Vermont River: The Classic Portrait of a Man and His River

by W.D. Wetherell

Selected by Trout magazine as one of the thirty finest fly-fishing books, Vermont River is the brilliant chronicle of a writer and fisherman. It is a book of rare and genuine beauty, a celebration of fly fishing, the natural world, and a river valley and the life in it. The first of Wetherell's trilogy lauding his love of a sport and a region, Vermont River is a must for anyone who loves good literature.

Genres: Nature

149 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Walter D. Wetherell is the author of eleven previous works of fiction and nonfiction. He has received two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, two O. Henry Awards, the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and, most recently, the American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Strauss Living Award. He lives in Lyme, New Hampshire, with his wife and two children. His latest novel is A Century of November.

Reviews

[Naturegirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and I have never fly fished in my life. Vermont, however, is very dear to me, and reading this felt like going back in time. I grew up camping along the Battenkill River, watching fly fishermen and women work their magic in the pools and eddies. I used to spend every moment I could standing in the river, head down, eyes peeled, catching rock fish and minnows, tadpoles and crayfish, with a butterfly net riddled with holes. The writing in this book is superb. I felt so drawn in, invited really, to participate in Wetherell’s passion, to observe alongside him. This story feels like a naturalist writing, and my only complaint is that it couldn’t continue. Finishing this book felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend, to a bygone Vermont where tracts of farmland no longer sell for $12,000. The struggle to live there still exists, the General stores where everyone knows each other by name and outsiders are easily recognized. For a trout fisherman, this book will be relatable for other reasons. For me, it brought back images of the old Vermont and made me long to be knee deep in the Battenkill once more.

[Ryan Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have enjoyed this much more if I were a fly fisherman, rather than an aspiring one. There were some beautiful and fun sections, and some that honestly felt like a trudge to get through, which made reading it take longer than I intended. I believe people passionate about the sport, especially those in New England, will really enjoy this.

[Maël Renard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most beautiful

[Gailynne F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found Vermont River relaxing and enjoyed the authors' descriptions of the rivers, the seasons, and the small town communities he visited that played such an important part in the anglers journey.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, sentimental collection of essays exploring a single small river in Vermont over the course of a fishing season.

[Nate Caress · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty captivating if you're enamored with fishing in Vermont. If you're not -- and this should come as no surprise -- you might do better reading something else.