In case you don't know, Joe Brooks was one of the most famous anglers of the 20th century. He wrote many books & articles, & appeared on TV showing folks how to fly fish. He was one of the very first to promote the concept of 'catch & release' starting back in the 1940's. He was also the first one to show a large audience that you can catch any fish that swims on a fly. Through articles & TV he was the first to take us to exotic locations, catching strange & wonderful fish we had never heard of before.
He was also a great educator in fly fishing, too. Through his books he showed many anglers the finer aspects of the sport. In fact, I feel safe in saying that a majority of the 'how-to' fly fishing books written since the last quarter of the 20th century are pretty much just restating the things that Brooks wrote about in hos books, even though the authors might not be aware.
I've lately been really surprised by how Joe Brooks & his contributions to our sport have been either fading from our memories or he simply isn't as known now as he once was. That's a terrible shame, as reading his books & articles are a real benefit for any fly angler - even still today. In my opinion, if you don't have a copy of "Trout Fishing" on your bookshelf, your library isn't complete.
Hopefully that will change soon. Joe's great nephews (Joe & Michael Brooks), along with the legendary Left Kreh, are working to produce a movie about the life of Joe Brooks. It promises to tell the entire story - & it seems there's a lot more than any of us previously knew.
I always knew that Joe had a very loving relationship with his wife Mary. However, I didn't know that before she came into his life, Joe was an alcoholic who had all but hit rock bottom in his life. Through Mary's love & their passion for fly fishing, he turned his life around &, in turn, went on to change how we fish by establishing a new career that would make him famous & all of us better anglers.
"Joe Brooks The Story of How Loved Changed Fishing Forever" promises to show how Joe redeemed himself & in turn, influenced generations of anglers. You can learn more about this film, about Joe, & help to get it produced by donating HERE.
I, for one, look forward to seeing this documentary about the man who really has helped me become a better angler. For that, I really appreciate everything Joe Brooks did for the sport.