Your favorite spring hatch is either here or fast approaching. What better way to ramp up those dreams of rising trout than with a list of John Gierach’s best books? (Of course, we mean his best books in our opinion. If you’re seeking an opinion that’s closer to an objective ranking of his best prose, I don’t know, maybe give a stack to an MFA professor and see what happens.) Below is our list of the top 5 but don’t stop there. I’m being honest when I say that I have never encountered a book of Gierach’s writing that I didn’t enjoy. Honest. The only upsetting thing about these books is the nauseating feeling that he’s out there getting to fish and write for a living and I am not. But it quickly subsides.
Check out the list below and feel free to comment your favorite that should have made the cut.
5. Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders
We kick off our list of John Gierach’s best books with a classic. In this book, you’ll find the humorous fishing tales that you’ve come to expect from Gierach. But what makes this book stand out is the more philosophical undertones throughout.
To grab a copy, click HERE.
4. Standing in a River Waiving a Stick
There’s no one thing about this book that makes it different than any other Gierach on the list. It’s simply great writing that grabs your attention and keeps the pages flipping until the end – like Gierach is known to do. This book came in at #4 because I loved it – more than Death, Taxes, and Leaky Wader, but not as much as the next three. I can’t tell you why.
To grab a copy, click HERE.
3. A Fly Rod of Your Own
This is one Gierach’s more recent books and it’s a great read because you get more contemplative writing from Gierach as he discusses how the trout fishing has changed and how he has changed over his career. For more on this book, you can check out Gierach’s appearance on the The MeatEater Podcast that premiered not long after this book’s release. In that pod, you’ll notice Steven Rinella asking Gierach about several personal observations he discussed in this book.
To grab a copy, click HERE.
2. Dumb Luck and the Kindness of Strangers
This book edged out A Fly Rod of Your Own because it’s slightly more humorous, but only slightly. The writing is incredible in both books. For further validation, look no further than Tom McGuane’s review of the book: “John Gierach gives us fishing as the alert life; people, places and rivers seen by a first-rate noticer whose amiable disposition never alarms the prey.”
To buy a copy, click HERE.
1. Trout Bum
Fans of the blog will remember that this one also made out list of The Books of The MeatEater Podcast. For more detail on it, you can check out that post. But, if you know Gierach, then you know this book sparked a lifestyle change for countless “trout bums.”
If you haven’t already, grab a copy by clicking HERE.
BONUS – All The Time in the World
If you haven’t heard, Gierach just came out with his newest book! It didn’t make the list because, frankly, I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. But don’t let that stop you from grabbing a copy. You know you’ll want to buy it eventually anyway.
Click HERE.