Don’t just take my word for it…
A collection of responses to the book to whet the appetite. Thanks to all who have been kind enough to share their thoughts on the book and remind me that I am not simply screaming into the void.
‘an at times cutting indictment of modern society and its disregard for the planet’
Wayne Thomas, North Devon Angling News:
Dan Osmond’s book is a refreshing read that takes the reader on a sometimes rough and twisted journey to the water’s edge that is far from the traditional image of the fly fisher clothed in tweedy attire. Written with an edgy, humorous and evocative style Dan transports the reader to various locations across the globe.
Painting a vivid warts and all picture of a life lived at full speed. Dan discusses many relevant issues that highlight the moral complexities of today’s consumer driven world. A deep love of the nature radiates from the pages as issues of climate change and mans impact upon the planet are highlighted from both observation and science based analysis.
This is certainly no dry tome; adventures are described in an engaging style that conveys the passion and excitement of an obsessive angler and conservationist. From student days to sleepless nights trundling along South West Country lanes in search of silver bass and sea trout and then to the tropical flats of the Bahamas in search of the elusive bonefish. Each tale is woven in a unique style that keeps the pages turning as adventures unfold.
The narrative carries an at times cutting indictment of modern society and its disregard for the planet. No holds are barred as Dan hits out at those in power who impose their will upon the world he loves. “The risk of extinction, loss of rainforests and threats to biodiversity very much occupied my wildlife- obsessed mind, but I was assured that we knew the issues and the adults would deal with everything. The warnings were clear: degrees of warming would have catastrophic consequences. Logic would, of course, prevail.”
This is far more than a fishing book for it is very much a celebration of the great outdoors of fresh cold air, rugged cliffs, craggy tors and rivers tumbling from source to sea. The plight of the salmon is highlighted as Dan takes on the gruelling salmon run along the River Exe from the sea to the town of Dulverton on Exmoor.
“I am captivated by the story of Atlantic salmon, their life and journey. It is a tale that has entangled my own life. Their story has become my journey, from sea to home, and I am grateful to have shared these moments with them.”
‘having an environmental education of any kind means ‘living alone in a world of wounds’ with all the sickening cognitive dissonance, often verging on powerless rage, that this implies’
Theo Pike (Editor and Urban Trout Hero):
Earlier this summer I had the privilege of a very sneak preview of a new book that’s just been published: Dan Osmond’s Peace, Trout & Understanding.
I’ve worked with Dan on various mutual fisheries projects for several years now – me with my Wild Trout Trust editing and project management hat on, while he’s been brandishing electrofishing and genetic sampling gear for Exeter Uni and Westcountry Rivers Trust. But I won’t deny that I was quite surprised, not to mention completely flattered, when he asked me to edit his first collection of writing.
Some of these pieces I recognised from Fly Culture magazine and elsewhere, but they take on a whole new identity en masse. Dan’s writing voice is vivid, funny, honest, academically precise, and grounded in the unromantic realities of committing to the ecological, fishing and rock-climbing life whilst remorselessly grinding out a PhD – including living semi-destitute on the road for several electrofishing seasons in a succession of modded rattletrap cars and vans.
He fishes moorland streams, jagged coastlines, sewage-stinking urban rivers, and once or twice through lucky academic postings, mangrove swamps and coral flats. Not unexpectedly from a professional ecologist, several streams-of-consciousness also evoke Aldo Leopold’s recognition (now more relevant than ever) that having an environmental education of any kind means ‘living alone in a world of wounds’ with all the sickening cognitive dissonance, often verging on powerless rage, that this implies.
Above and throughout it all, Dan is obviously a frighteningly good angler, an erudite dirtbag fish bum for our time and place, with a true talent for capturing life’s highs and lows in words and on paper.
I’ve loved being his editor, and of course you’ll expect me to say this, but…. go get yourself a copy of Peace, Trout & Understanding from his website today!
‘Despite increasing my blood pressure further, it’s always fantastic so see more folks screaming, where so many continue to shove their heads in the sand.’
Gareth Lewis (Welsh Fly Tying Wizard):
It’s not hard to add to my own morning/daily existential dread; I have a mini panic attack most mornings. However, in Daniel Osmond’s new book, Peace, Trout and Understanding’s fantastic chapter, You Can’t Grow Concrete, his want for us ‘to be angry’, ‘to feel the pain that we have inflicted on the parched land’, ‘to scream in frustration at why it seems that you are the only one that seems to care while the world around sleepwalks towards breakdown’, all refreshingly ring true. Despite increasing my blood pressure further, it’s always fantastic so see more folks screaming, where so many continue to shove their heads in the sand.
A fantastic book; not just because of the amazing fishing adventures (I’ve happily enjoyed many fishing journeys and belly-and-face-aching laughter with Dan), but also for the important message underlying every word, sentence, and paragraph.
‘A collection of short stories from Dan (the hairy, Troutbum man)’
The Mission Fly Magazine:
If like author Daniel Osmond, you also care about Nature, love fly fishing and have an opposition to the things that threaten water conservation, then his new book might be for you. Peace, Trout, and Understanding consists of a collection of short stories from Dan (the hairy, Troutbum man), with a general appreciation for the places we fish and a calm and caring attitude towards the conservation of fisheries in general. If there’s one thing we know about Daniel, he cares a hell of a lot about the environment. Full book review to come soon.
Pithier comments:
‘He’s no Peter, Paul and Mary’ - Old guy from Dulverton
‘I’ll only say it once: Well done’ - Dr Toby Coe
‘My dear, we must forgive the young’ - Gerald Spiers
‘Funny, wise, confessional... it charts a life lived around water that is romantic and yet rough around the edges’ - Dom Garnett.