Book Description

"Trout Boomer" The making of a fly fisher and his love affair with the Little Juniata River In this two part book, a retired executive relates with short, often humorous tales of his boyhood, how he became a fly fisherman and the defender of, the Little Juniata River in Central Pennsylvania. The "Trout Boomer," son of a WWII sergeant, brings us back to our youth as he tells of BB guns, hand lines, carp, a rooster named "Buster," and early fishing adventures. Readers, especially fellow Boomers, will relate to little Billy as he negotiates his way through a succession of city neighborhoods, trades a Louisville Slugger for his first fly rod and finds fishing in the Brandywine River as his refuge. In part II, Bill shares his intimate knowledge of the history, watershed and fly hatches of the "j" (Little Juniata). Having had a successful career in industry, he retires to open a fly shop, becomes President of the Little Juniata River Association and dedicates his time fly fishing and defending this wonderful and frequently overlooked eastern wild brown trout stream. With more than 35 years living near and fishing the "j," Bill has developed his own unique fly patterns and fishing techniques for this small river which he shares in graphic color detail. The "j" has 14 miles of Catch and Release water and another 16 miles that deserve special regulations (Bill's working on it). It flows from the city of Altoona and unlike most trout streams, gets colder and better as it grows bigger. The answer lies in the large limestone springs that enter as the stream turns East in the small mountain town of Tyrone. While Trout Boomer is a must have for any fly fisher who fishes or plans to fish the Little Juniata, it is much more than a "where to how to" fishing book. Bill provides an insight into why many of us fish and gives us a glimpse of the post war America we (or maybe our fathers) grew up in.