Trout in the Desert On Fly Fishing, Human Habits, and the Cold Waters of the Arid Southwest

Matthew Dickerson takes his readers from tiny mountain streams in the southern Rockies of New Mexico to the mighty Colorado River at the head of the Grand Canyon, to the Hill Country of Texas, exploring these various waters that manage to hold cold-loving trout in the midst of the hot desert landscapes of the American southwest. This lovingly described journey brings us through Dickerson’s own life of discovery and his love of fly fishing, trout, and the rivers where trout live. Though neither an historical nor a scientific text, the writing is informed by both. The book is illustrated by original prints from Texas artist Barbara Whitehead.

Matthew T. Dickerson is an author, a professor at Middlebury College in Vermont, a scholar of the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, and an environmental journalist and outdoor writer. Dickerson’s first novel, The Finnsburg Encounter, was followed by a sequel, The Rood and the Torc: The Song of Kristinge, Son of Finn. From 2002 through 2014, Dickerson directed the New England Young Writers Conference.