T.S.MARDO
Flyfishing
Diary of a brown trout
a beautiful children's book that will also captivate adults, by Thommy Mardo
Welcome to the world of Leopold, the little Austrian brown trout. We're stoked to have your support for this awesome project, which was created entirely without artificial intelligence. All texts are from my imagination and all illustrations are hand-drawn. Communicating this is very important to us!
Do fish really write diaries?
Of course they do! And they do much more than that. At least the brown trout in the Salzkammergut region in Austria do. They whisper all their knowledge to the “Stone of the Wise”, where the most experienced brown trout reside who assist young trout with help and advice.
This is also the case with Leopold, the little brown trout. With his diary he gives us an insight in a year of his life in the wild Rettenbach. He shares with us his adventures with fly fishermen and his lessons at trout school. And he also shares with us the story of his first love, trout dinners, friendships and all sorts of dangers.
Thanks to his stories and the beautiful illustrations by Jessica Marquardt, we learn about fly fishing from Leopold's perspective and experience the changing of the seasons, enjoy the beauty of nature and sense how vital it is to maintain its delicate balance.
Fly Fishing – The Diary of a Brown Trout" enchants both young and old and will make every fly fisher's heart soar with joy. A children's book for all ages. (Karin Lassen)
The englisch version will be available world wide on Amazon (04.2024)!
148 pages First edition
Format approx. 15x21 cm
Cover: Hardcover & Softcover
Illustrations: 50
Chapters: 34 diary entries
My name is Thommy Mardo, and I'm a freelance photographer, gallery owner, author, filmmaker, and a passionate fly fisherman and nature lover. I've been fishing for over 40 years, with more than 20 of those years dedicated to fly fishing with artificial flies. I've captured many photos and produced numerous videos about fly fishing in Austria and Slovenia.
Over a decade ago, the idea of writing a children's book about my fly fishing experiences began to take shape. My intention is to inspire the next generation of our beautiful sport to embrace this gentle form of fishing, especially in today's digital and fast-paced times, while also raising awareness of the beauty and fragility of our natural world. Even adult fly anglers will find enjoyment in this book, as they will see themselves in the stories time and time again. Everyone will be captivated by the exquisite hand-painted watercolors by artist Jessica Marquardt.
After years of brainstorming, armed with my laptop, coffee maker, and my faithful companion, Rehpinscher Chingu, I headed to the Baltic Sea in Winter 2021 to write the first manuscript draft for the book. In the following months, with Jessica's close collaboration, we refined the text and created the initial watercolor illustrations. Now, in the upcoming winter of 2023/24, the book will be printed and available in stores – just in time to fill the long winter months with fly fishing tales. But until then, there's still a little way to go, as over 30 more watercolors will be created, and the printing press must do its work - and this is where you come in.
Would you like to support the project?
I would be immensely grateful, and there are various ways you can do so.
//Spread the word - tell your friends and network about it.
//Become a part of the Facebook group and stay updated.
//Get your copy on Amazon - simply type "flyfishing - diary of a brown trout" and select soft or hardcover.
//Become a private individual or company sponsor for one of the watercolor illustrations (for the first edition of 3,000 copies). Your name/company and website will be featured in the book as the sponsor for the corresponding watercolor, as well as on this website and social media.
//For more information, including opportunities for further advertising, such as a strictly limited full-page advertisement at the end of the book, or a fully branded edition for your company, feel free to contact me at: info@thommy-mardo.de.
Now, I wish you much enjoyment as you view the beautiful watercolor illustrations and watch the fly fishing videos in Austria. 😊
the preface in the book
There are some people who wonder whether fish can really write diaries. The answer is as simple as the question: Yes, they can! They whisper! They whisper their experiences to the “Stone of the Wise”. There is a Stone of the Wise where old fish live in every stream and river. They absorb knowledge from the stone and pass it on to younger, growing generations. It was at the stone in the river Rettenbach in Upper Austria where I met Leopold. An old, wise brown trout that has lived there for a long time and supports young trout and grayling with help and advice. It was Leopold's request that I share his experiences, which he had whispered years ago in his youth to the Stone of the Wise. And make his diary available to people in order that they love and appreciate nature and its creatures and always treat them with respect. I hope you too will learn the art of fly fishing and show your respect and appreciation for animals and nature by treating Mother Nature with care. The fly fisherman is not only a fisherman on the hunt. He is guard and keeper, warden and caretaker. He is part of nature.
Enjoy reading!
A project is only possible with the help and support of many wonderful friends! I would like to express a big thank you to them (in alphabetical order :-))
To Aihan Sali Oglou, for his great support
To Aleksandra Dimitrijević, for the help on „social media“
To Chris Rownes, for editing the English translation
To Cristina Castells, for the sweetest trout stuffed animal on the planet
To the EFFA - Daniele di Fronzo, Frank Fuchs, Dominik Borrmann, Christian Gubler, for the great support
To Elmar Elfers, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine "Rute & Rolle", for his help in making the project more widely known
To Emil, for his Leopold-Voice in our video
To Felix Steiner, RST Angelgeräte GmbH, for his support
To Franz Xaver & Doris Huber, for a lot of support with the book project and wonderful fishing days in Munich
To Hans-Joachim Steudel, for inspiration and many enjoyable conversations about fly fishing
To Hartmut Kloss, "Salmon Hunters", for his dedication to fly fishing and his assistance with this project
To the Gasthof "zur Post", in Bad Goisern for lovely times and good food
To Heimo Huber, Oberes Fischereirevier Salzkammergut, for his tremendous support
To Jana Lackner, for layout and inspiration
To Jessica Marquardt, for the wonderful hand-drawn watercolors for the book
To Jochen Dornick, for his great assistance
To Karin Lassen, for editing and inspiration
To Klaus Mantl and family, for great days with much inspiration at the Hotel Mohr Life Resort and wonderful fishing on the Loisach
To Marion Dallaway, for thorough proofreading
To Marcus Kalle, from printec solutions GmbH for the great proof prints
To Michael Müller, fliegenfischer-forum.de for his great support
To Michael Werner, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine "Fliegenfischen", for the fantastic support in the magazine and online
To Michaela Skowronek, for thorough proofreading
To Michaela and Robert Stroh (EWF), for the fantastic networking and wonderful collaboration
To Olaf Struss, for his dedication and great contacts
To Peter, Angelika and Bibi Oberwimmer, for the great support and our friendship :-)
To Pino Messina, for his knowledge, his fly patterns, and many tips & tricks
To Reinhard Wedemeyer, for his administrative work, sentence structure, layout, and graphics
To Rudi Jerger, for his tips, equipment, and inspirations
To Sören Kaltenmaier, for convincing me to start fly fishing (2002)
To the Steegwirt (Tamino and Fritz Grampelhuber) in Bad Goisern, for their hospitality and the best food in the world
To Stefan Veth, for thorough proofreading and inspiration
To Stephan Reinhardt, with whom I had the opportunity to learn fly fishing
To Tanja Oidtmann, for tipps & inspiration
To Theodor Matschwesky - solitip.de, for his tremendous support
To Ursula Mardo, for thorough proofreading
