How To Find Trout
Book Review of Orvis’ Tom Rosenbauer’s Trout Finding Bible – “Orvis Guide to Finding Trout” 2023
There are fish that are easy to find, and hard to catch. And there are fish that are hard to find, and easy to catch. So if you can read a book that makes a fish, like the North American trout (NAT) family easier to find AND slightly easier to catch? Well? What are you waiting for?
Myself, being neither a freshwater trout nor a Tom Rosenabuer fan (sorry Tom, you’re just not as sweet as Lefty no matter how hard Orvis pushes), it took some convincing to crack this one open. But once I did? Okay, I get it. Tom Rosenabuer really does have the chops for NAT. I won’t go that far on any other species he espouses, but the solid writing on every aspect of how to get to trout is nothing less than Tom’s “tour de force,” dare I say, the only book you will need to help you think like a fish and find a North American trout species albeit, but still … remember my saying, “See the fish. Be the fish. Catch the fish,”? This is the long version of my saying, yes LONG version. But what else can we do as the temperatures cross the 100-degree plane day after stifling day? Lights out, A/C cold, reading light on, and think to yourself: September … September … there are no crowds … campgrounds are empty … crossing guards are back at work … monsoons are fine.
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While my “See the fish” saying is not made more literal by the book, you will, in your mind, begin to see the fish – that is where the fish are, or where they should be. And if they are not there, “… Trout” will also go into the possibilities of WHY you don’t see them where they should be, and why they may not actually be where they should be. Thoroughly, let me emphasize for the sake of Tom THOROUGHLY.
“Be the fish?” Okay, Tom Rosenabuer is a fish. With his experience level, he knows times, seasons and patterns of NATs inside, and out. My young readers, I hate to say it, but this takes decades. If you can read a book that shaves some of that time off? What are you waiting for? Trout can be very sophisticated. We don’t refer to redfish as, “PhD.” level fish anywhere ever, do we? Well, I have lost count of the number of times I have heard that said about freshwater trout. Mostly due to habitat, and the limitations of their habitat, trout have to get smarter faster.
However, the book’s subtitle gives away the main emphasis of this book, “Learn to discover trout in streams and moving water.” Tom’s deep understanding of habit, hydrology and science that surround it – are what makes this such a valuable addition to your library. Keep in mind, every single trout fisherman has read about, talked about and experienced one single thing in all its nuances – MOVEMENT. Moving to search for fish, courtesies, discourtesies, finding and not finding fish. To catch NAT species you have to move. If you can identify potential holding spots in advance? Now you’re a NAT sniper. “Catch the fish.”
CONCLUSION
This isn’t a monochrome diary reading, like Gierach’s work. And it doesn’t have some of the light spicing of a Lefty Kreh book, but as Tom might say, “Darn it!” this is a good book on finding North American Trout (NAT) in all kinds of situations. The photographs and illustrations on photographs are helpful, and I might add – we are ushering in an entirely new crop of fly fishing imagery with the use of drone still photos – for those of us who like pictures mixed in with reams of text. And remember my past thinking: “Learning trout moving water habits in habitat does translate into finding warm water species,” in a creek running through Round Rock, Texas, or wherever you may be. I guarantee that.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT – Making Escape Plans a post related to this one! And I will be bringing you more book recommendations soon!
Category: Book Reviews
