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Casting into Mystery
Casting into Mystery celebrates the meditative sport of fly fishing, rejoicing in the camaraderie and quietude to be found not only in the gentle flow of river currents, but also in the community and culture of anglers past and present.
288 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2020
9 people want to read
About the author
Robert Reid
140 books1 followerLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 30, 2021
I want to start by affirming that Robert Reid’s fly angling memoir Casting into Mystery offers my favourite reading on the subject.
His poem ‘Wild Speck,’ which opens the book, got me hooked. In evocative language, he describes brook trout as a ‘savage beauty.’ This conjures memories of rivers I have fished in southern Ontario for arguably the most beautiful freshwater fish.
Yet the book is about more than fly fishing. It’s about the interconnection of all living things. Reid writes lovingly about the contemplative sport as a metaphor for life. We often fail, but we have incredible moments of joy, especially when experiencing the Zen of fly fishing.
While reading the book, my pen was constantly in motion. So much of his recommended reads need to be explored. Holy Water by Jerry Kustich comes to mine, as does Trout Fishing by Joe Brooks.
When I learned to fly fish reasonably well, it was apparent to me that fly fishing is an art form; however, I’m not able to articulate this fact as well as Reid when he writes, ‘The practice is a craft that approaches art when executed at the highest level. Like a pen, burin, or guitar, a fly rod is a creative tool, an instrument of imagination.’
For bamboo purists, there’s a section on spit-cane rods. If art is your passion, there’s a chapter on Canada’s most famous painter, Tom Thomson, who also happened to be a fly fisher, as Reid argues persuasively.
Casting into Mystery is adorned with wonderful engravings executed by Wesley W. Bates, which could not have been done any better.
Reid writes, ‘Fishing is like love—it’s the ones that get away that cut the deepest, that leave wounds festering so they never completely heal.’ However, most of the book is about the joys one experiences while wading a river and casting a fly into mystery. It doesn’t get any better than that. If you are a fly fisher, Casting into Mystery is a must-read. It’s a welcome addition to books' long-storied history about the recreational sport.
DAVE BARRY, A FLY-FISHING ENTHUSIAST WITH WIDE KNOWLEDGE OF THE VISUAL ARTS & A MEMBER OF THE HAMILTON AREA FLY FISHERS & TIERS
His poem ‘Wild Speck,’ which opens the book, got me hooked. In evocative language, he describes brook trout as a ‘savage beauty.’ This conjures memories of rivers I have fished in southern Ontario for arguably the most beautiful freshwater fish.
Yet the book is about more than fly fishing. It’s about the interconnection of all living things. Reid writes lovingly about the contemplative sport as a metaphor for life. We often fail, but we have incredible moments of joy, especially when experiencing the Zen of fly fishing.
While reading the book, my pen was constantly in motion. So much of his recommended reads need to be explored. Holy Water by Jerry Kustich comes to mine, as does Trout Fishing by Joe Brooks.
When I learned to fly fish reasonably well, it was apparent to me that fly fishing is an art form; however, I’m not able to articulate this fact as well as Reid when he writes, ‘The practice is a craft that approaches art when executed at the highest level. Like a pen, burin, or guitar, a fly rod is a creative tool, an instrument of imagination.’
For bamboo purists, there’s a section on spit-cane rods. If art is your passion, there’s a chapter on Canada’s most famous painter, Tom Thomson, who also happened to be a fly fisher, as Reid argues persuasively.
Casting into Mystery is adorned with wonderful engravings executed by Wesley W. Bates, which could not have been done any better.
Reid writes, ‘Fishing is like love—it’s the ones that get away that cut the deepest, that leave wounds festering so they never completely heal.’ However, most of the book is about the joys one experiences while wading a river and casting a fly into mystery. It doesn’t get any better than that. If you are a fly fisher, Casting into Mystery is a must-read. It’s a welcome addition to books' long-storied history about the recreational sport.
DAVE BARRY, A FLY-FISHING ENTHUSIAST WITH WIDE KNOWLEDGE OF THE VISUAL ARTS & A MEMBER OF THE HAMILTON AREA FLY FISHERS & TIERS
January 18, 2021
Casting into Mystery, by author Robert Reid and engraver Wesley W. Bates, is a fine collection of deeply personal essays about fly fishing interwoven with equally personal journeys into prose, poetry, music and visual arts.
Reid’s writing style gives me a sense of having a quiet conversation while sitting by a small campfire or during a leisurely walk in the woods. His insights are meaningful and studied without seeming pretentious or heavy-handed.
Bates’s wood engravings are outstanding. This classic medium, in the hands of a master, dovetails organically with Reid’s elegant words.
Reid’s writing style gives me a sense of having a quiet conversation while sitting by a small campfire or during a leisurely walk in the woods. His insights are meaningful and studied without seeming pretentious or heavy-handed.
Bates’s wood engravings are outstanding. This classic medium, in the hands of a master, dovetails organically with Reid’s elegant words.
