A Fly Fisherman's Blue Ridge

The free-running love of wild trout and trout rivers in these 11 linked articles nearly overflows the cycle-of-the-fisherman's-year structure meant to contain it. Camuto's style is informed by what premier angling essayist Roderick Haig-Brown has described as the ``power, grace, and associations'' of rivers. From the chill opening piece, ``Solstice,'' on the obsessive joys of fishing in winter, to ``Autumn Brown on the Rose,'' the author carries us down a half-dozen remote wild trout waters of the Shenandoah Valley. The essays draw in the tributaries of the area's rich folklore, complex geology and colonial history--including the evidence of pollution and stress on the watershed--and emerge as a strong voice for real wilderness: ``If the mountains can be said to have a consciousness, it is to be found in these trout.'' Camuto's first book ranks with angling's best by Nick Lyons, Norman McLean and Haig-Brown, and should appeal to a wide naturalist audience. (Nov.)