Customer Reviews

Fly-Fishing in Southern New Mexico (Coyote Books (Albuquerque, N.M.).)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have been a fly fisherman from time to time over the last ten years or so, and I lived in the Southwest from 1977 until 1998. My family returned to the area for a vacation and re-visited the Gila National Forest last summer, equipped with a lot of fishing gear and Rex's book. FFSNM seemed to bring the Gila's trout streams to life. This book is a kind of "sleeper'. Not many people have read it, but it's a good example of quality outdoing quantity. A lot of really good things in this world, like this book, remain overlooked, but that's probably fortunate in this case, because, like Rex Johnson, Jr., I liked having the Gila all to myself.

This book is simply the best available for southern New Mexico, and one of the bext of its type. Very comprehensive. It's clear that the author has actually been to and caught fish at the many remote spots he describes, over a period of many years. If you are even thinking of visiting the remote mountains of southern New Mexico, this is for your bookshelf

This is a great book. It's as much a piece of literature as a book about fishing..

The kind of "excellence" described in the author's (excellent) introduction pervades this detailed guide. Historical anecdote is meticulously intertwined with drily philosophical musings on the uneasy relationship between cow, cowboy and trout. Tips for fly types and sizes,line weights, rod lengths and other technicia may seem somewhat cursory,as the author's great affinity is not for technique and equipment but for the wild trout he has caught here. There is a certain "reading between the lines," necessary to get full benefit from this book -- in this way it can be as rewarding (or frustrating) as what is sometimes called literature.

I think this is a very good book; it's well-written, accurate (for 1995, when it was completed), and it even has a certain "literary" quality. I read the whole 200 pp. in a couple of days without "slobering" (I think this is supposed to mean slobbering, see review below) one bit.

This book about southern New Mexico trout, by Rex Johnson, Jr. is just as informative as his corresponding book on Arizona. It concentrates on the Gila, where most of the trout are, and it could even be used by hikers/backpackers who visit the Gila Wilderness, the way it describes the stream systems, terrain, trails, and small mountain ranges; and of course it lists nearly every trout water in southern New Mexico, even the smallest. The stream maps are excellent. The intro, a little essay about fly-fishing is, to use the author's word, "excellent". My only complaint is that it's very hard to get hold of.

I don't know if it was because the author himself really thought this was a good book, or if it was because I had other things on my mind while reading it. Rex Johnson is a fair writer, and does provide interesting information at times. However, I found myself falling asleep, slobering while I was reading it. I guess fly fishing is not for me! Illustrations in the book are up to par. If you like fly fishing, maybe, borrow it before you think about buying it. Really!