Joe Brooks was one of the most influential sportsmen in American history. He was best known for his regular appearances with Curt Gowdy on ABC’s “American Sportsman” in the 1960’s and 70’s, one of the most popular sports shows of all time and one of the very first television shows about fishing. Brooks had a major impact on modern fly fishing not only through pioneering new techniques, new places and new species of fish, but also through his prolific writing about the sport. Joe became one of the best known writers of the 20th century on fishing. His story has never been fully told.