Nine Passes: Fly Fishing Through the Past and Present of the High Sierra

by Todd Bruce

Nine Passes, Todd Bruce's deeply personal account of his 300-mile backpacking expedition through the Sierra Nevada, is informed by the author's vivid sense of history and enduring love of the land. Retracing the route of Charles McDermand, an outdoorsman and writer whose landmark 1946 travelogue The Waters of the Golden Trout Country sparked a national interest in the region, Bruce draws upon his fly fishing expertise and his keen familiarity with the land to illuminate the subtleties of the Sierra Nevada's flora, fauna, and topography. Bruce's five-week trek took him along McDermand's seventy-year-old route, where he hiked the back country, fished the lakes and streams, and climbed the high mountain passes of trailblazers past-one of whom was Bruce's great-grandfather, George R. Goldman. The trout waters he explores are those of McDermand, of George Goldman, and of Bruce's kin: Bruce's mother, father, and siblings, as well as his own young self, who fished those same glinting pools in the previous decades. Nine Passes is a collation of more than six decades of change in the Sierra fisheries, the story of a family, their bonds, and their memories, the techniques and practices of the fly fishing artistry, and the shifting human attitudes that have sculpted these granite-laden mountains. This edition features a black and white interior.

228 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2015

About the author

TODD BRUCE is a fly fisherman, backpacker, and true outdoorsman from Santa Cruz, California. Spurred by a passion of the outdoors, Bruce studied forestry at Humboldt State University. He began his career as a firefighter with the United State Forest Service, sparking a thirty-two-year career in the fire service before retiring at the rank of captain in 2011. In the summer of 2012, Bruce embarked on a trek of more than 300 miles through the Sierra Nevada high country. Nine Passes is the result of this journey.

Reviews

[B.L. Bruce]

An insightful and at times personal travelogue on Sierra Nevada fly fishing that looks at the "then and now" of backpacking this section of wilderness along the John Muir Trail. Following routes of trailblazers past and those of landmark outdoorsman and fly fisherman Charles "Mac" McDermand, Bruce treks over 300 miles through the High Sierra wilderness, looking at the changes that have occurred in the last 70 years: trout fisheries, landscape, fishing and backpacking practices, and much, much more.

[Allen Rizzi]

Todd Bruce combines a solid mastery of fly fishing, backpacking and love for his family and the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains to produce a book of true importance. Authentic in every detail from the choice of flies to the intimate descriptions of the Sierra landscape, the author brings California’s high mountain jewel to life. Retracing the steps of author and fisherman Charles “Mac” McDermand’s 1945 route, this book brings the reader along for the entire 300 miles hike with attention paid in precise detail to what the Sierra back country is really all about. The hike and the fishing are not mere competitions in this book. As Todd Bruce states in Chapter Six, “It is all about being here in this part of the Sierra and enjoying every moment.”

Skillfully interwoven in the narrative is the author’s love and admiration for his family. It was his father who first put a fly rod in the author’s hand. It was his mother who patiently supported the author and his siblings while participating in back country trips. What the author took away from his parents and siblings as a youngster became the foundation for a lifelong love and respect for the wilderness. Family values are examined and carried forward with every step Todd Bruce takes on his three month spiritual quest. The entire trip leaves both the author and the reader feeling completely fulfilled as the last page is turned.

The many photographs that are included give the reader an additional perspective of what the area was like in 1945, 1968 and 2012. The inclusion of these photographs really helps the reader understand both the constants and changes that the author witnessed on his epic journey. Fly fishermen will identify with both the narrative and the accompanying photographs as most have witnessed similar contrasts in their own individual fishing lifetimes.

The true essence of our sport and the timeless family values that nourish and sustain it are gifts that Todd Bruce unselfishly shares with us. This solidly crafted book is highly recommended to fly fishermen and anyone who has gazed at a distant peak with wonder and curiosity.

[Charity Andrews]

Growing up in the High Sierra (Desert), Todd fell in love with the land. Running free and living his childhood roaming the outdoors and learning to fish at the age of four, he decided that he wanted to go back and relive some of those experiences. Using a book, that his brother was given when they were children, as his reference, he started out on his 300+ mile trek through the Sierra Desert.

Oh, did I mention that he was 51 years old when he decided to hike over 300 miles in 1 month 12,000+ feet above sea level by himself? I didn’t think so.

This is a BEAUTIFUL book. It is full of many breathtaking pictures. Todd’s idea was to relive his childhood memories and to see how much had changed over the years. I was particularly interested because of the stories I had heard from my father. He had the same type of childhood. He would wander around for days in the desert as a child. He also learned to fish at a young age and grew up thinking that’s how everyone lived. When I saw this book, I was excited to hear another perspective and to live somewhat vicariously through Todd’s journey and pictures. I was finally able to put a “face” on what I have always heard.

I highly recommend this book. I am no fisherman and can barely walk a mile, let alone 300! However, it is well written, it holds your attention and, as previously mentioned, has MANY breathtaking photos. This is the perfect “coffee table book”. If you’ve been looking for one, you’re welcome!

Thank you, Todd Bruce and Black Swift Press Publishing, for this wonderful book. As always, this is my honest opinion. Here’s to many more!!