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.

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."