
Trout Friends and Other Riff-Raff
Stories About the Passion and Madness of Fishing
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
David Stifel
-
By:
-
Bill Stokes
About this listen
Winner of the 2018 ABR Audiobook Listener Award for Biography/Autobiography.
Includes a brand new essay, "Trout Flounderers".
In these stories, popular Chicago Tribune outdoor columnist Bill Stokes gives himself over to his true passion, trout fishing. It is an activity, possibly a madness, that moves him, time and again, to stand knee-deep in cold and murky waters, offer himself up to clouds of hungry mosquitoes, and attempt to keep from snagging his line in overhanging limbs while trying to outwit a wily rainbow or brook trout. And then remembering where the car is parked. All trout anglers will, like Stephen Born, revel in these evocative and entertaining stories.
©2000, 2017 Bill Stokes (P)2017 Stokes CreativeListeners also enjoyed...
-
Trout Bum
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While most of us fly-fish to escape from daily life, for John Gierach and his friends fly-fishing IS a way of life. They are trout bums. But John Gierach is also an exceptional writer. The essays in Trout Bum are reflective, bitingly humorous, and enormously wise in the ways of fishing and men. In vivid, unforgettable detail they recount the emotional, spiritual, and tangible adventures and pleasures of stalking trout in and around the Rockies—day in, day out, from season to season, with friends, and alone.
-
-
Fly fishing at its best
- By Jason on 03-27-25
By: John Gierach
-
Ship the Kids on Ahead
- By: Bill Stokes
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette, James Foster, Stefan Rudnicki, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all have that one older funny family member. You know the one, he tells stories from his experiences and usually has people rolling their eyes. William Stokes is that person! He presents a delightful collection of memories that are truly life lessons even today! Stokes, through his memories and wit, provides opportunities to learn through laughter, sharing of memories and love.
-
-
Different and fun
- By erobbins33 on 09-20-16
By: Bill Stokes
-
All the Time in the World
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once again, John Gierach tells the world why the pastime of fly-fishing makes so much sense—except when it doesn't. In sparkling prose, with more than a touch of humor, he recalls the joys of landing that trout he's been watching for the last hour—and then losing an even fatter one a little later. Joy and frustration mix in Gierach's latest appreciation of the fly-fishing life as he takes us from his home waters on the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado to fishing meccas all over North America.
-
-
Laughing at ourselves
- By Kindle Customer on 04-30-23
By: John Gierach
-
Fly Fishing Small Streams
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Small-stream fishing wisdom with the same insight and pungent humor that has become Gierach's trademark. Advice on tackle selecting, reading water, and scouting.
-
-
Like a conversation with an old friend about all that is best!
- By His Excellency on 03-30-25
By: John Gierach
-
The View From Rat Lake
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.
-
-
Like sitting beside the campfire with a long lost brother talking fishing
- By His Excellency on 03-26-25
By: John Gierach
-
The Longest Silence
- A Life in FIshing
- By: Thomas McGuane
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the highly acclaimed author of Ninety-two in the Shade and Cloudbursts comes a collection of alternately playful and exquisite essays—including seven collected here for the first time—borne of a lifetime spent fishing.
-
-
Narrator had to catch a train
- By Brandon Taff on 01-11-23
By: Thomas McGuane
-
Trout Bum
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While most of us fly-fish to escape from daily life, for John Gierach and his friends fly-fishing IS a way of life. They are trout bums. But John Gierach is also an exceptional writer. The essays in Trout Bum are reflective, bitingly humorous, and enormously wise in the ways of fishing and men. In vivid, unforgettable detail they recount the emotional, spiritual, and tangible adventures and pleasures of stalking trout in and around the Rockies—day in, day out, from season to season, with friends, and alone.
-
-
Fly fishing at its best
- By Jason on 03-27-25
By: John Gierach
-
Ship the Kids on Ahead
- By: Bill Stokes
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette, James Foster, Stefan Rudnicki, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all have that one older funny family member. You know the one, he tells stories from his experiences and usually has people rolling their eyes. William Stokes is that person! He presents a delightful collection of memories that are truly life lessons even today! Stokes, through his memories and wit, provides opportunities to learn through laughter, sharing of memories and love.
-
-
Different and fun
- By erobbins33 on 09-20-16
By: Bill Stokes
-
All the Time in the World
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Once again, John Gierach tells the world why the pastime of fly-fishing makes so much sense—except when it doesn't. In sparkling prose, with more than a touch of humor, he recalls the joys of landing that trout he's been watching for the last hour—and then losing an even fatter one a little later. Joy and frustration mix in Gierach's latest appreciation of the fly-fishing life as he takes us from his home waters on the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado to fishing meccas all over North America.
-
-
Laughing at ourselves
- By Kindle Customer on 04-30-23
By: John Gierach
-
Fly Fishing Small Streams
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Small-stream fishing wisdom with the same insight and pungent humor that has become Gierach's trademark. Advice on tackle selecting, reading water, and scouting.
-
-
Like a conversation with an old friend about all that is best!
- By His Excellency on 03-30-25
By: John Gierach
-
The View From Rat Lake
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.
-
-
Like sitting beside the campfire with a long lost brother talking fishing
- By His Excellency on 03-26-25
By: John Gierach
-
The Longest Silence
- A Life in FIshing
- By: Thomas McGuane
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the highly acclaimed author of Ninety-two in the Shade and Cloudbursts comes a collection of alternately playful and exquisite essays—including seven collected here for the first time—borne of a lifetime spent fishing.
-
-
Narrator had to catch a train
- By Brandon Taff on 01-11-23
By: Thomas McGuane
-
Spring Creek
- Twentieth Anniversary Edition
- By: Nick Lyons
- Narrated by: Jason Huggins
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It has been called Lyons's masterpiece. The river is one of those rare places where the trout are as long as your arm but also exceedingly difficult to catch. Lyons explores its secrets and confronts its greatest challenges. At first he catches little. Then slowly, he acquires the various and special skills and disciplines necessary to take the large wary brown trout of this extraordinary river. Spring Creek is a memoir of halcyon days on a remarkable river and it draws a rare portrait of an angler learning to fish more wisely.
By: Nick Lyons
-
The Optimist
- A Case for the Fly Fishing Life
- By: David Coggins
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill, David Coggins - afterword
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Optimist, David Coggins makes a case for the skills and sensibility of an enduring sport and shares the secrets, frustrations, and triumphs of the great tradition of fly fishing, which has captivated anglers worldwide. Written in wry, wise, and keenly observed prose, each chapter focuses on a specific place, fish, and skill. Few individuals, for example, have the visual acuity required to catch the nearly invisible bonefish of the Bahamas flats.
-
-
But the hard copy.
- By Mike L. on 05-30-21
By: David Coggins
-
The Reasonable Art of Fly Fishing
- By: Terry Mort
- Narrated by: Michael Taylor
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
"One of the best acid tests of an introductory book...is that the text allows the reader to learn an important skill independent of the illustrations. Fly casting is very difficult to teach in person, and even more so in print, yet this book contains the best, the most interesting, and the most effective introduction to fly casting I have ever read."
-
-
Well worth the money
- By Del on 07-20-10
By: Terry Mort
-
The Guide
- A Novel
- By: Peter Heller
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Kingfisher Lodge, nestled in a canyon on a mile and a half of the most pristine river water on the planet, is known by locals as "Billionaire's Mile" and is locked behind a heavy gate. Sandwiched between barbed wire and a meadow with a sign that reads "Don't Get Shot!" the resort boasts boutique fishing at its finest. Safe from viruses that have plagued America for years, Kingfisher offers a respite for wealthy clients.
-
-
Entertaining Fiction…I hope.
- By Edgar on 08-25-21
By: Peter Heller
-
Meat Eater
- Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter
- By: Steven Rinella
- Narrated by: Steven Rinella
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meat Eater chronicles Rinella’s lifelong relationship with nature and hunting through the lens of ten hunts, beginning when he was an aspiring mountain man at age ten and ending as a thirty-seven-year-old Brooklyn father who hunts in the remotest corners of North America.
-
-
Great book
- By Anonymous User on 02-15-25
By: Steven Rinella
-
How I Got This Way
- By: Patrick McManus
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grab your fishing net and hold onto your funny-bone; you're in for a hilarious romp through the woods with best-selling funnyman Patrick McManus. How I Got This Way is a rib-tickling collection of stories about the outdoors guaranteed to leave you chuckling. Join McManus and his pals on a venture into the Idaho wilderness that includes taking a hike with - ahem - the president of the United States.
-
-
Mark Twain meets Bertie Wooster
- By Snoodely on 07-22-12
By: Patrick McManus
-
Even Brook Trout Get the Blues
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whether debating bamboo versus graphite rods, describing the pleasure of fishing in pocket waters or during a spring snow in the mountains, or recounting a trip in pursuit of the "fascinatingly ugly" longnose gar, Gierach understands that fly-fishing is more than a sport. It's a way of life in which patience is (mostly) rewarded, the rhythms of the natural world are appreciated, and the search for the perfect rod or ideal stream is never ending.
-
-
laughing my @$$ off!
- By Dawn Antico on 07-06-23
By: John Gierach
-
Another Lousy Day in Paradise
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paradise, Gierach shows us, is relative; it can be found in the guilty luxury of fishing private waters or when one is soaked to the skin, in a small canoe on a big lake in a storm a hundred miles from anywhere, exhilarated after a day's fishing. There are also pleasures to be found in unexpected places: solitary fishing trips, fishing for less-appreciated fish like carp, or meeting a guide who at first seems like an inarticulate ax murderer but who proves to be a "Zen master among fishing guides."
-
-
What else is there
- By Anonymous User on 08-23-24
By: John Gierach
-
Jim Bridger
- Trailblazer of the American West
- By: Jerry Enzler
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Even among iconic frontiersmen like John C. Fremont, Kit Carson, and Jedediah Smith, Jim Bridger stands out. A mountain man of the American West, straddling the fur trade era and the age of exploration, he lived the life legends are made of. Here, in a biography that finally gives this outsize character his due, Jerry Enzler takes this frontiersman's full measure for the first time—and tells a story that would do Jim Bridger proud.
-
-
JIM BRIDGER A CHARACTER WITH CHARACTER
- By Sword of Truth on 07-18-24
By: Jerry Enzler
-
Where the Trout Are All as Long as Your Leg
- By: John Gierach
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fly-fishing's finest scribe, John Gierach, takes us from a nameless stream on a nameless ranch in Montana to a secret pool off a secret creek where he caught a catfish as a five-year-old, to a brook full of rattlesnakes and a private pond where the trout are all as long as your leg. As Gierach says, "The secret places are the soul of fishing." Hearing about a new one never fails to entice us.
-
-
Different narrator needed
- By Elizabeth on 10-15-22
By: John Gierach
-
The River Why
- By: David James Duncan
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gus Orviston is a young fly fisherman who leaves behind his comically schizoid family to find his own path. Taking refuge in a remote cabin, he sets out in pursuit of the Pacific Northwest's elusive steelhead. But what begins as a physical quarry becomes a spiritual one as his quest for self-knowledge batters him with unforeseeable experiences.
-
-
I Can't Listen to This
- By Tom on 05-13-19
-
The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw
- By: Patrick McManus
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Patrick McManus, author of How I Got This Way and one of America's favorite humorists, is an impish commentator on the obvious and not so obvious absurdities of modern life. His national best seller, The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw, is a collection of hilarious short pieces about fishing, its exotic equipment, and activities like "gunkholing". You will learn, for example, that the best way to learn to fish is to build an addition to your house first.
-
-
slow, monotone country reader
- By Laura on 06-28-16
By: Patrick McManus
Critic reviews
"I love these types of books, ones where you can dip in and out when you have a few minutes to spare. Bill has a unique way over getting the stories to resonate with the reader" (FlyPunk Magazine)
What listeners say about Trout Friends and Other Riff-Raff
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lomeraniel
- 03-06-17
Funny and endearing anecdotes about fishing
Any additional comments?
I was offered a copy of this audio book in audio format from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This is an collection of stories about fishing. Stokes starts the book complaining about age and how it has affected one of his favorite hobbies, to continue telling how he discovered it and all the people that were important in his life regarding fishing trips. The book is full of funny and endearing anecdotes which will delight everyone, and not just those into fishing. The book is not as much about fishing as about the experience around fishing: the trips, the friends, the problems, and especially about the inexorable passage of time.
