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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Phil Rispin

I think this is the key to making another great year. If you have an idea about the ETFF, feel free to call or e-Mail me.

Ingrid Johnson - Membership/Newsletter
c 903-452-8711, e-Mail, tells me that many of you are once again club members in good standing. But a few procrastinators remain, so please remember to pay your $30 individual or $35 for family club dues.

View our Past Newsletters :)

 

><((((°> MARK YOUR CALENDARS <°))))><
Meeting are now on the 3^rd Monday of each month!

February 6: 18th Annual Fly Tying Festival - Featured tier will be Bob Clouser, creator of the famous Clouser Minnow! (Texas FlyFishers of Houston)

February 15 Meeting: Discussion about the Little Missouri Outing - Bubba Headrick & Members

February 26-28: Little Missouri River at our Club's Annual Outing to Murfreesburo, Arkansas

March 15 Meeting: Ben Olsen from Black Canyon Anglers in Colorado

East Texas Hatch Schedule Plus Aquatic Foods

DVD & BOOK REVIEWS

Modern Spey Casting By Dec Hogan
Published by Frank Amato Publications 2005

DVD/Video: First impression
An American angle on the spey rod renaissance or "craze" with a very practical and applicable approach to this style of casting. Dec Hogan breaks down the Spey and underhand casts into clear and simple types and demonstrates each in detail.

 

The Scandinavian Spey Cast - Part II By Henrik Mortensen
Published by Newsline Video Production/Henrik Mortensen 2009

DVD/Video: First impression
Lots of very nice footage of very nice salmon caught in very nice water. Concentrating on dry fly fishing for salmon and on developing your casting technique. Taking place on Bonaventure and the Cascapedias this DVD shows some stunningly clear water and some massive fish striking in the surface.

 

Sea Bass on a Fly By Runar Kabbe
Published by Scanout Productions 2007

DVD/Video: First impression
13 seasons and more than 400 landed sea bass is the basis for Runar Krabbe's knowledge of how to get in contact with the south european silverish fish. He fish it from the shore, boat and from pontoon drifter. He takes us from season start in early June to the end in late September. Flies and techniques are being discussed, but can it stand more than one hour and is the 60 minutes of bonus videos worth the price?

 

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide By Tom Rosenbauer
Published by The Lyons Press 2007

Book: First impression
An excellent, udpated overview of fly fishing as you would expect from someone like Tom Rosenbauer.

 

Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die By Chris Santella
Published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang 2004

Book: First impression
A mouthwatering - but also somewhat brief - coverage of fifty places from all over the world where you might want to go fishing in your life. Each location is recommended by an expert and described through interviews, stories and facts by Santella. Very nice in spite of its brevity and fairly small size. Illustrated with beautiful Valentine Atkinson images.

 

Fly Fisherman's Guide to Saltwater Prey By Aaron J. Adams
Published by Stackpole Books 2008

Book: First impression
If you are into fly fishing saltwater and like to tie your own flies, this is a book worth considering. Running through a number of groups and species of widespread prey, Aaron Adams covers warm water predators and prey and shows all species and patterns in hundreds of color photos.

Casting Tips
By Pat Damico – Taken from the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club Newsletter

We will take the first of five Essential components of a technically correct cast. Different instructors will occasionally say they use three or four essentials, but their definition will usually combine the five essentials we will discuss. Bill and Jay Gambell in their excellent booklet available from FFF, “The Essentials of Fly Casting,” first published in 1993, is still the indisputable standard.

There must be a PAUSE at the end of each stroke, which varies in duration with the amount of line beyond the rod tip. In order to cast a fly, the rod must bend or load. The weight of the line loads the rod in fly casting. The more straight line outside of the rod tip, the more the rod will load. A beginner should frequently watch his backcast to make sure the line is almost straight as it unrolls before the forward cast is begun. If the length of fly line is constant, the amount of pause is the same on both the forward and backcast. When false casting, not allowing the fly line to touch the ground or water, gradually increase the length of line and the amount of time you wait or pause before starting to move the rod tip in the opposite direction. As an exercise, begin false casting with only a few feet of line outside the rod tip. Increase line a foot at a time and monitor your timing, when it looks and feels right, with nice tight loops, add a foot of line and continue.

Waiting, or pausing, too long will allow the line to completely straighten and gravity will take over causing the line to fall at the same time unloading the fly rod and destroying the cast. To unload the rod properly at the end of each strode the rod tip should have a crisp stop. Short cast, short pause; long cast, long pause.

 

What Are Trout Really Thinking?
Submitted by Daryl Crowley – West Michigan Hacklers Club

Did you ever wonder what goes on in the mind of a trout?  What in the heck are they thinking?  Thinking?   Of course the logical assumption is that they are cold-blooded creatures, incapable of any conscious thought, merely reacting to their environment or external stimuli. Cautious? Yes, of course, this seems obvious but surely they are not "self-aware," or cognizant of their own mortality, let alone conscious of humans or their methods.  They don't "know" what eagles or anglers are; just that dangers exist that can reach into their watery realm, so they have learned to be shy of shadows or intrusions into their world.  Trout cannot "think" as would you or I.  Or can they?

