A Clean, Well-Lighted Stream

When he first moved west, a friend assured the author he could fish for salmon or steelhead trout every day of the year. Though Checchio has not tested that statement, he has fished most of the West's good trout streams at all seasons. His eloquent essays are testimony that fly-fishing is one of the higher forms of communion with nature. He recounts white-water rafting on California's Tuolumne River (without his rod), fishing in the Oregon desert (mystical and spooky), a visit to Ernest Hemingway's grave and favorite spot, Silver Creek, in Idaho. Checchio fished alone and in crowds; he found fly-fishermen in California more numerous than locusts. Other essays take us to Zane Grey's Umpqua River in Oregon; to the Madison River and Yellowstone Park and the Russian River in California. At every place, Checchio gives a vivid portrait of the countryside. This is fine reading for all who love the outdoors. Most of the essays have been previously published in sporting magazines. (Oct.)