I enjoy David Van Wie’s columns in The Maine Sportsman, so I’ve been looking forward to reading his new book, Storied Waters, published by Stackpole Books.
Storied Waters is the story of David’s six week adventure fishing from Maine to Wisconsin. He actually traveled 5000 miles and fished in many famous waters.
David started his adventure on Walden Pond, the home of Henry David Thoreau, and finished his adventure back in Maine on the Rapid River and the East and West branches of the Penobscot River. All three are long time favorites of mine.
On the Rapid River, David stays with Aldro French, in the summer camp and winter house that once belonged to Louise Dickinson Rich. Louise wrote a book about her life there, titled We Took to the Woods. I stayed with Aldro once, and slept in the summer house.
After Louise’s husband died, she sold the house and camp, but she left a lot of things there. I had my picture taken sitting at Louise’s manual typewriter that is now in the Oquossic Museum. And yes, on that visit, I caught a lot of beautiful native brook trout.
David fishes in many famous waters, often with people who know those waters very well. He also tells us the history of those waters and about famous angler/authors who fished in and wrote about those waters. I enjoyed the quotes that David included from those famous angler/authors. And he provides all the details you need to fish those waters yourself.
What I most enjoyed about the book are David’s stories about his own experiences on those waters. Yes, he caught lots of fish, but not always. The book includes many beautiful photos of those famous waters.
David has had an interesting career, serving as Director of the Bureau of Land and Water Quality for Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection, and as a state representative in the 124th legislature. He writes a blog about fly fishing and environmental issues at watchyourbackcast.com. Check it out!