The Flycaster Who Tried to Make Peace with the World

From the back cover

Making peace with the world.

Sooner or later most of us have to. But how?

For Ian MacBride, his way begins almost accidentally when, in 1909, he watches a fly-casting tournament in New York’s Central Park, and begins to dream of becoming a great fly caster.

But soon Ian experiences personal tragedy, and then is appalled by the unexpected slaughter of World War I.

He retreats into the world of fly fishing, and meets unforgettable anglers like: Doc, a Civil War veteran, who tells how, after he enlisted in return for drinking money, he was changed by the horror of war; Izzy, a mysterious immigrant, who teaches Ian perhaps the most important lesson of long-distance fly casting; and George M. L. La Branche who, though torn by self-doubt, writes the book that revolutionizes fly fishing.

These anglers help to change Ian’s hopes and values. Though his father questions his courage, Ian decides to become a teacher instead of a lawyer, and moves near the beautiful Beaverkill River, the birthplace of fly fishing in America.

But tragedy still follows him. Torn by grief, he curses the world and loses faith in it – until, almost by accident, he finds a way to come to terms.

How? The answer will surprise you.

Click to read an excerpt from chapter 11.

About the author

Randy Kadish is an outdoor writer and avid angler who has spent countless hours experimenting with long-distance fly casting techniques. For this novel he extensively researched the history of flyfishing, particularly on the famed Beaverkill River during the golden era of the early 1900s. "Flycaster" is his first novel, but his short stories and articles have been appeared in many publications, including Flyfisher, Flyfishing & Tying Journal, Fishing And Hunting News and Sweden's Rackelhanen fly fishing magazine. Much of Randy’s writing is about the techniques of spin and fly casting, and about the spirituality/recovery of fly fishing.