Cowboy Trout: Western Fly Fishing As If It Matters

by Paul Schullery

Fly fishing intersects western history in so many ways that it is surprising that more writers--besides historians--have not sensed its rhetorical and scholarly opportunities. As fly fishing's practitioners grow in economic power, political reach, ecological awareness, and clarity of need, those intersections will only become more compelling.

In the fine tradition of angling books that celebrate fly fishing for the way it invites readers into unfettered ecological settings and connects them to the wonder of rivers, Paul Schullery's masterful Cowboy Trout raises to a new level of power the old saying that there is more to fishing than the catching of fish. The heightened sense of a wild place--not merely of the water but of a whole landscape-has turned out to be fly fishing's greatest gift to the West and to those who pursue fish in its rugged embrace.

Genres: Conservation

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

About the author

Paul Schullery is an American author and photographer. The main focus of his work is centred on nature and our relationship with it. Schullery studied American History at Wittenberg University and Ohio University, receiving his M.A. and B.A., respectively.

Reviews

[Ants · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schullery has written a superb book. The best part of the book is a different perspective for a fly fishing topic. I enjoy fly fishing books and had read a number of them. Most have been written from an insider's perspective in that the proper opinions and views (to fellow fly fishers) fall within defined limits. The cliche - preaching to the choir describes this viewpoint.

Schullery writing takes us away from the insider's view. The perspective is illuminating and the comments give thought to a different view. I found his comments refreshing and just ordered 2 more of his books.

I appreciate his effort to pull (fly) fishing details from early (1870) accounts of Yellowstone exploration. The Mule Men by Louise A Davies gave me a similar perspective for Sierra Nevada fisheries in the same time frame.

Fly fishing is an enjoyable facet of the outdoor world. It is grand to read about the bigger perspective.

[Bradley Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent historian, Paul Schullery guides the reader on a complex journey that explores the history of fly fishing in the Rocky Mountains. Not one to skirt around controversy, Shullery examines the beauty that that draws so many to the sport while exploring what it means to be an angler in the 21st century in the face of those who actively scrutinize anything that resembles a blood sport of yesteryear.

[Jef Sneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cowboy Trout is partly a memoir about fishing and partly a historical reflection on fly fishing in the West. The author writes a bit like an academic historian as he attempts to prove the origins of fly fishing in the West. He quotes numerous sources about the first explorers to Yellowstone and their prodigious fishing reports. They caught hundreds of fish per day (grasshoppers seemed to be the best bait and the fish weren't "trained to the fly" so that flies didn't work as well as they would have on Eastern fish.)

I read this while I was in Wyoming on a trip that included lots of fishing. The chapter on the discovery and creation of large flies for use out West proved extremely useful, as I chucked my small Eastern flies for the more robust Western type. And they worked!

For a fisherman interested in Yellowstone and the history of the old West, this was a fun read. Save it for your next fishing trip out to Montana. Thanks, Elliot. js

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome subtitle. A good read as well.

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Sassy, informative, and just entertaining. I had no idea what fly fishing was but this book is a riot nonetheless. 10/10