Buddy wrote:

I've spent weeks figuring out ways to take weight out of my backpack and
still have everything I need for a four-day flyfishing
trip in October (two hiking days and two fishing days from basecamp). To
celebrate shedding those pounds I'd like to add a paperback book:

I don't know if it's available in paperback, but I just finished
Thomas McGuane's _The Longest Silence_. It's a collection of fishing
stories from all over the world, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. His
writing style is nice; introspective without being maudlin and
descriptive without being forced.

Speaking of Middleton, :-) FWIW, I agree with you on him. I got
_On the Spine of Time_ after my trip to NC, and while it's fun to read
about places you have visited, I can barely stomach his writing style.
He seems to be intent on packing in as much overwrought imagery per
square inch of page as possible.

Robert Traver is another one who would be nice for some light
reading after a day on the water. His _Trout Magic_ and _Trout Madness_
are both nice. (They are available in paperback.)


Chuck Vance