Book dossier

Trout Madness

by Robert Traver

First published in 1960, Trout Madness captures the spirit of Midwestern trout fishing as it was in the 1940s and 1950s. Robert Traver (real name was John D. Voelker 1903-1991) spent most of his life in his native Marquette County, Michigan, and in trout season, as much time as possible on trout waters. This book of 21 essays includes tales of his secret trout waters and experiences fishing them. It includes stories of minor violations of the regulations (by others, of course.) It tells about his "Fish Car" , a 1928 Model A Ford, still going in 1960. He tells what he did not like about the new spinning reels, a new invention in the 1950s. He captures the camaraderie of fishing trout with one or two fishing partners during those summers in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. This book (my copy has 178 pages) was serialized in Outdoor Life in 1962. We neighborhood kids loved every installment. Trout fishing was more popular then than it is now, but this book still captures the magic of summer mornings and evenings wading trout streams, casting for a limit of trout.