J. R. Hartley's best-known catch to date is the public imagination. Here are his elusive fishing recollections told in a series of sometimes vividly comic chronological cameos, ranging period and location from York school days in the early 1930s through memorable outings on stream, spate river and loch to startling conclusion half a lifetime later on a Scottish summer night. Complimented by his protege Patrick Benson's evocative illustrations and with his anglers expertise lightly threaded throughout, J. R.'s story will touch every fly fisherman's experience. But it is book too that will appeal to everyone even those who have never held a rod, for the engaging point that emerges of the ultimate reluctant hero.