Found in a River

Found in a River: Steelhead & Other Revelations

2002, Frank Amato Publications, 73 pages, hardcover / dust jacket

FOUND IN A RIVER PRESENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMMERSE YOURSELF a journey. To wade into the river and witness an angler’s physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual trek “through thickets of thorns,” “beneath leering boulders” and into the “foggy-shrouded dawn.” All in search of one of angling’s holiest of grails — steelhead on a fly.

Along the way you may find, as did the author, a treasure of meaning and a deep appreciation for one of nature’s most exquisite creatures. And in your discovery, you may find yourself, as did the author, grappling with “a riddle for which neat answers do not exist.”

This poetic and pictorial history portrays the development of a steelhead flyfisher and committed conservationist. It speaks to and for flyfishers and all manner of outdoor enthusiasts whose dedication to the rivers and wild places they love represents the greatest and most enduring hope for the survival of our natural heritage.

Comments regarding Found in a River:

​

“For those of us who contemplate the remarkable natural world through the sport of steelhead fishing, and find it to be more chillingly grand than just about anything anyone has come up with yet, Jeff Bright’s photographs in Found in a River turn us away from the folly of our more mundane pursuits and return us to our natural wellspring.”

— Michael Checchio, author of A Clean, Well-Lighted Stream,
Mist on the River, and Being, Nothingness and Fly Fishing

​

“This photo-essay expresses what no unadorned poem or essay can: a steelhead is indeed a revelation. A river is another. The finiteness of earth and lethal folly of humanity are two more. If we love and serve the first two hard enough the second two may not kill us after all. Thanks to Jeff Bright for feeling and seeing it clearly and telling it straight.”

— David James Duncan, author of The River Why,
The Brothers K, and My Story as Told by Water

​

“There is a compelling magic between steelhead and the environment that many of us value as an irreplaceable piece of the world in which we live. Found in a River captures that magic. So that we will be successful in sustaining their health and survival, it is imperative we care enough about steelhead and the places they live. Thanks to Jeff Bright for reminding us all.”

— Gary Seput, Board Chairman of California Trout

​

“Jeff Bright has written a fine book. His words are a mixture of poetry and praise and, for this angler at least, they are a reminder that in the end it is not tonnage which sustains the soul of an angler. What does sustain us are the thoughts, feelings and images found in these pages.”

— Lani Waller, world-renowned steelhead angler

and advocate and author of River of Dreams,

and A Steelheader's Way