"The Snake River drains many of the most famous steelhead fly-fishing streams in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, such as the main stem Snake, Clearwater, Salmon, Imnaha, and Grande Ronde. This book includes many of the best anglers (and legends such as Jim and Carol Green, Bill Nelson, Ted Trueblood, Tom Morgan, and Keith Stonebraker, and others) from the beginnings of steelhead fly-fishing in the last century to the present time. Many of the people interviewed for this book speak in their own words in endearing colloquial English! This book is the equivalent of the Sacrament of Confirmation for steelhead fly anglers. Each year, 150,000 to 250,000 summer steelhead return to the holy waters of these river systems. Dan Landeen has created a wonderful STEELHEADER'S book!" - Frank Amato

Steelhead Country is not just a collection of random fishing stories. It is a personal and lovingly crafted account of a life spent immersed in a tradition that stretches back generations. Acclaimed flyfisherman and author Steve Raymond paints a picture of the world of steelhead trout that is “a realm of vast landscapes, of cold mountain rivers flowing down through silent, shadowed forests . . . , of ragged coastlines honeycombed with hidden harbors and secret bays where bright rivers mingle with the sea.” Raymond traces not just the journey of steelhead along the icy gray rivers of the Pacific Northwest but also his own development as a flyfisherman, recalling following in his father’s footsteps and joining him on quiet waterways. Then, steelhead were more a myth than reality—something he only knew from stories. He began to look anywhere he could for information on how to catch this unique, elusive fish, until finally, in a moment of adrenalin-filled excitement, he caught his first steelhead. Steelhead Country tells the story of a life in fishing in the same vein as Roderick Haig-Brown’s A River Never Sleeps. Through the joys and challenges of fly fishing for steelhead, Raymond describes and pays tribute to his connection with nature and a great fishing tradition. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Aldo Leopold was known to advocate a love of sport as a catalyst for conservation, and his own preference was the sport of fly fishing. But fly fishing is not just a religious or spiritual endeavour. It is also a sport essential to the conservation movement. No fly fisherman wishes to wade into rivers full of stormwater, to cast for invasive Asian carp. Freshwater anglers have been foundational to the preservation and management of freshwater fisheries and waters for centuries. To Leopold s land ethic, fly fishing adds an aquatic vitality. Surveys of fly fishing culture reveal that the sport ranks among the highest for experiences of nature and understanding of ecology. So, it s not surprising that fly fishing, and organizations like Trout Unlimited, has influenced fisheries management, conservation, and restoration in coldwater systems across the world. Backcasts reels these important topics in by exploring the intersection of conservation and fly fishing, in its history, present, and potential future."

A personal account of fly fishing in the Pacific Northwest.

The most all-encompassing compendium of truly valuable information on steelhead ever written. —Jack Hemingway There are exceptional chapters on the fish itself; the tackle and techniques used to pursue it under diverse circumstances in such great steelhead rivers as the Deschutes, the Dean, the North Umpqua, the Bulkley, the Rogue and the Babine, and memorable profiles of the modern masters and the fly patterns they developed.