Confessions of a Fly Fishing Addict: A New Collection of Stories and Misadventures

These essays, reprinted from Fly Fisherman magazine, form a smooth and satisfying collection. A book publisher and essayist, Lyons ( Bright Rivers ) is adept at both writing and fly fishing--qualities in evidence despite his humility and self-deprecating humor, which prompt a friend to chide him: ``You're downgrading yourself too much, Nick. You're not nearly so bad a fisherman as you make out.'' His language sparkles (``What a glorious pool it is. The water sweeps down from a four-hundred-yard-long riffle, hits the bend, and makes marvelously trouty music''), and sound advice is leavened with wit and charm. To make a dry fly appeal to a fish, he counsels, have it behave naturally. ``If you saw a piece of steak moving unnaturally on your plate, would you eat it?'' The various pieces range in style from touching simplicity to slapstick comedy. Fly fishing, Lyons contends, is a panacea, ``a pleasant, restful time, with the kind of happy, leisurely rhythms that are addictive.'' So are his essays. (June)