Every angler is on a journey, whether it’s to catch a certain fish, learn a different cast, explore new water, or perhaps something headier and more philosophical—whether to try and figure out the language of a river or the meaning of it all or why the heck they are so mesmerized by bugs flitting in the air at dusk over their favorite stream. In A Cast Away in Montana, Tim Schulz, a retired professor from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, takes us on his journey from fishing the heralded waters of his home state to those illustrious, infamous waters of Montana. Thankfully, Schulz doesn’t just take us on a play-by-play, step-by-step western walk, but instead tells another story about what it means to cast towards something, to evolve as an angler, and to grow as a person.
Schulz excels at threading a strong narrative throughout these essays. While each one could be read and enjoyed singularly, read together they provide an interesting arc. I’ve spoken with Tim on his podcast, Reading the Water, so I am fairly certain he’d dislike me calling him any sort of hero (he’d probably be more comfortable with me calling him a “pretty good writer and angler” when in reality he’s more than that), but this book does feel like, in some ways, it follows the classic “Hero’s Journey.” Schulz goes on an adventure, struggles and has to overcome obstacles, and returns home transformed.
It’s a classic storytelling technique and Schulz uses it to his advantage, building more than just a collection of essays about fishing, while creating a compelling collection of stories that’s hard to put down.
Schulz captures the seemingly small interactions between anglers that lead to large truths and insights. For example, in “Doing the Right Thing,” Schulz finally makes it to Montana only to accidentally leave his credit card at the first fly shop he stops at. Luckily for him, the kid working at the fly shop who gave him access points to Yellowstone River drives all the way out to him to return it. As anglers, I’m sure we all have stories like these, full of serendipitous events and kind people, and I’m grateful that Schulz highlights these throughout the collection; a reminder that pursuing what we love usually surrounds us with like-minded, kind individuals.
More than anything, Cast Away is a journey towards paying attention to the rivers and people that we fish with and, hopefully, realizing the profound impacts they have on us as anglers and people. In “Everything After That is a Bonus,” Schulz waxes poetic about how a river moves us as we wade, how “rivers are alive, and when I pay attention, I hear them breathe.”
Schulz’s adept attention to detail and knack for spinning a great yarn makes this collection a breezily enjoyable read. These essays are full of nuggets of wisdom such as “Like objects in the side view mirror, the days we dread are sometimes closer than they appear” and unique perspectives on our angling journey, which offers refreshing angles on some of the more famous streams throughout Montana.
In the end, we’re all just like Tim, wanting “to catch that first fish again.” Like most journeys, we come full circle as anglers, still chasing the thrill we felt landing our first trout. This is the ultimate transformation, right? Coming back to what compelled us to first pick up a rod and walk to the nearest stream and flail at the first trout we saw rising is really what we’re always moving towards. Schulz is a great storyteller, a student of the water, and a damned good writer. If you’re looking for a book that’s not just about fly fishing, but about rivers, dogs, the people we fish with, and what draws us to water, you can’t go wrong with A Cast Away in Montana.
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