...And When You Go Fishing...

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

Ron Nelson is a familiar name to those whose personal bent leads them into the lake and river areas and the forests of British Columbia. His articles have appeared in B.C. Outdoors, Fly Fisherman, the Vancouver Sun and other publications. He contributes regularly to the Morningside programme on CBC Radio. Many of these 40-odd short pieces have appeared before; to read them again in book form is to rediscover a gentle and fine storyteller who brings to his tales the grace and wit of a language stylist.

Nelson’s book is divided into four parts, corresponding to the seasons — fall, winter, spring, summer. The dozen or so pieces included in each section are rarely more than a page or two in length but are vignettes as whole and as satisfying as short stories. It is no mean feat to render a fisherman’s exploits in a literate and enjoyable style. The book is a gentle reminder (for those who have forgotten) and a re-affirmation (for those who have not) of the joys to be gained from a rod and reel, in any season, at any time. Noel Wooten’s black-and-white illustrations add a timeless quality to the stories, with their grimacing salmon and hip-booted fishermen.