Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World-Record Tarpon
I listened to this as an audiobook from the library, a year ago. I have read 100’s, if not 1000’s, of sporting books and this one stands out. Memory of it has started to fade a bit but the quality of the writing, the research, the history, the character development, the human drama, is all outstanding for a fishing book. It makes me wonder how Burke ever got it done. It is an instant classic, an exemplar, and a milestone for fishing books to come. This sets a new bar for angling history.
When I got it it was under 300 reviews on the big river site. Now it has 550 5 star reviews which is an indicator of the reception it has had. Even Gierach doesn’t pull those numbers.
It helped that l knew some of the characters and history from a lifetime of reading but most of it was an amazing dive into a subculture I didn’t know.
One of the reasons I wanted to mention it is that it has stories about friends and writers Steve knows. It covers the period when Thomas McGuane, the novelist, and his friends were fishing tarpon in the Keys. I don’t know for sure but there are likely stories about that time which have never been public before. I am sure Steve would be intrigued. This video has a bit more on that.
As a student and victim of sporting obsessions, it was a mirror and a textbook on the affliction. As someone said, “Controllable obsessions are just not interesting.” or as McGuane alluded, “Lives ruined for sport”.
The focus on record hunting may turn off some but that was only a part of the motivations that drove these people. A one dimensional reason rarely has longevity but woolly reasons do.
There is a great deal more about the book online. There are reviews and interviews
Burke’s Sowbelly was really good, too. I read it years ago. A discourse in obsession for the world record largemouth bass.
At the same time I read the tarpon book I read, Summer of the Bass: My Love Affair with America’s Greatest Fish by W. D. Wetherell. It is mostly about smallmouth bass in his native New England. It is the best book on freshwater bass fishing I have seen.