April 25, 2020
Full disclosure....Rob Reid is a good friend and fly fishing buddy. And I'm in his new book a lot. Which is very cool. However, on top of that, Rob's book is a great book for a bunch of other reasons too. It is superbly written and thought provoking as it explores the heritage of fly fishing; its philosophy, history, literature, art and music. It is a fly fishing feast, packed full of information that entices the reader to explore further and points in some promising directions. Wesley Bate's woodcuttings are wonderful and add another dimension to the feast. Highly recommended.
February 7, 2021
If you are fortunate enough to have among your constellation of friends and family a lover of fly fishing then you need to find a copy of Casting into Mystery to give them.
Robert Reid has written a multi-dimensional literary hybrid that celebrates the world of angling with stories and memories and a rich compendium of the best of fishing related literature and art.
As he tells it Reid came to fly fishing later in life after a career in journalism and in this book he conveys his absolute delight in all that he uncovers, in his own unmistakably authentic voice.
In reading a fishing memoir I always look for the origin story: how did the writer find his way to moving waters and the fish that swim there? For Reid it is a winding journey but ultimately it points back to his fascination with what he calls the Idea of North, and to his childhood trips to a cabin in the northern Ontario woods to stay with his friend’s memorable aunt and uncle.
Reid’s stories are interspersed with his parallel journey through the writings of favourite novelists, poets and song-writers, and the rich history of visual arts all tied in some way to angling. He draws on a deep pool of knowledge with many new discoveries awaiting the reader, My personal favourite is his recognition of the overlooked sub-genre of angling mystery novels. What fisherman could resist a title like The Royal Wulff Murders?
Among the fishing companions in Reid’s life is renowned Canadian artist Wesley Bates. For this book, Bates contributed a series of engravings that enrich the text and somehow embody the purity of the natural world that fish and fishermen inhabit – leading us deeper into the mystery that Reid pursues.
There are no guarantees in fishing but I am certain that readers will find much to savour in this book and many new paths to follow with an enlightened guide.
Robert Reid has written a multi-dimensional literary hybrid that celebrates the world of angling with stories and memories and a rich compendium of the best of fishing related literature and art.
As he tells it Reid came to fly fishing later in life after a career in journalism and in this book he conveys his absolute delight in all that he uncovers, in his own unmistakably authentic voice.
In reading a fishing memoir I always look for the origin story: how did the writer find his way to moving waters and the fish that swim there? For Reid it is a winding journey but ultimately it points back to his fascination with what he calls the Idea of North, and to his childhood trips to a cabin in the northern Ontario woods to stay with his friend’s memorable aunt and uncle.
Reid’s stories are interspersed with his parallel journey through the writings of favourite novelists, poets and song-writers, and the rich history of visual arts all tied in some way to angling. He draws on a deep pool of knowledge with many new discoveries awaiting the reader, My personal favourite is his recognition of the overlooked sub-genre of angling mystery novels. What fisherman could resist a title like The Royal Wulff Murders?
Among the fishing companions in Reid’s life is renowned Canadian artist Wesley Bates. For this book, Bates contributed a series of engravings that enrich the text and somehow embody the purity of the natural world that fish and fishermen inhabit – leading us deeper into the mystery that Reid pursues.
There are no guarantees in fishing but I am certain that readers will find much to savour in this book and many new paths to follow with an enlightened guide.
March 31, 2020
Rule one for writers is to write about what you know. In Casting into Mystery, author Robert Reid pays homage to this old adage. Between the covers of Casting into Mystery, readers learn about Reid's two great loves, good books and time on the river fly fishing.
Reid has had a life-long love of good books and fine literature, but came to fly fishing later in life. For him, discovering fly fishing was a life-changing experience, one that has brought him peace, joy and an understanding of how important the health of the earth is and how urgent it is for all of us to protect and nourish it.
Reid's well-honed writing skills are made only better with the engravings by Wesley W. Bates that are generously sprinkled through the book.
Reid has had a life-long love of good books and fine literature, but came to fly fishing later in life. For him, discovering fly fishing was a life-changing experience, one that has brought him peace, joy and an understanding of how important the health of the earth is and how urgent it is for all of us to protect and nourish it.
Reid's well-honed writing skills are made only better with the engravings by Wesley W. Bates that are generously sprinkled through the book.
December 18, 2020
This is a book to be savoured, not just read. A book that seduced while at the same time launched me off to reconnect with Thoreau, Berry, Roderick Haig Brown and even my own journals of camping and fishing with my sons. Where I would normally have one book on my night table I have 5 -Walden, Bright Waters, Sabbath Poems with Casting Into Mystery on top.
Reid has given the fly fishing community a beautiful gift with Casting Into Mystery.
If poetry is best read out loud, Casting Into Mystery is a book to be savoured quietly, line by line, chapter by chapter.
Reid has given the fly fishing community a beautiful gift with Casting Into Mystery.
If poetry is best read out loud, Casting Into Mystery is a book to be savoured quietly, line by line, chapter by chapter.
January 4, 2022
I'm going to be brutally honest, not the book for me, i love fishing, however i have never fly fished more of a live bait type guy, and the entire book is about fly fishing so it did not really resonate with me. I also do not read poems so another reason the book was not for me. However, if i ever do start to fly fish i am sure i will gain much more appreciation for this book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews