Steven, I liked the article as well and am a big Gierach fan. I suspect EB White would have liked it as well, though Strunk would have tsk tsed Gierach's use of idiom. Old Will was as persnikity as old school gets. I did the editors may have overstated a bit calling Gierach a legand (I mean, ok, he's still alive, right?). In any case, I hope he's maintained enough of the Gierach slant on life to enjoy the merciless kidding he'll undoubtedly get from his "crew". I do think they were right in calling him "probably our best selling fly-fishing writier". The only problem he has is what plagues all fine, prolific writers--- they begin to repeat. The line that A.K. Best ties a 100 dozen before he feels he's nailed a pattern (or some variation of it) has appeard a few times before in Gierach's work. Still, he's a pleasure to read and re-read.

By the way, Dave Hughes' article in the same issue, "Mr. Sawyer's Famous Nymph" is terriffic. I never knew Sawyer tied the fly with wire rather than thread!

Cheers,
Coughlin