fisherman's book, drawing a rare portrait of an angler actually learning to fish more wisely, filled with battles between angler and trout, a few epic victories, and even more epic defeats.
Spring Creek is a richly humorous and perceptive account of an angler's passion for his sport - and a book all fishermen will cherish.
- GenresOutdoorsNatureNonfiction
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
18 people are currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
Nick Lyons
94 books15 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Nick Lyons taught English at the University of Michigan prior to accepting a position at the Hunter College of the City University of New York in 1961. He remained on the faculty of CUNY until 1988. He also worked as the executive editor of Crown Publishers from 1964-1974. An avid fisherman, Lyons found a way to combine his avocation and profession in 1977 when he created his first publishing company, Nick Lyons Books, eventually Lyons Press. It earned the reputation as one of the premier publishers of fishing books, but the company also printed works on nature, camping, adventure, gardening, woodworking, travel, the sea, history, food and wine, art and reference, hunting, general sport, and a few fiction titles. In 1999, Tony Lyons, Nick's son, took over the firm which was acquired by Globe Pequot Press in 2001. As well as being a book publisher Nick Lyons is a prolific writer and has produced several books on fly fishing. He has written introductions, forewords and prefaces for many Lyons Press books and also had a feature column of essays named the "Seasonable Angler" in Fly Fisherman Magazine for many years. Lyons has written articles for many other periodicals including Field & Stream and the New York Times, and several anthologies of these essays have been published.
Nick Lyons taught English at the University of Michigan prior to accepting a position at the Hunter College of the City University of New York in 1961. He remained on the faculty of CUNY until 1988. He also worked as the executive editor of Crown Publishers from 1964-1974. An avid fisherman, Lyons found a way to combine his avocation and profession in 1977 when he created his first publishing company, Nick Lyons Books, eventually Lyons Press. It earned the reputation as one of the premier publishers of fishing books, but the company also printed works on nature, camping, adventure, gardening, woodworking, travel, the sea, history, food and wine, art and reference, hunting, general sport, and a few fiction titles. In 1999, Tony Lyons, Nick's son, took over the firm which was acquired by Globe Pequot Press in 2001. As well as being a book publisher Nick Lyons is a prolific writer and has produced several books on fly fishing. He has written introductions, forewords and prefaces for many Lyons Press books and also had a feature column of essays named the "Seasonable Angler" in Fly Fisherman Magazine for many years. Lyons has written articles for many other periodicals including Field & Stream and the New York Times, and several anthologies of these essays have been published.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 20, 2022
The author spends a month fishing a spring-fed creek on private land. He relays stories of both fish caught and the ones that got away, as well as what he learned during that time. Peaceful, beautiful setting with good fishing. Made me want to go fly fishing more often.
July 30, 2019
Famed fly fishing publisher and author Nick Lyons spent a month on a famous private western spring creek where he put some polish on his fly casting game. Huge brown trout; some going 30+ inches and as wary as a cat at a dogpound with the cages open.
Dry fly fishing without the snobby and smug horseshit fly-fishing purists are famous for.
The proprietor of the ranch and Nick's mentor teaches him many secrets of catching large and hard to catch fish. At the end of the month, Nick gets much better at casting, catching hard to catch fish, and fly selection - yet he also comes away with a refreshing attitude about the sport he loves so.
While Nick fishes, his wife sets her easel above Spring Creek to capture the moments. The illustrations contained in the book are a nice distraction and absolutely unnecessary. :)
While there is the jargon typical of the fly fishing literature, there is also the poetry and philosophy I covet when reading fishing literature.
A really nice book and story. Educational for sure - but mostly, and more importantly, beautiful.
Dry fly fishing without the snobby and smug horseshit fly-fishing purists are famous for.
The proprietor of the ranch and Nick's mentor teaches him many secrets of catching large and hard to catch fish. At the end of the month, Nick gets much better at casting, catching hard to catch fish, and fly selection - yet he also comes away with a refreshing attitude about the sport he loves so.
While Nick fishes, his wife sets her easel above Spring Creek to capture the moments. The illustrations contained in the book are a nice distraction and absolutely unnecessary. :)
While there is the jargon typical of the fly fishing literature, there is also the poetry and philosophy I covet when reading fishing literature.
A really nice book and story. Educational for sure - but mostly, and more importantly, beautiful.
May 20, 2020
Spring Creek, the beauty of the stream
I really enjoyed this book. The author does an amazing job capturing what drives us to fish and how we change as we get older, and how the river changes. A great read if you're stuck inside and need to dream of days on the river fishing.
I really enjoyed this book. The author does an amazing job capturing what drives us to fish and how we change as we get older, and how the river changes. A great read if you're stuck inside and need to dream of days on the river fishing.
September 2, 2024
One of the more beautiful fishing books I’ve read. All anglers have a spring creek they revert to when day dreaming. Lyon’s words brought back a lot of great memories for me. Recommend this book 10x
February 3, 2019
Another extremely satisfying read from Nick Lyons
I have read Full Creel several times, so I knew that Spring Creek wouldn't disappoint. The feeling developed while absorbing this story lasts long after I've finished the book. It is a feeling that I can recall, to savor during moments when I think of the fishing to come this season. It has never been about the fish, but the experiences and the memories of them.
I would recommend this book to those who want to have those beloved memories, even when you can no longer make the journeys.
I have read Full Creel several times, so I knew that Spring Creek wouldn't disappoint. The feeling developed while absorbing this story lasts long after I've finished the book. It is a feeling that I can recall, to savor during moments when I think of the fishing to come this season. It has never been about the fish, but the experiences and the memories of them.
I would recommend this book to those who want to have those beloved memories, even when you can no longer make the journeys.
June 22, 2016
This is the first book I have read by Nick Lyons. Superbly written. Rather than the standard fishing book format of essays on random trips to exotic waters, This book focuses on an intimate relationship with Spring Creek here in the good old USA. Being a resident of Bozeman MT for a great portion of my life, I felt I was right there with him and Herb making those difficult presentations. Great book!
January 29, 2016
Not the best that Nick Lyons has written. The book is about Lyons fishing a spring creek and catching lots of fish. It's not a book about techniques and how to fish, just his visits to the spring creek.
January 12, 2013
Loved this book and picked up some new fishing techniques as well.
July 15, 2017
Contemplating
A reflection of a slower time. Nature not a separate world, but a part of you. The rest of the world just a something you have to live with.
A reflection of a slower time. Nature not a separate world, but a part of you. The rest of the world just a something you have to live with.
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August 21, 2014Lyons encapsulated my current position on fishing so well: feeling confident and almost cocky about my prowess, and then getting knocked back down to size by technical water and larger trout.
July 30, 2016
Lovely short stories about endless summer days fly fishing....beautiful control of language and nice sketches from his wife Mari
February 16, 2016
Great book for fly fishers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews