In this eclectic collection of essays - twenty-eight in all - William Tapply moves with remarkable ease from the quirky to the lyrical to the downright hilarious. To wit, Tapply explores the frenzy that leads him to "forgo sleeping and eating and nursing important relationships and earning a living" in order to be where the trout and bass are. He details the fly-fishing corollaries of Murphy's Law (such as, "If you drop a reel onto the pavement, it's your new Abel, not that old Pfleuger Medalist."). He provides instructions on raising children to be trout-fishing partners ("Anticipate when they'll get bored, and quit five minutes earlier."). He ruminates on the art of tying flies ("Pretty soon, it's not enough to catch fish on flies you've tied yourself. You want to catch fish on flies you've invented.") And lots more. Pocket Water is vintage Tapply for fans and newcomers alike.