Fishing with My Old Guy - Softcover

Quarrington, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1550545647 ISBN 13: 9781550545647

Publisher: Greystone Books, 2003

Synopsis

In the fall of 1994, Deval set out to fish the Broadback from the wilderness in search of the big one. He had a particular spot in mind, and neither shoulder-high bracken nor a whirling dervish of a wind was going to stand in his way. With him were fellow fishers Gary, Paulo and Paul Quarrington, that is, who has recorded their adventures here.

Does our intrepid fishing party manage to snag the elusive trophy? You’ll have to read this book to find out. Along the way, you’ll find your-self irresistibly drawn into a hilarious and wide-ranging investigation of the art of angling, the mystery of piscatorial pleasure and the love of nature or is that the nature of love?

About this title

Review:

The plain truth is that Paul Quarrington seems, from his writing and stories, to be exactly the sort of guy you'd want to go fishing with. And if you aren't into fishing, then he's the sort of guy to spin the tall tales for which fishing is known. Very funny and likably down-to-earth, Quarrington imparts his enthusiasm for clever brookies, elegant fly casts, and the wind-blown reaches of Quebec as he wades the cold streams in search of the legendary, record-breaking speckled trout.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Novelist Quarrington (Whale Music, 1989) coaxes a wealth of bright humor from a couple of unlikely suspects: a fishless fishing trip and some really bad weather. Quarrington's fly fishing had hit one of those transitional moments when a guide was needed to facilitate passage to a higher plane, in this case mastering the double-haul cast. He became an acolyte at the feet of Gordon Deval, a magus and ``Old Guy'' who knew the secrets and was willing to share them--``Oh no, Grasshopper. Too much motion. The wrist must lock like a door against thieves.'' And in addition to the mysteries of casting, he was also willing to share the holiest of holies: the secret glory hole, where only lunkers lurk. It lay north, far north, in Quebec. For two weeks in August, Gordon and Quarrington and two others would form a balanced, equitable little society on an island in a lake that just might, Gordon had a feeling, surrender the biggest speckled trout in the world. The isle turned out to be something Dr. Moreau would have fancied: cruel wind, dark low skies, every prospect vile. The men were cold and wet and hungry, fetid and confused and angry because, of course, there were no fish there. During the extended lull, Quarrington's mind wandered, to tournament casting and casting clubs, to fishing for ``wyatt bias'' in Arkansas, to a rueful salmon encounter. There are times when the writing can get a tad wordy, as when the author probes distant autobiographical reaches; but before it gets oppressive, Quarrington is back in form, flashing drollery and wit, a big- hearted younger guy who understands the poetry of the double-haul, though the technique remains beyond him. If Quarrington is half as entertaining around a campfire as he is in this book, then he represents the Platonic ideal of the fishing buddy. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greystone Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1550545647
• ISBN 13: 9781550545647
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 176