Headwaters - by Dylan Tomine (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Dylan Tomine takes us to the far reaches of the planet in search of fish and adventure, with keen insight, a strong stomach, and plenty of laughs along the way. Closer to home, he wades deeper into his beloved steelhead rivers of the Pacific Northwest and the politics of saving them. Tomine celebrates the joy--and pain--of exploration, fatherhood, and the comforts of home waters from a vantage point well off the beaten path. His book traces the evolution of a lifelong angler's priorities from fishing to the survival of the fish themselves."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

". . . a sparkling, elegiac book." -- The Wall Street Journal

Christmas Island. The Russian Arctic. Argentine Patagonia. Japan. Cuba. British Columbia.

Dylan Tomine takes us to the far reaches of the planet in search of fish and adventure, with keen insight, a strong stomach and plenty of laughs along the way. Closer to home, he wades deeper into his beloved steelhead rivers of the Pacific Northwest and the politics of saving them. Tomine celebrates the joy--and pain--of exploration, fatherhood and the comforts of home waters from a vantage point well off the beaten path. Headwaters traces the evolution of a lifelong angler's priorities from fishing to the survival of the fish themselves. It is a book of remarkable obsession, environmental awareness shaped by experience, and hope for the future.

Review Quotes

A die-hard fly fisherman reflects on the glories of angling and his role in diminishing the natural world.

"Fishing was never a sport, a pastime or hobby for me. It was, and continues to be, who I am." So writes Tomine, who has been fishing the Skykomish and other northwestern rivers since he was a kid. He was so obsessed that on Sundays, his single mother, a graduate student, would take him to the river and, as he cast his lines, do her homework while waiting in a parking area nearby. In this collection of his writings in sports and fishing journals, Tomine recounts some of his excellent adventures. In one shaggy dog story, he recalls being in a van in Russia in which was hidden a block of Swedish cheese so stinky that it ignited a pitched battle over which of the fishing adventurers had farted. In a less unpleasantly odorous tale, the author praises an Argentine barbecue during which his plate held "a significant fraction--like one fourth to one half--of an entire animal." Tomine's principal goal is to bag steelhead trout, of which he writes with affection and intelligence. His principal opponent throughout is a bureaucratic system that stocks the rivers of the Pacific Northwest with hatchery-bred trout, which crowd out wild fish even with the removal of dams on those streams. "If the point of dam removal is wild salmon recovery," he asks, "why would we spend millions of dollars on something that works counter to the point?" Tomine ponders how climate change is affecting fish populations, wild and hatchery-grown, and his own role as a world traveler in putting down a heavy carbon footprint on the land. Mostly, however, the pieces are easily digested celebrations of the easy freedom of being on a river, rod and reel in hand.

"What is fly fishing? Everything." Anglers will find Tomine's book a spirited defense of that thesis. -- _{Kirkus Reviews}

"What is fly fishing? Everything." Anglers will find Tomine's book a spirited defense of that thesis. -- Kirkus Reviews

Tomine delivers a work that informs and moves in equal measure. This is sure to reel in readers. --Publishers Weekly

. . . a sparkling, elegiac book. -- The Wall Street Journal

"Dylan Tomine isn't just a writer, he's a researcher, reporter, biographer, historian, humorist, essayist, and columnist. But mostly, he's just a great storyteller--one that understands a story needn't be twelve thousand words to be compelling." -- The Drake

With quick delivery, injections of humor and such locales as Northwest steelhead country, Patagonia,
Russia and Japan, Tomine's explorations will keep you in your chair when the river is too swollen to fish. But after a day or two of dropping water levels, the author will be the first to tell you to go cast a line: "It's just that when the river's right, the river's right. -- Anglers' Journal

"I belong to an informal book club on Skype with three college buddies scattered from New England to the Pacific Northwest. Over the years, we have discussed many elevating reads. But this is one of the best I've encountered in a long while. I'm the only angler in the group. Still, my friends harbor

eclectic interests and love good stories in all forms. Next time it's my turn to choose, this book gets the nod."--Scott Dailey, American Fly Fishing

"Come for the writing, stay for the paintings, and proudly display Headwaters on your shelf for many years to come." --Ed Roberson, Mountain and Prairie podcast

About the Author

Dylan Tomine, formerly a fly fishing guide, is now a writer, conservation advocate, blueberry farmer and father, not necessarily in that order. His work has appeared in the Flyfish Journal, the Drake, Golfweek, the New York Times and numerous other publications.

Thomas Francis McGuane III is an American author. His work includes ten novels, short fiction and screenplays, as well as three collections of essays devoted to his life in the outdoors.