An Honest Angler: The Best of Sparse Grey Hackle
Sparse Grey Hackle is a legendary member of the fly-fishing literati, although he'd be the first to resign from anything that sounded as pretentious as "literati." For years his articles, writing he referred to with a usual dollop of self-deprecation as "huntin', shootin', fishin'" columns, delighted readers of outdoors magazines. Although an outdoorsman in the general sense, Sparse was, above all, an angler of the fly, plying his love on the famed trout streams of the Catskills.An Honest Anglercollects many of these pieces, reflecting the author's generous wit and experience, along with correspondence to noted fly-fishers. His writing, like a smooth cast, deftly covers a variety of productive "waters," moving from the tall tales of fishermen to the finer points of presenting a particular dry fly to a particularly fussy trout. Those already familiar with the work of Sparse Grey Hackle will welcome this new edition of previously uncollected material; those new to Sparse and his place in the golden age of American fly-fishing are in for a pleasant surprise.