Book Review: Fly Fishing the Mountain Lakes by Gary LaFontaine

A few weeks ago one of my teaching colleagues asked me if I wanted to float the Bitterroot.  “Naw,” I replied.  “It’s muddy, and by the weekend it will be blown out for fishing.”  He looked at me and slowly shook his head.  “Dave, have you ever floated or hiked in the backcountry without fishing?  Can you not commune with nature without a fly rod in your hand?”

I just shrugged my shoulders and chuckled when I realized that since childhood I had few recollections of floating without fishing, and I could never recall hiking without fishing.  What would be the point?  To that end, I have been reading books on hiking and fishing in Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park as I prepare for my summer odyssey.  The most enjoyable book that I have read on mountain lake fishing is Gary LaFontaine’s book (ISBN: 0-9626663-7-8).  If you plan on doing some serious backcountry fishing, this book is a must buy.

LaFontaine writes a book that keeps you alternating between laughing and taking notes.  The book’s chapters alternate between his anecdotal stories of fishing with his friends, his dog named Chester and a pack goat named Rufus and how-to lessons.  I especially enjoyed reading about ice-out strategies and specific stillwater techniques such as the Floss Blow Line, the Hang-and-Bob, and the Multiple Roll.  I was particularly interested in LaFontaine’s  explanation on “the magic winds of summer…four primary delivery systems for moving terrestrials from the land to the water.”

I marveled at his equipment suggestions and mentally calculated that I would have to take a second mortgage on my house to own half the rods and supplies that he mentions.  Nonetheless, I savored and lingered over his equipment suggestions.  What a great summer read before heading up to one of those high mountain gems.