Tell Me What You're Reading No. 40: Todd Spire of Esopus Creel
Todd Spire is a licensed fly fishing guide and instructor, and is the owner of Esopus Creel, a company devoted to fly fishing in the Catskill Mountains, where he’s lived since 2008. Todd’s on the board of the local Trout Unlimited chapter, which helps to protect the Esopus Creek, which feeds into the Ashokan reservoir, which provides New York City with about 40% of its drinking water. Todd is a scholar of our local river, the Esopus Creek.
Todd has written that, to him, “fishing is church, the one thing that makes time stop, and reminds me about what’s important.”
I share those sentiments.
I visited Todd at Esopus Creel this summer and asked him if there was a book he would like to discuss on the podcast. He suggested a book by Leonard Wright called Neversink - One Angler's Intense Exploration of a Trout River. Todd gave me a copy and I read it, and we discussed the book on the podcast.
Todd also discusses on the podcast the perils of trying to control nature, the relationship of birds over the river to the presence of insects, the relationship between the blooming of flowers and insect hatches, turbidity on the Esopus Creek, and the impact of warm temperatures on our trout fishing, and particularly whether we will be fishing earlier or later in the season as a result of warming temperatures. All consistent with Todd’s drive to learn from observation and experience. a la naturalist John Burroughs, rather than solely from what others have written and from Google.
Books and Other Resources Discussed by Todd (etc.)
Neversink - One Angler's Intense Exploration of a Trout River, by Leonard M. Wright, Jr.
Leonard M. Wright, Jr. - NYT Obit | Obit | Classic Fly Rod Forum
For Todd Spire, It’s Not Just About the Fish, Northern Woodlands Interview 02.02.22Esopus Ascendant: Todd Spire and the Rebirth of a River, by Julie Sexton - Edible Hudson Valley 03.21.18
Inside The Lines: The Catskills! Podcast discussion 04.11.22
The Esopus Creek-A Wild Fishery by Todd Spire YouTube 03.23.21
An Old Sport Catches On, Scribner Hollow Post 09.14.20
Winner of Orvis “Best of 2017” Photo Contest!
Instagram: @toddspire
What Howard is Reading
The Nine - Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin (2007)
Reviews The New York Times | Kirkus Reviews | NPR
Written in 2007, Toobin provides the backstory of the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the decades long crusade of conservative republicans to control the Supreme Court. The obvious political agenda of Supreme Court Justices with unchecked power is frightening. An interesting, informative and chilling book. Thanks to my brother Louis for giving me his well annotated copy.
The Midcoast, by Adam White … takes place in a small town in Maine. Fun read. A bit of a mystery novel. Classic Maine. The author writes of “The granite break walls between those who have been here for generations and those who’ve landed more recently, within the past century or two.” Oh Maine.
Reviews The New York Times | Publisher’s Weekly | Kirkus Reviews | Book Marks Reviews
I also read my friend Mark Weeks’ debut novel, Bottled Lightning.
Reviews Kirkus Reviews | Indie Crime Scene
I felt like I was watching a Jason Bourne chase scene for the entire book. Constant action and suspense. I became attached to several of the characters, and loved the overlap between the lives of the primary protagonist and the author. I’m reminded of the observation by P.D. James, “All fiction is largely autobiographical and much autobiography is, of course, fiction.” I really enjoyed both the book and my podcast discussion with Mark.
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood, by Jane Leavy
Reviews The New York Times | The Los Angeles Times | The Christian Science Monitor | NPR | The Daily News
Larry King |SABRCast | Baseball By the Book | “Jane Leavy Mantle Podcasts”
My Dad and I used to sit in the center field bleachers behind the Mick, who was my boyhood idol during the 1960s. In 1989, I had the opportunity to meet Mick and listen to him talk for a couple of hours about Casey, Moose, Hank, Billy, Whitey and the rest of the gang. I was blown away. I kept thinking about how happy my Dad would have been for me.
This great book brought back many memories of Mick and his teammates, the great Yankees of the dynasty era, and created lots of new memories, some not so great and some downright ugly.
At Mickey’s funeral, broadcaster Bob Costas described Mantle as, “ A fragile hero to whom we had an emotional attachment so strong and lasting that it defied logic”, and with his usual rhetorical flourish, Yankee manager Casey Stengel said about Mantle, “This kid ain’t logical. He’s too good. It’s very confusing.”
Mickey Mantle was certainly confusing, but I loved this guy growing up, and loved this bio.
Finally, Melanie gave me Raising Raffi: The First Five Years written by her friend Keith Gessen.
Reviews The New York Times | The Los Angeles Times |Slate | Vox | The New Republic
I don’t recall reading any child rearing books when my kids were little, and I hadn’t intended to do so now for my sweet grand kids. While Keith’s heavily researched and informative book, written from the perspective of a Soviet Jewish emigree living in Brooklyn, was instructive, it is more of a fun inspirational memoir than an instruction manual. Keith confirmed for me the importance of many things … of nurturing curiosity, of giving your kids the freedom to figure things out on their own, and of the importance of being as close as possible to your kids’ day care. Both substantive and practical advice abound.
I feel as if I got to know Keith by reading his book, and especially when he wrote that he consulted online and bought a number of books to get advice on raising his son Raffi, but he refused to buy a book called The Happiest Baby on the Block, explaining “We did not want Raffi to be the happiest baby, we wanted him to be the most interesting baby.”
I’m sure he will be.
Excerpt from my spreadsheet book list
FLY FISHING
A River Runs Through It - MacLean, Norman
The River Why - Duncan, David James
Dances with Trout - Gierach, John
A Fly Fishing Life - Tapply, William
Sex, Death and Fly Fishing - Gierach, John
Misadventures of a Fly Fisherman - Hemingway, Jack
Hemingway on Fishing - Hemingway, Ernest
An Outdoor Journal - Carter, Jimmy
Fly Fishing through the Midlife Crisis - Raines, Howell
The Trout Pool Paradox - Black, George
Wishing My Father Well - Plummer, William
Spring Creek - Lyons, Nick
Bright Rivers: Celebrations of Rivers and Fly Fishing - Lyons, Nick
Neversink - Wright, Leonard
