Fumbling With A Flyrod
Illuminating fish tales from one of Canada's top fly fishermen and guides. This book is laugh out loud funny. In fact if you don't laugh when you read it, you might want to check for a pulse. The author - who introduced "looganfest", "bridgers", "full contact fly fishing" and "trailers" into the lexicon of fly fishing - proves conclusively that a hooked salmon does feel like a galloping greyhound; postulates that women might make better fishermen then men; expresses wonder at why kids get the big fish; and cautions that one's love life can get compromised between bed and riverbed.

Book Stats:
72675 words (but who's counting).
12 Chapters. 16 pen and ink illustrations.
The dressing and history for each of the 48 flies listed in the stories (a nice touch).
220 cream colored pages (right ragged edge) all packed into an ergonomically perfect 8 x 7 inch format.

Limited Edition:
There are only 150 of these. Each one is signed and numbered. There is a pen and ink drawing of a fly on the title page. Each book is shipped with two Winkies, which are suitable for framing and a signature card.

Pricing:
Hardcover Limited Edition: $55.00 Canadian.
Hardcover: $27.00 Canadian.
Softcover: $22.00 Canadian.

Send me an e-mail for ordering information: E-mail.
Tax and shipping charges will be added.

By the way.
Fumbling was launched on March 28th, 2000 and on May 5th, 2000 it made it to #8 on the Canadian Bestseller List in the National Post. Not bad for being out 5 weeks!

Reviews and Comments

"Ian Colin James is a keen observer of life. What he does extremely well is to coax the humor out of every situation. The James' funny bone is oversized. Perhaps fish also have them, because within these pages you can hear them laugh, too, always at the anglers expense. The author wrings the entertainment value out of every fishing situation."
John Roberts, Fly Fishing Writer, York, England.

"Ian Colin James was Morningside's favorite fly fisherman ... always a joy to talk to and watch at work."
Peter Gzowski.

"Ian James is a skilled storyteller whose humorous angling misadventures awakened a rush of fond memories. If you've ever gotten up in the dark and driven half the night to stand in an icy-cold river and share the dawn with a friend, you'll love reading Fumbling with a Flyrod."
Farrow Allen, Fly Tying Editor, Fly Fish America, U.S.

"Years ago, from my first telephone conversation with Ian James, I knew this transplanted Scotsman was an enthusiastic fellow fly fisherman as we compared our observations about flies and fly fishing techniques. What a delight it was to also discover his considerable skills as a weaver of humorous and entertaining tales. Fly fishing enthusiasts everywhere will recognize part of themselves in these pages. I certainly did, and I can recommend Fumbling with a Flyrod as a very good read."
Dick Stewart, Mountain Pond Publishing, New Hampshire, U.S.

"Fumbling with a Flyrod is entertaining in its funniest moments; lyrical in its quietest. Ian bares his soul in this book - and that's quite a lot of bearing. As his editor, I know he gives me the same absolute respect he gives to his steelhead."
Don Loney, Editor, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd., Toronto, Canada.

"Buy this book. It probably won't make you a better fly fisherman, but you'll be laughing too
hard to care."
Thomas King.

"Ian Colin James is a semi-famous fly fisherman who used to appear regularly on Peter Gzowski's Morningside. His comical and lyrical collection of yarns, Fumbling with a Flyrod, doesn't set out to teach us much about fishing. But the author's travels and misadventures are so entertaining that readers won't mind a bit."
Jake MacDonald, Cottage Life Magazine, Toronto.

"Ian's skill with a rod, fly and word are unsurpassed. His repertoire, a cast of thousands."
Tom Morrison, Editor, Southwestern Ontario Outdoors Magazine, Canada.

Funny Reviews
"I can't believe he got the stuff about Charles Rennie Mackintosh right."
K. Aylin, The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Scotland.

"Wish I had an opposing thumb, so I could turn the pages faster. Great smelling pages."
'Max' Rotwieler, London, Ontario.

"Without a doubt, this is the funniest - and only - fly fishing book my son has written."
Mrs. James, the author's mum, Scotland.

"Fumbling would make a great movie! And I'm not saying that because I am his agent."
Hugo Rampen, AMOK Agencies, Fergus, Ontario.

"A very funny book ... but never again will we try and design a Website with a colorblind author."
Jo & Alexander, Wigwam Digital, Strathclyde, Scotland.

"There were lots of words on every page. Reading this was more fun than washing a cat. I won't plagiarize it for the club news letter until the second edition is on the shelf . . . maybe. Fumbling is very witty and very cleverly written."
Paul Noble, Secretary, The Thames River Anglers Association, London, Ontario.

"This is the only book I haven't used to tie roe bags on, and it is way more fun than running with scissors!"
Sporty Morty, The Fish Files, W.S.M. Studios Inc., Allison, Ontario.

"Ian taught the staff all they needed to know about using road-kill for tying flies. Fumbling is twice as much fun as reading the recommendations from the Federal Governments Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and a great read over a bowl of puppy stew."
Jasper Friendly Bear, c/o The Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour, Blossom, Albert.