The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life

The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life

by David Coggins
The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life

The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life

by David Coggins

Hardcover

$21.99  $26.00 Save 15% Current price is $21.99, Original price is $26. You Save 15%.
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Temporarily Out of Stock Online
  • PICK UP IN STORE
    Check Availability at Nearby Stores

Related collections and offers


Overview

An “excellent” (The New York Times) modern tribute to an ageless pastime, and a practical guide to the art, philosophy, and rituals of fly fishing, by an expert, lifelong angler.

In The Optimist, David Coggins makes a case for the skills and sensibility of an enduring sport and shares the secrets, frustrations, and triumphs of the great tradition of fly fishing, which has captivated anglers worldwide.

Written in wry, wise, and keenly observed prose, each chapter focuses on a specific place, fish, and skill. Few individuals, for example, have the visual acuity required to catch the nearly invisible bonefish of the Bahamas flats. Or the patience to land the elusive Atlantic salmon, “the fish of a thousand casts,” in eastern Canada. Pursuing these challenges, Coggins, “a confirmed obsessive,” travels to one fishing paradise after another, including the great rivers of Patagonia, private chalk streams in England, remote ponds in Maine, and New York City’s Jamaica Bay. In each setting, he chronicles his fortunes and misfortunes with honesty and humor while meditating on how fishing teaches focus, inner stillness, and a connection to the natural world.

Perfect for the novice, the enthusiastic amateur, and the devoted angler alike, The Optimist offers a practical path to enlightenment while providing “a rueful, thoughtful, and very funny examination of an elegant obsession” (Jay McInerney).

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781982152505
Publisher: Scribner
Publication date: 05/04/2021
Pages: 256
Sales rank: 120,171
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

David Coggins is the author of The Optimist and the New York Times bestseller Men and Style. He writes about travel, style, and fishing for numerous publications, including the Financial Times, Esquire, and his newsletter, The Contender. Coggins lives in New York and fishes regularly in the Catskills, Wisconsin, and Montana.

Table of Contents

The Contrary Act Introduction 1

Wisconsin 15

Smallmouth Bass Timing

Montana 45

Cutthroat Trout Assurance

Bahamas 73

Bonefish Vision

Patagonia 103

Rainbow Trout Loss

New York 131

Striped Bass Intuition

Canada 157

Atlantic Salmon Patience

Maine 181

Brook Trout Persistence

England 207

Brown Trout Stealth

Afterword 235

Home Water

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews