I tend toward traditionalist writing.
A) "Fishless Days, Angling Nights" by Sparse Gray Hackle (Alfred Miller). Captures the "soul" of flyfishing as no one else did. But maybe I'm a bit prejudiced from counting as a close personal friend and drinking buddy Sparse's grandson- who owns the galley proofs of the book- and his Mom (Sparse's daughter) who's 97 now and still has wine at happy hour every day.
B) Anything by Robert Traver. Especially seek out the magazine articles he wrote, published in flyfishing journals which had a circulation of about 29 subscribers 40+ years ago.
C) I'm still partial to Ernie Schwiebert also. Could be the river of scotch he and I drank together back in another lifetime, but I don't think so.
D) Reading can be a chore for some people. I get it. For those in that boat, seek out Lee Wulff's myriad filmed adventures.
I too agree that Gierach's best work was his early stuff when fishing and John Barleycorn kept his demons at bay.
