The Complete McClane

McClane is to fly-fishing what the late Red Smith was to team sportsa writer able to attract readers with a marginal interest in his subject. Author of the bestselling Fishing Encyclopedia , he has been fishing editor of Field & Stream for three decades; he is also an authority on fish cookery. Fellow angler John Merwin introduces each of the 48 selections, which cover equipment, fish species and behavior, cooking the catch and random reflections on the pleasures of angling. McClane discourses on safe wading, on his favorite streams, on the ``aluminum hatch'' (canoes) and crowded stretches of water. The section on equipment is strictly for practitioners of the sport, but readers interested in the outdoors will enjoy the descriptions of wild rivers and the life histories of gamefish. McClane recalls amusing episodes in collecting specimens for illustrating the Encyclopedia ; he pays tribute to taxidermist Al Pflueger and to specific fishing companions. The dishes descibed in the cooking section are delectable. (October)