Rogue River Reprieve

…is the story of a fishing guide named Beck Stoddard who thinks being a fishing guide on the Rogue River in Oregon is about as close to paradise as any mortal can get. He’s paid to float through remote wilderness canyons and witness the color changes of the trees in the fall, the habits of deer, bear and cougar, and the seasonal migrations of salmon and steelhead. He marvels as these silver-sided beauties push against the relentless onslaught of the river in a timeless cycle of migration from the Pacific Ocean to the high Cascades to spawn and nourish a new generation. After twenty-plus years, however, the sheen of guiding has begun to fade. When Stoddard encounters a woman stranded in the middle of the river’s most notorious and dangerous rapids, he embarks on a different kind of adventure. She’s intent on stopping an acid leachate mine in the lower canyon and becomes Stoddard’s guide as he faces a quagmire:  will he join a fight that pits him against a multi-national’s slurried plans?  Knowing his decision could flush him out of his cloistered corner of Eden, Stoddard plunges into an adventure that transports him to new vistas and insights.

Author Bio

Paul Hoobyar worked in the Pacific Northwest as a fishing guide, kayak instructor and adventure travel writer for two decades. He received a Masters of Fine Arts degree in creative writing at the University of Oregon, and a Bachelor’s degree from the College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Oregon, where he continues to boat rivers, fly fish and support healthy ecosystems and free-flowing streams.