Fishing
Cumberland Valley, Pennsylvania, where Whistlestop Bookshop is situated, is generously watered and drained by creeks renowned for their fishing. Conodoguinet Creek, which flows about 100 miles to the Susquehanna River and is nearest to Carlisle, is actually better known for the fishing in its two tributaries, Big Spring Creek out of the Newville area (only 5 miles) and Letort Spring Run, which arises south of Carlisle and flows north 9 miles to the Conodoguinet. The Yellow Breeches Creek, which flows along South Mountain for 56 miles to the Susquehanna, is internationally famous for its trout fishing.
Naturally, a trout-fishing and especially a fly-fishing culture has developed, sometimes thought to be mostly local, sometimes acknowledged to be of world interest — the world that loves the quiet and focus and solitary rewards of fly-fishing. Rarely, the local zen masters of fishing wrote books. Charlie Fox was once a customer of Whistlestop, and Joe Humphreys is still in print and in fact the subject of a documentary we carry. Fishing does inspire fine writing, after all — the names of Izaak Walton, Norman MacLean, Thomas McGuane, Patrick McManus, John Gierach suggest the range of approaches in writing about “standing in a river waving a stick,” to use Gierach’s famous descripton.
Dedicated to the memory of a great fisherman and an even better brother, Gordon Wood (1956-2020).
L.L. Bean Fly-Fishing Handbook
L.L. Bean Fly-Fishing Handbook
With colorful, concise, and easy-to-follow illustrations, The L.L. Bean Fly-Fishing Handbook offers a fun introduction to the sport. This friendly volume coaches readers on the basics of fly-casting and assembly of tackle without demanding that the reader invest tons of time and money. The goal here is getting started, and this useful, portable book won't sit on the shelf--it's meant to be taken outdoors for easy consultation. Author Dave Whitlock covers the foods fish eat and how to imitate those foods, details the necessary fly assortment for novices, and provides a useful glossary. Chapters added in this edition include approaches to saltwater fish species, ethics and sportsmanship, and methods for fishing from boats and float tubes.