Five stars for Casting Onward

If you aren’t a fishing person, this book just may make you consider becoming one.

Author Steve Ramirez describes the experience of fishing and the relationships associated with his fishing activities that well.

Ramirez really shines as a writer when talking about relationships — with friends, his father and nature. And describing what it’s like to be where he is, doing what he’s doing with who he’s with.

Throughout the book he sprinkles the importance of maintaining the wonderful places and species he encounters so that we and future generations can continue having these experiences.

The book is organized in 21 chapters with a prologue and an epilogue. Twenty one fishing trips through the United States. Each trip seeking a different native fish.

You could read this book quickly or over time. The writing is very accessible and engaging.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys fishing, hunting, hiking, birding, anyone who enjoys the outdoors and time in nature.

A wonderful book.

Thank you Net Galley, Rowman & Littlefield and Lyons Press for the ARC at no cost in exchange for my honest review.

Casting Onward is the second book of fishing stories by Steve Ramirez. Due out 1st May from Rowman & Littlefield on their Lyons Press imprint, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is not a "how-to" tutorial guide. There are no maps or directions to recommended fishing areas, and no photographs. What it does include is a warm and conversational bunch of essays about specific game fish in the USA and the author's experiences with them, and with the outdoors people who care about and fish them. The author is quite gifted at conveying a sense of calm and meditative respect for the sport of fly fishing. I grew up with fishermen and have always enjoyed camping and outdoor pursuits. They fished, I read (or foraged, or took photographs). Reading this book reminded me a lot of my younger days. There is quite a lot of history interspersed in the stories: mental attitude, fishermen/women, fish, locations, human interaction, and the bigger philosophical life questions. I wasn't expecting to be as engaged in the read as I was.

The illustrations, which are simple charcoal and graphite sketches, really added a lot to the book. This would make a superlative gift to a fisherman, library acquisition, or for the home library. Highly recommended to fans of nature/sport writers, naturists such as Thomas McGuane and/or Norman Maclean. There are no photographs in this edition, except the covers.

The book also includes a short bibliography for further reading.

Five stars. Beautifully written.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is the second book of Ramirez's that I have had the pleasure of reading. He has a way of making you feel like you are alongside him as he fishes many different areas. Not only alongside him, but seeing through his eyes the sights he sees, the friends he is interacting with, and the experiences he has. Truly a rare thing in today's mass produced books!
For this book, the author travels to find native fish. Many may be only a few inches long, but they are the true survivors in today's shrinking world. His descriptions are wonderful.
To me, where the book really shines though, is in his writing about his friends. Absolutely the same feelings I have when I am fishing with buddies, but unfortunately I cannot express the emotions nearly as well as he.
Let me give a few examples.
"The best part of any adventure is often the anticipation".
" The fishing was wonderful, the catching was great, but the sharing of this river and these times with my friends was the best thing. It always is. I slept well that night".
And on and on. There is just so much wisdom and joy written into this book!
I am going to hold on to this one and reread it many times in the future. And I will be buying copies for my fishing friends!
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me the privilege of reading and reviewing an ARC of this book.

Admittedly, I am not an angler. However, all the menfolk in my home are passionate anglers and have taught me a lot over the years. I may not enjoy being the one to put my line in the water, but I love celebrating their successes and learnings along the way. Early on, they taught me the importance of respecting the fish and their habitat. They are sticklers for the rules and helped me understand why. I can appreciate someone’s passion and get excited when they can explain and express it in ways that I can understand. This memoir resonated with much of what has been shared by other enthusiasts. I especially enjoyed the CO River Cutthroat Trout chapter, as that is where my most prevalent experiences originated, and I could resonate the most with the content. Each chapter is full of tales that bring Steve’s experiences to life. An enjoyable read for an afternoon of curiosity.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.