Fly-Fishing the 41st: Around the World on the 41st Parallel

by James Prosek

“James Prosek has eloquently demonstrated that angling is a kind of universal language. . . . he has taken us on an unforgettable journey.” — Thomas McGuane, author of The Cadence of Grass and The Longest A Life in Fishing The  New York Times  has called James Prosek "the Audubon of the fishing world," and in  Fly-Fishing the 41st , he uses his talent for descriptive writing to illuminate an astonishing adventure. Beginning in his hometown of Easton, Connecticut, Prosek circumnavigates the globe along the 41st parallel, traveling through Spain, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, China, and Japan. Along the way he shares some of the best fishing in the world with a host of wonderfully eccentric and memorable characters.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2003

Reviews

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

read on 04, interesting and entertaining

[Barron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun fishing book with some memorable characters, especially Johannes and Ida. The descriptions of the locations is wonderful, and I felt like I got a good sense of the feeling of fly-fishing, even though I have never done it.

The 41st parallel is a nice idea, but it didn't seem very important to the plot. Also, the "Afterward" section is definitely not needed. In fact, I would recommend reading it first. I read it at the end, as presented in the book, and it abruptly took me out of the story and immediately killed the good fishing vibe I had when I finished the story. Not sure why it was put in there, except to further the point of the 41st parallel. Unnecessary IMO.

Apart from that, I enjoyed the book and will be looking to read more of James Prosek's work. Good stuff for a fisherman or armchair traveler.

[Jon hares · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book,it kind of opened my eyes to different cultures.At its core its a very interesting fishing books but also touches on friendship and the various people from different cultures he meets

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because I am a fisherman I particularly liked this book. I also have been to a couple of the places he visits. I am envious of the author's sense of adventure, willingness to rough it in places I would never consider, eat foods with people and prepared by people that I would never eat, and his youth at the time of writing this. The book struck several chords with me- echoes of Around the World in 80 Days for his ingenuity in places; echoes of Huck Finn (which I find in way too many books) in the "journey"; echoes of James Bond in the women he meets; echoes of Hemingway's "Sun Also Rises" in some of the spare writing and in the prodigious drinking.
That so much of the world's trout fishing could be done on one parallel and that so many of the world's great places line up on the same parallel amazed me.
And who knew there were so many kinds of trout??

[Jim Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I personally really like to fly fish for trout. This book is not really about fishing, but rather about fish, namely, native brown trout. It is a wonderful travel story in which you meet lots of interesting people from all over the world. The author provides a wonderful description of the various places he visits and he is an artist as well so there are a number of great pictures that he paints of the people in various places. The basic theme of the book is to look at the variety of brown trout around the world.

[Andy Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was boring, a little weird, 5% of the book is about fishing…

[Pat Loughery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prosek writes a travelogue of his search for the diverse trout along the 41st parallel. The book is engaging and interesting, though not overwhelmingly so. Instead it is a gentle brook of a love story between this young author and the fish he so deeply respects.

As a travelogue it is a bit foggy, not very adventurous even when I n adventurous lands. However the story hangs together well and I will Reese more from this author - and it has inspired me to take my fly kit out on the local rivers also.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the easiest read; the first couple chapters were excruciating in that your eyes became sore from trying to keep them open. Once you came to accept the book for what it was and just swallowed the words whole instead of trying to chew them slowly, it became much more tolerable. In the end, the book left me without much of a life lesson and honestly, I don't remember much of it now.

[Shellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so much fun to read. If you have anyone in your life that loves to fly fish, this will help you understand their passion, and perhaps even love it. I loved this book and I've never even once been fly-fishing.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book - Prosek keeps the focus on the people and places enough to maintain general interest for non-fish people. Sidekicks Johannes and Ida definitely added to the story.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as some of his others but some cool parts

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great concept/well-executed---always love Prosek's illustrations. As my artist friend says, "it's hard to draw a real fish !!"

[Clpost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read and still love it.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful in every way.

[Richard Novak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it a while back but it was a good fun read. It's not just about fishing but about the places being fished and the people he encounters.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fish story and a must read for any fisherman, or those that just want to be.