John Lawrence Gierach (November 24, 1946 – October 3, 2024) was an American author and freelance writer who lived in Larimer County, near Lyons, Colorado.

[1] Gierach was born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, on November 24, 1946,[2][3] and grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

Starting out, he wrote contributory notes and features for the Fly Fisherman to pay his monthly rent.

[11] His work has appeared in Gray's Sporting Journal, Field & Stream, where he was a contributing author, and Fly, Rod, and Reel, where he was an editor at large.

[13][1] These articles pertained mostly to the sport of fly fishing, but Gierach's perspective on nature, philosophy, and life was also central to his work.

[18] After making a name for himself in angling magazines, Gierach's work garnered attention from Sports Illustrated and The Wall Street Journal, with the latter calling him "the voice of the common angler".

[19] Gierach's interest and knowledge of the natural world are detailed in his publications, though he considered himself an "amateur" naturalist.