‘The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life’

If we’re being completely honest, fishing was never something that really appealed to us outside of the fact it afforded us to be alone for hours at a time while drinking beer in the process. Fly fishing, however, is a completely different ball of lines, lures, and wax as it were because it’s a timeless, ageless pastime filled with the kind of essential skills and sensibility required for everything else these days. That’s where author David Collins and his recent book The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life comes in. The Optimist sees Coggins making a case for the skills and sensibility of this enduring sport with its secrets, frustrations, and triumphs over the course of its 250+ pages of witty, keenly observed prose, location-specific details, and the detail-oriented human characteristics required for success. Whether you’re a novice, enthusiastic amateur, or devoted angler, The Optimist has something for every fishing enthusiast to learn.