The Believer

In "The Believer- A Year in the Fly Fishing Life", author David Coggins shares new wisdom, humor, and experience in extraordinary fly fishing expeditions that mark one year in his journey through the middle part of life, when worldly demands increase even as fishing continues to beckon- and must be pursued.

In David Coggins' previous book, "The Optimist", he tackles the techniques of fly fishing and meditated on it's virtues, recounting his triumphs and failures. Now, in "The Believer", he deftly mixes travel, local cultures, and further fishing challenges (some knee-buckling in their disappointment), and details his own experience as life and love crowd his time for fishing. 

Self-consciously- and self-deprecatingly- Coggins embarks on seven far-flung fishing voyages, away from screens and social media, not answering his phone, and reveling in humanity's undying yearning for a quest, for the rituals and rites of passage that mark transitions in life. For Coggins, these journeys- to Norway, Scotland, Spain, Cuba, and Argentina, as well as road trips to Wyoming, Tennessee, and the Catskills- not only showcase his skill as an angler but also signal the end of his fly fishing youth. But that doesn't mean that Coggins will sell all his rods and hand up his hat; rather, his relationship with his fly fishing obsession will evolve- especially if he can catch an elusive Atlantic salmon or a ferociously strong tarpon, or the mercurial permit. 

"The Believer" is a humble, humorous call for the journey that is as enriching as the destination, where the search for greater self-awareness leads to patience, observation, and endurance. And, this this fly fishing, after all, there is always the possibility of abject failure and of leaping, glorious reward. 

Wry, entertaining, thoughtful, and relatable, "The Believer" will delight both anglers and non-anglers alike!

"The Believer- A Year in the Fly Fishing Life"- by David Coggins- Hardcover- 211 pages