David Stifel really becomes Bill Stokes in this book, and his voice and modulation makes the audiobook a unique experience. It is like listening to your old grandpa telling you never ending stories about the important things in life. It really enhances the book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- erobbins33
- 02-06-17
A Retrospective Fish Story
If you're fascinated by the conversations of grumpy old men, you know, the ones who sit in rockers on the front porch of the small town general store, you'll love this book! Weaving tales around fishing, Stokes has masterfully captured exactly the type of unfiltered "shoot the sh#t" demographic you'll find gathered at the local mini mart coffee counter, jawing around the picnic table at the town square, or telling tall, slightly profane tales that they can't tell their wives or children. Stifel has the perfect voice for this character, who could be anybody's grandfather or cranky uncle.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- April H.
- 02-16-17
Trout Friends and Other Riff-Raff
Trout Friends and Other Riff-Raff
: Bill Stokes
A collection of fish stories, not just the ones that got away! These are more stories of friendships while fishing.
The narration was well done by David Stifel.
"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- AdaChaDad
- 02-19-17
Wonderful Reminiscing of Time Spent Outdoors
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely. Especially great for anyone who has or does spend time fishing. The stories are relatable but also highly entertaining or poignant at the same time. Bill Stokes is clearly one of those special outdoors writers who has an uncanny gift to build stories around time spent in nature. This is a book that you are sad to see come to an end.
What did you like best about this story?
This is a collection of short stories of built around fishing trips in the author's life. Some are mostly funny, others more tugging at the heart-strings. All are worthwhile. The narrator fit the "voice" of the author very well.
Which scene was your favorite?
I'm not really sure- but I did enjoy the pictures the author painted of different excursions on the river.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There is quite a bit here that is more moving than what you might expect from a book about fishing trips. As much as anything, I was reminded how quickly life slips by and how important it is for us to take the time to make some wonderful memories in God's creation.
Any additional comments?
This book was provided to me, free of charge, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Geoff
- 03-27-18
Terrific Stories!
Fun autobiographical stories, top-notch writing. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Definitely recommended, great road-trip listen.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Todd (Toad) Vogel
- 02-10-17
Nothing to do with catching fish?
This isn't a story about catching fish. It's about the experiences of the fishing trip itself. It is written from the perspective of the writer, Bill Stokes. These are stories from his youth to adulthood. And they're all true like most fishing stories are of course with just a little embellishment. Great collection of fishing tales sure to give you a few laughs. Great narration by David Stifel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- peconicgp
- 06-24-20
Enjoyable
enjoyed the book the readers voice took me a little while to get used to but eventually I found it fitting
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jesse DeBear
- 07-30-20
SPOT ON
From a Wisconsin born and raised sportsman with 6 decades under my belt, I enjoyed each of these short stories. I smiled and I laughed, remembering similar experiences and fishing friends. Kudos also that I’ve fished many of the streams and locations Bill writes about. Like a pleasant walk down memory lane. Thank you Bill.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- in1ear (John Row)
- 03-26-17
You never know when you're going to run into Swede
Where does Trout Friends and Other Riff-Raff rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
As a memoir, Riff-Raff ranks up there with everything I've listened to by Bill Stokes. The review title refers to a response from an a acquaintance of Mr. Stokes (of Norwegian ancestry) when asked why he always carried a handgun. Whether it be rare visits to church or fishing. Lol
What did you like best about this story?
The story is a regression from adulthood to Bill's childhood beginnings as a fisherman. Humor, nostalgia, that's what best describes Bill Stokes' writings.
Which scene was your favorite?
Billl's and his first fishing buddy's overnight fishing trip. And its travails.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Savor it slowly. That's my advice. Don't rush through it!
Any additional comments?
I must confess, I've never been much attracted to fishing and mostly scratched my head when fishing enthusiasts told their tales. This was still so entertaining to listen to.
Thanks for the opportunity to review it!
This review copy audiobook was provided by the author's representative at no cost. Which I can only assume was voluntary on their part. I am happy to give my honest review of it. I think I'm suppose to mention how reviewing this was voluntary on my part too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Teresa
- 02-20-17
A Great American Pasttime, Trout Fishing
Trout Friends and Other Riff-Raff was an incredibly delightful listen. It was such fun listening to these tales. One of my favorites, (all were excellent) was the moving car horn. All are true gems and enjoyable for anyone. I actually love fishing and have been trout fishing but have never had quite the joy that these stories bring. Bill Stokes is a brilliant storyteller and I'd highly recommend not letting this one get away.
David Stifel's narration was equally brilliant. He was present in the moment and read these stories in a way that made me feel as if I were a part of them. Just wonderful!
I was provided this audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful