Steelhead Country

Steelhead Country is not just a collection of random fishing stories. It is a personal and lovingly crafted account of a life spent immersed in a tradition that stretches back generations. Acclaimed flyfisherman and author Steve Raymond paints a picture of the world of steelhead trout that is “a realm of vast landscapes, of cold mountain rivers flowing down through silent, shadowed forests . . . , of ragged coastlines honeycombed with hidden harbors and secret bays where bright rivers mingle with the sea.”Raymond traces not just the journey of steelhead along the icy gray rivers of the Pacific Northwest but also his own development as a flyfisherman, recalling following in his father’s footsteps and joining him on quiet waterways. Then, steelhead were more a myth than reality—something he only knew from stories. He began to look anywhere he could for information on how to catch this unique, elusive fish, until finally, in a moment of adrenalin-filled excitement, he caught his first steelhead.Steelhead Country tells the story of a life in fishing in the same vein as Roderick Haig-Brown’s A River Never Sleeps. Through the joys and challenges of fly fishing for steelhead, Raymond describes and pays tribute to his connection with nature and a great fishing tradition.Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

“A beautiful collection of why one man fishes for steelhead. The book will be hard to put aside once you have opened it.” —Newsday (New York)“[Raymond] long ago established himself as an important literary voice and environmental conscience for contemporary fly fishing.” —Fly Fisherman magazine“Raymond writes with purpose and passion as he leads the reader through twenty-five years of steelhead fishing experience.” —Trout magazine"Raymond is able to make fly fishing for steelhead a metaphor for all of angling's particular truths and joys. Readers will be drawn upriver by fine strokes of description . . . and by Raymond's magnetic sense of place in steelhead country." —Publishers Weekly, “A beautiful collection of why one man fishes for steelhead. The book will be hard to put aside once you have opened it.” —Newsday (New York)“[Raymond] long ago established himself as an important literary voice and environmental conscience for contemporary fly fishing.” —Fly Fisherman magazine“Raymond writes with purpose and passion as he leads the reader through twenty-five years of steelhead fishing experience.” —Trout magazine"Raymond is able to make fly fishing for steelhead a metaphor for all of angling's particular truths and joys. Readers will be drawn upriver by fine strokes of description . . . and by Raymond's magnetic sense of place in steelhead country." —Publishers Weekly

Steve Raymond is the author of, Rivers of the Heart, Nervous Water, The Year of the Trout, and many more. He was the winner of the Roderick Haig-Brown Award for significant contributions to angling literature, as well as the editor of "The Flyfisher" and "Fly Fishing in Salt Waters" After a thirty-year career as editor and manager at the Seattle Times, he retired and now lives in Clinton, Washington.