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S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 6 8 Reader Favorites u o t e s O l as a bank of daffodils in the fog. Charles Gaines, The Next Valley Over, 2000. Submitted by David R. Drinan of Somers, Connecticut. The benign moment is difficult to define or explain, though every fisherman knows it. It is like one of those sudden silences in a general conversation when, in England, we say, 'An Angel passes' and in Russia, in the old days, they used to say, 'A policeman is being born.' The day is not that day but another. Everything feels and looks different. Arthur Ransome, Rod and Line, 1929. Submitted by Roger A. Bradley of East Petersburg, Pennsylvania. Trout should be eaten no later than twenty-four hours after they are caught, else one might better eat damp swamp hay crowned with chain-store mustard. John Voelker (aka Robert Traver), Voelker's Pond, 2002. Submitted by Jon Osborn of Holland, Michigan. At the end of a fishing trip you are inclined to summarize in your head. A tally is needed for the quick description that you will be asked for: so many fish at such and such weights and the method employed. Inevitably, what actually happened is indescribable. Thomas McGuane, Silent Seasons, 1988. Submitted by Louis W. Duncan of Sisters, Oregon. Physically weary as they are before the sun is high, the truth is they are resting. They have rediscovered the escape. The stream they fish is running through their hearts to bear away the frets and worries of yesterday and tomorrow. All fishermen will know how it is, though it is uncommonly difficult to explain. Ben Hur Lampman, Leaf From French Eddy, 1965. Submitted by James W. Colgan of Smithton, Illinois. He is a poor fisherman, indeed, whose pleasure depends solely upon the number of fish he catches. Havilah Babcock, Tales of Quails 'n Such, 1951. Submitted by Harrison Fielding of Ocala, Florida. Above came a swift whisper of wings, and as the loons saw us they called wildly in alarm, increased the speed of their flight, and took their laughing with them into the gathering dusk. Then came the answers we had been waiting for, and the shores echoed and re-echoed until they seemed to throb with the music. This was the symbol of the lake country, the sound that more than any other typifies the rocks and waters and forests of the wilderness. Sigurd Olson, Listening Point, 1958. Submitted by Jack Voytko of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Rebel met us at the Butte La Rose landing on the Atchafalaya River with her fly rod and rainsuit. The sky was bruised and stormy, but she looked up for anything, as bracing and blond Send us your favorite quotes from sporting literature and receive one free gift subscription for every quote that is published. Include the author, title of book and date of publication. Send to: Quotes, Sporting Classics, PO Box 23707, Columbia, SC 29224