Book: Till Death or Fly Fishing Do Us Part

I met my fly fisherman in the month of January, the off-season. Skiing together by day, dinner together at night… I was blissfully unaware of the compromises I’d soon learn to make to keep things together. Stopping the car for “just a minute” to see if that hole has any fish in it, trading lazy inner-tube floats for rowing duty, and the mania that comes with the beginning of fishing season—these are just a few of the surprises in store for the unsuspecting girlfriend.

Till Death or Fly Fishing Do Us Part (Wild River Press; $25) is a book of essays by anglers, girlfriends, and wives (including ex’s) that explores this unique dynamic between fishermen and their patient partners. Some essays are better than others, but overall I liked the book—mainly because I could relate to it! You’ll meet the women who wouldn’t stick around to help count flies and the ones who stayed in the hopes of catching the bigger fish. For each one of them, just about every memory of their relationship involves fishing in some way. Fishing becomes a part of your life, and these writers have lived it.