About the Book
Down the Hatch is a collection of essays from fly angler extraordinaire and accomplished writer Dave Karczynski, and follows this general narrative arc: writer falls in love with fly fishing, gets to travel the world, realizes that travel satisfies the soul only so much, and comes home to his heart in the Midwest. In the first piece, he buys his first fly rod. In a piece near the book’s end, he buys a trout camp. The collection’s narrative span is ten years, and adventure locations include Wisconsin, Michigan, Alaska, Chile, Argentina, India, Labrador, Ontario, and Poland.
About the Author :
Dave Karczynski is a writer and photographer specializing in sporting culture and narrative. Whether it’s the glacial rivers of the Himalayan outback or the high country lakes of the Polish Carpathians, deep wild country is where Dave feels most at home. A former Zell Fellow at the University of Michigan and recipient of the 2012 Robert Traver Award for outdoor writing, he is a regular contributor to Outdoor Life, Fly Rod & Reel, The Drake, and many other magazines. In addition to Orvis From Lure to Fly, Dave is also the co-author of Modern Smallmouth: Modern Tactics, Tips and Techniques. When not on the water or in the woods, Dave teaches creative writing and photography at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He lives in Munith, Michigan.
Review :
"Dave is a talented writer and his stories are full of detail, humor, expertise, humility, and adventure near and far. You feel as though Dave is riding shotgun on a long road trip while sharing his experiences. A highly recommended read."--Rick Kustich, author of Modern Spey Fishing and Hunting Musky on the Fly
"Calling After Water invigorates the natural affinity I have had for lakes, rivers and streams since I was a young boy growing up amongst the Great Lakes. Karczynski has always been one of my favorite writers, and this book takes the game to another level. His prose is very much like my favorite little trout stream--cool, crystal clear, flowing with purpose, and most of all... pure."--Kirk Deeter, editor-in-chief of TROUT Media
"Calling After Water is not simply a recounting of derring-do and exotic adventures. Dave's strength is his writing itself. His prose is vibrant, exciting. What springs off the page is a sense of boundless joy, a feeling as if you are catching each fish yourself. I want to grab my gear, run out the door and experience each chapter for myself. Dave's love of the sport bursts from each sentence, but his sense of overwhelming joy is what sets him apart. And all of it is delivered with his characteristic good humor and bonhomie. I regularly found myself laughing out loud while reading it."--Jason Tucker, Gink and Gasoline
"Calling After Water means it's time to spark that Fuente, take words to the porch, and enjoy a fly fishing stoke reel for the soul."--Greg Thomas, former editor-in-chief of American Angler and Fly Rod & Reel
"Great writers effortlessly transport their readers to places near and far flung, real and imagined, familiar and foreign. But great fly fishing writers go further, embracing and entrancing two often times disparate audiences--those who don't fly fish and those who do.
Dave Karczynski is one of those great fly fishing writers, and Calling After Water is a testament to that fact, a beautifully written and genuine look into a fly fishing life that leaves those who chase fish with streamers, dries, and nymphs in a daydream--and everyone else asking Google, "What do I need to start fly fishing?"--Matt Smythe, author of Revision of a Man
"I also love flyfishing, but the real beauty of Calling After Water comes down to exceptional storytelling. This is the result not just of good writing, but of ruthless, relentless re-writing--reviewing and revising each sentence until it has a rhythm and flow that can't even be adequately described. Dave just knows it when he sees it. He doesn't just fix "bad" sentences, he takes already great sentences and intuitively knows they can be better. And he makes them better. Enjoy this book and enjoy your fishing."--Tom Bie, editor-in-chief of The Drake
"Of the best hunting and fishing books I read this year, the best of the bunch was Calling After Water--a perfect blend of fish fantasy and universal truth. This is fish-lit on par with Gierach."--Mark Kenyon, author of That Wild Country and host of the Wired to Hunt podcast
"One of the finest compliments you can pay a writer is that they make the hard parts of the job look easy. Dave Karczynski is that guy. Karczynski finds perfect words and turns those words into electric phrases that light up the mind's eye. And in Calling After Water, he delivers these lightning bolts with regularity. When he writes, 'A steelhead that leapt as if it wanted to shatter the sky, ' or 'Waxwings swung from bank to bank as if hanging invisible garlands, ' it seems effortless, graceful and fluid, but leaves an indelible mark. Simply put, Karczynski has the rare and remarkable ability to make words do what he wants them to do."--Steve Duda, author of River Songs and former editor-in-chief of The FlyFish Journal
"The Irish say there are thin spaces--locales wherein the distance between heaven and earth collapses, offering narrow glimpses of the divine. Karczynski's writing reveals thin spaces, hidden in pockets of inspiring descriptions and cunning word usage that stretch beyond imagination."
--Joe Shields, editor-in-chief of The Virginia Sportsman
"What's so remarkable about Calling After Water is that Karczynski marries wonderful writing with legitimate storytelling. I found myself eager to continue reading, to learn what happened next, much in the same way John Gierach's writing always kept my interest. This book has cemented Karczynski's status as a can't-miss author whenever he publishes something new."--Spencer Durrant, Hatch Magazine
