Reading the Water: Fly Fishing, Fatherhood, and Finding Strength in Nature

The must-have gift for dad this holiday season, in this memoir "a father shares the joys of fly-fishing with his daughters... A heartfelt, beautifully written celebration of the wonders of nature and comfort of family" (Kirkus STARRED)

Fishing was Mark Hume's passion since he was a young boy, a lifeline through a childhood marked by his family's frequent moves. When he became a father, he knew he wanted to pass on his love of water, fishing, and the natural world to his daughters. Most of all, he wanted to give them hope for their future even as they were coming of age during uncertain times.

As soon as they were old enough, Mark taught his girls how to read the water and see the patterns in nature. He showed them how to cast, how to catch fish and release them, and--only when needed--how to kill them. He discovered that fly fishing and fatherhood require many of the same skills: patience, flexibility, and the knowledge of when to reel in and when to let go.

Illuminating and heartfelt, Reading the Water is a much-needed, positive story about a father raising daughters, and a meditation on finding faith in a deep connection with the natural world.

ISBN-13: 9781771645690

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Greystone Books

Publication Date: 05-10-2022

Pages: 288

Product Dimensions: 5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.00(d)

Mark Hume is an award-winning environmental journalist and author of four books, including the acclaimed River of the Angry Moon. He was formerly a national correspondent and columnist with the Globe and Mail, BC bureau chief for the National Post, and a senior correspondent with the Vancouver Sun. Based in Vancouver, he has fly fished in British Columbia for fifty years.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

I Headwaters

The Watershed 8

Reading the Water 17

Atim Creek 28

The Master 51

A Small Run 68

II Overflow

Saint Joseph 78

Two 94

Easter Blessing 106

Where the River Leads 119

Casting Instructions 139

Catch and Release 149

Caught 164

Fly Tying Spells 173

Hesquiat 186

III Alluvium

The Hermitage 208

A Deer in the Woods 217

Swimming Up 232

The Path Through the Forest 241

Bound by Water 258

Acknowledgments 275

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