The Trout Whisperers Book

The Trout Whisperers chronicles the misadventures of two eccentric fly fishermen, Louis Traub and Raul Mendoza, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of their annual six-week fishing and camping trip in Montana--a jaunt during which the characters' unconventional interpretation of outdoor experience, combined with their quixotic search for a mythic, unspoiled trout stream, adds up to a deliciously zany romp echoing Lewis and Clark's historic journey through the Missouri River country. As the book opens, the trout whisperers are about to take a full-day float trip on the Beaverhead River, with a long-time friend and fellow fly-fishing nut, Bowen Kiick. But when Kiick bails out at the last moment, Louis and Raul decide to go on the float anyway. After a number of entertaining twists and turns, they fall into an unexpected acquaintance with high-strung yoga instructor Lottie Moffo and her flatulent Jack Russell terrier. Lottie's impact on the anglers is explosive; it threatens their relationship but also leads them to the brink of discovering the mythic Little Gooseneck Creek--and ultimately, right into the crosshairs of the law.

About the Author: Pete Bodo is a principal Outdoors columnist for the New York Times, author of several books, and a senior editor at Tennis magazine. He lives in New York City

Publishers Weekly

New York Times outdoors columnist Bodo relates a pratfall-filled shaggy-dog story chronicling the travails of B. Louis Traub and Raul Mendoza, fly-fishermen whose quixotic devotion to their hobby brings them to Montana every year to indulge in bombastic banter, campfire cooking and the prospect of fulfilling their dream of finding the mythical trout haven of Little Gooseneck Creek. But this year's trip is off to a strange start; their longtime fishing buddy, Bowen Kiick, disappears (but leaves them his boat to use), and they pick up an air-headed yoga instructor named Lottie Mofo, whose presence drives a wedge between the fishermen. Meanwhile, a women's underwear-collecting private detective is trailing the trio, hoping they will lead him to Bowen, who is suspected of being a desperado. This is only the beginning, as Raul and Louis stumble into a big-money real estate boondoggle that involves crooked fly fishermen, a water-bottling scheme and a newly discovered insect. Unfortunately, the narrative abruptly flames out into an unconvincingly happy ending after a lengthy buildup. Still, getting to the ending, disappointing as it may be, is a pleasantly meandering excursion that packs more than its share of belly laughs. (July) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.