The Kelly Creek Chronicles [Paperback]

Colbert E. Cushing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2002

Every fly fisher has a favorite stream, the one that comes to mind when reminiscing about fishing. A stream can be special because the fishing was extraordinary, because of the people who were involved, because of the setting, or for any number of reasons.

This book collects memories of 18 years of fishing in the author's favorite stream. He recounts excellent days of catching wild cutthroat trout, days shared with special friends and family, and rare encounters with wildlife. What do you do when you encounter a moose standing where you want to fish? How enrapturing is the sight of river otters playing in an emerald-green pool? How thrilling, and disappointing, is the sight of a bear swimming through a pool just as you were about to fish it?

Special people enter the stories; some make only a trip or two, others become regulars, and one is lost forever. This book is rich in stories that made this stream so special...favorite flies, good friends, and beautiful countryside.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...he writes in an easy and conversational style. Sharing his memories will bring back those of your own Kelly Creek. -- Austin Condon, U.S. Forest Service (retired) and angler.

...never been to Kelly Creek, but I think I know...about this special place just from reading this book. -- Dave Penrose, Aquatic Ecologist.

About the Author

Colbert E. Cushing is a retired stream ecologist and avid fly fisherman. He has studied streams throughout the United States and Canada, including Alaska. He recently co-authored the popular book "Streams: Their Ecology and Life" to help anglers, naturalists, conservationists, and other interested laymen understand how streams and rivers function. He lectures widely to fly fishing clubs and student/teacher groups and teaches summer courses in stream ecology at Yellow and Rocky Mountain National parks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Majestic Press (September 15, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0962531170
• ISBN-13: 978-0962531170
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,650,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than Canned Spaghetti, September 21, 2008

By 

Philip Carl "EcoAngler" (Half Moon Bay, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Kelly Creek Chronicles (Paperback)

A stream ecologist takes up fly fishing here. And in this 80 page book, the author strikes out for Kelly Creek in Idaho. For the better part of 15 years "Cush" makes an annual pilgrimage to a remote stretch of creek in the Clearwater National Forest.

Each year's trip varies primarily in weather and numbers of trout caught. Get this - a ten to twenty fish day is considered "slow" for these guys. The cast of anglers changes slightly from trip to trip. Cush brings work colleagues, in-laws, the wife and his son. The latter years chronicled have a similar rhythm and become predictable, but thankfully its a quick read.

You have to admire Cush's connection with this water to return year after year regardless of weather or car problems. What I admire most about Cush though is his simple, basic approach. He fishes a Royal Wulff almost exclusively and doesn't go beyond a can of spaghetti for dinner. As you read the Kelly Creek Chronicles you come to realize the recipe for success on this remote creek is pretty simple.