West Coast River Angling

Matt Hartman is a freelance editor and cataloguer, running Hartman Cataloguing, Editing and Indexing Services.

West Vancouver’s Carlisle started his river angling in 1971 and has
been “hooked” ever since. His book is less a guide to fishing spots
than a personal celebration of the pleasures to be found in river
angling. His accounts are full of specific instances of fish caught and
fish lost, and of the vagaries of weather systems and tidal flows. Most
of all the book is a tribute to the fish themselves (especially to the
steelhead trout of which the author is so fond) and a plea to sports
fishermen, commercial fishermen, Native fishermen, and government
officials alike to do more to understand and conserve this valuable but
diminishing resource.

Carlisle, a director of Steelhead Society of British Columbia, has also
served on a Salmonid Enhancement Task Group. His environmental concerns
are expressed with fervor and intelligence. While most of the book
consists of accounts (often too technical for the novice angler to
understand) of techniques, tackles, and gear, the final third encourages
all types of fishermen to take responsibility for ensuring that the
stocks of river fish, both trout and salmon, survive into the next
generation.

A “lure chart,” a glossary, and an index are useful additions; 32
pages of black-and-white photos are also included.