Trout Eyes: True Tales of Adventure, Travel, and Fly Fishing

by William G. Tapply

Fly fishermen everywhere will enjoy these varied, witty, and engaging adventures by one of America’s finest outdoor writers.  There is a long section on trout fishing called “Brookies, Browns, and Bows,” and another on the challenges and excitement of saltwater fly fishing, and an exciting group of memoirs about fishing near home and in far-flung and often exotic places—like the Minipi, Bighorn, and Norfolk rivers, where the trout can beggar the imagination, and where frustration can be the occupational hazard.  Trout Eyes is a love letter to the fish we pursue and insects they eat and the waters in which they live.

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published March 31, 2007

About the author

William G. Tapply (1940–2009) was an American author best known for writing legal thrillers. A lifelong New Englander, he graduated from Amherst and Harvard before going on to teach social studies at Lexington High School. He published his first novel, Death at Charity’s Point, in 1984. A story of death and betrayal among Boston Brahmins, it introduced crusading lawyer Brady Coyne, a fishing enthusiast whom Tapply would follow through twenty-five more novels, including Follow the Sharks, The Vulgar Boatman, and the posthumously published Outwitting Trolls.

Besides writing regular columns for Field and Stream, Gray’s Sporting Journal, and American Angler, Tapply wrote numerous books on fishing, hunting, and life in the outdoors. He was also the author of The Elements of Mystery Fiction, a writer’s guide. He died in 2009, at his home in Hancock, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Michael Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved the outdoors and have spent countless hours, hiking, hunting, fishing, etc. But I have never gone fly fishing. It has always intrigued me and I hope to take up the practice one of these years.

Reading this fantastic book gave me some good insight and wet my appetite for this time honored practice!

[Adam Morel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am about to have the opportunity to explore a world that will be new to me - the pristine world of fly fishing. For trout, the most beautiful of fresh water fish. I can’t wait to catch my first. In the meantime, this collection of essays hooked me pretty good. Recommended for those who love fathers and friends and the challenge of clear water and smart, gorgeous fish.

[Debbie Cranberryfries · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun mix of childhood memories, adventures, and days out on the water and tips and how tos to make or find the best flies for the fish you're after.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The qualities of Bill Tapply's work which jump out are: (1) the craftsmanship of his writing - first class, and (2) the universal themes anglers have grown to know and love. Bill describes settings which transport our minds to the beloved dream-world of casting a dry fly to a large feeding brown trout. And he transports us from our real world of suburban spawl and traffic jams to our favorite escapes faster than 2 large aspirin.

The stories he tells in Trout Eyes, especially of his youth, embody a Norman Rockwell quality. A certain purity and innocence of a time past as rendered in this passage:

"As the winter nights passed, his boxes filled with flies. When I was a kid, there were very few evenings when Dad didn't put in an hour or two at the vise. And if I sat there quietly and waited long enough, he'd eventually pat his knee and invite me to climb up and time a fly or my own."

A boy sitting on his father's knee at the tying vise paints a classic image of the fishing tradition - knowledge being passed down from father to son.

Trout Eyes isn't just about trout either. One moment we are at the tying vise, the next Bill is covering the technical aspects of tippet material in the "X Factor." If forced to pick from the various stories that comprise this book, my favorite short story would be "Thinkin' Mean." The story appeals to me on a couple of levels. First, as a long-time fly fisherman, I can relate to the hard won knowledge that it makes to master a complex mayfly hatch on water like the Willowemoc. But more importantly, it's a story about one of the golden rules we as anglers should live by. (By the way, there's a least three other unwritten golden rules for angling.) And this golden rule is simple: to share your knowledge and insight with others (a.k.a. the secret fly). So, Bill if we should ever share the same water and I mange to hook all the fish, I'll be sure to throw a "Cigarette fly" your way.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good mix of fishing stories and lessons intertwined. One of his better books that I have read.

[MikeFromQueens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice read and a look into the perspectives of a devotee. Being from the area, I could relate to the author's stories and found it entertaining.