Book excerpt: 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.