Reviewed by John Colburn (Phly Tyer)
Much of the present day writings are
simply repetitions of the accumulated
experiences and thoughts of our forebears,
especially writings about fly fishing. Today's
writers often restate the knowledge they
acquired through reading the older books and
articles, never crediting the earlier authors.
When one comes across a book that actually
quotes the writings of the earlier authors
it is to be treasured. Rhea Topping's
Rod Rage: The Ultimate Guide to Angling
Ethics is such a one. She had the
honesty to quote rather than paraphrase her
predecessors' works.
Ms Topping has searched the literature of fly
fishing from the 15th Century's Dame Juliana
Berners to the 21st Century's Federation of Fly
Fishers' Chairman of the Board Gary Grant to find
the best thinking about fly fishing ethics and
etiquette. She has quoted often lengthy passages
and complete articles from writings of more than
sixty authors, many of the names well known in fly
fishing circles.
In compiling Rod Rage Ms Topping has not just
accumulated other writers' work. She has written
short insightful introductions to each author and
closes the book with a summation of much of the
thinking of the quoted authors. The final chapter
"Some Dos, Don'ts, and Solutions" cover such problem
areas as "Crowding: The Biggest Problem," "Respect
for Other Anglers," "Some Options for Fishing in
Crowds or With Friends," "On Rights-of-Way," "On
the Environment", "On the Law", "On Boats", "The
Client's Responsibility to the Guide," and "The
Guide's Responsibility to the Client."
The book is illustrated with black and white
photos and cartoons of some of the good and
bad ethical situations as well as photos of
many of the quoted authors.
In her "Afterword" Ms Topping wrote, "In my
opinion, etiquette is far more important today
than teaching students to cast effectively, to
read water, to tie good knots, to catch fish.
For in this ever-more-crowded world of fly fishing,
if we forget our 'water manners,' it's all lost."
Rod Rage ought to be required reading for any fly
fisher-no, any angler who goes to a creek, river,
lake, pond, estuary, flats, or blue water to enjoy
the sport of angling without spoiling the sport of
others. Rhea Topping is to be commended for compiling
the thinking of these authors as "The Ultimate Guide
to Angling Ethics" for us. ~ John Colburn
Rod Rage; The Ultimate Guide to Angling Ethics
Rhea Topping
Hardbound 61/2 x 91/2, 292 pages (est.)
Black & white photos and cartoon
ISBN: 1-59228-5528-X $22.95
Published by The Lyons Press
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