by Monte Burke
First published 2025
Monte Burke casts his line into waters across six continents, chasing everything from Atlantic salmon in remote streams to striped bass in New York City's crowded shores. His rod takes him through Florida's mangrove mazes in search of bonefish, across Chile's jungle rivers hunting trout, and onto Russia's frozen landscape pursuing whatever swims beneath the ice. But Burke discovers that the fish themselves matter less than the reasons he seeks them. Each cast becomes a question about what drives anglers to travel thousands of miles for a creature they'll likely release. Carl Hiaasen calls Burke's voice funny, wistful, and wonderful, and these thirty-one pieces prove it. Burke profiles legendary figures like Lefty Kreh and Andy Mill, but he's equally interested in the unknown fishermen he meets in distant places. The book focuses on the motivations behind fly fishing rather than its mechanics, exploring why people dedicate their lives to this pursuit across diverse landscapes and cultures.
Genres: nature, adventure, sports, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, travelogue
Setting: Atlantic Ocean, Chile, Florida, New York City, Russia
Period: 21st Century
208 pages · Kindle Edition · Pegasus Books