Those of us that have been chasing these elusive creatures for more than a few decades have questioned on numerous occasions the "scientific logic" that would have us believe that trout are merely reactive automatons, little more than animated vegetables, acting on instinct and fear.  The experienced angler is not so quick to demote the trout to the status of low-grade imbecile.  A well-known FFF fly-tier was giving an excellent fly tying demonstration to our club and was trying to make a valid point about a trout's perception of a fly.  She remarked; "A trout's brain is the size of a pea; how freakin' smart can they be?"  To which I responded; "Evidently....., pretty freakin' smart."  There was a round of laughter....nervous laughter.  It was a humorous response, not meant as challenge to her statement, but it seemed to ring an ominous bell in the minds of our well-seasoned club members.  I could hear our collective minds reeling with the horrible realization that these not-so-freakin'-smart-fish have been making fools of us for a long time.  What does that say for the angler?  Maybe we're not-so-freakin'-smart!

One of the hallmarks of an intelligent species is the ability to communicate and while I have never actually heard a trout conversing with his fish friends, it seems obvious that they must.  This is evidenced by the fact that within moments of my arrival at the river, every fish in the stream knows I am there.  The skeptics would say that I'm just clumsy and that I have signaled the fish of my arrival by being "un-stealthy."    While this may account for the sudden cessation of rises in my immediate vicinity, it does not account for how fish a quarter mile downstream also immediately cease their activity, unless trout are "passing the word" of my presence.  I submit then that this is proof of communication and therefore sentience on the part of the trout.  And the evidence doesn't stop there.

Much ado is made about the importance of floating a dry fly without a trace of drag.  The assumption being that trout will detect something unnatural in a fly that drags in the current.  Nonsense!  I believe trout are intimately familiar with what a line and leader are.  They probably can even tell the brand of knotless leader just by looking at it.  How can that be?  I have no idea, but consider the places that trout station themselves for feeding.  Do they take up a feeding position in a spot clear of over-hanging brush with no cross-currents? Never. They only seek places that deny the ability to present a fly.  They look for current seams that will tie your leader in a knot.  They hang out six inches below a little leader-grabbing-stick, which offers no current break or shelter, the only reasonable advantage of feeding there is that it's an impossible spot to lay down a fly that's attached to a leader. There can be little doubt of their intelligent use of resources. The devious bastards!

We have all watched these so called "dumb creatures" scrutinize a #22 fly as if it were some kind of binding legal contract with fine print. I can barely distinguish a #18 Hares Ear from a #20 Blue Winged Olive when I'm holding them side-by-side in good light, yet a trout can pick out either tiny ruse as it shoots through a choppy riffle at dusk, probably noting it was tied with a new shade of brown poly-dub mixed with platypus fur.  I have no doubt it's immediately recorded on some sort of Fish-Internet-YouTube as every trout will then come up and look at my fly, not with any intention of eating it of course, but just to have a first hand look at a fly that actually includes platypus fur.   Without a doubt Fish-Talk-Radio is instantly abuzz:  "Flash - New This Year - Platypus Fur - in other news; Orvis introduces a new line of hooks..."  News travels fast in trout circles and they remember. Trout are insidious.  We think ourselves adept at deception, but this is a delusion.  When we enter the river, we are immediately out-of-our-league. Trout seem fully aware of our feeble attempts to deceive them.  Selective trout?  The only thing they are "selecting" is the manner in which to frustrate us. Maybe today they will only rise in water too deep to wade, or on the far side of a log parallel with the bank.  Perhaps they will refuse our fly, not once, not twice, but maybe dozens of times.  Why would a trout, that can differentiate subtle differences in a #24 midge, continue to rise to the same #12 Royal Coachman over and over and over?  Ok, maybe twice, or maybe even three times, but after the 15th time, even a moronic trout would know that this is the same fly he had just refused for the past dozen casts. But of course he knows it's the same fly and could probably tell you if it was tied by a right or left handed fly tier.  He just continues to rise because he knows it's driving you crazy.  He is calculating how long it will take before you break your rod in half and chuck it in the river.

Trout also have a sense of humor, warped humor for sure, but humor none-the-less, a characteristic found only in higher order species, like humans or chimpanzees, or trout. Trout find endless delight in only sipping flies that appear to be within an inch of our offerings.  They know we are carefully following the progress of our fly, attuned and ready to strike at the slightest indication of a take, and then they come up and pretend to eat a fly right next to our fly.  We haul back hard to set the hook, the fly touches nothing and we are promptly hung in the bushes behind us.  That takes planning my friend - skilled, tactical planning.  How many times have you observed fish "rising" steadily but you can't seem to see what they are taking?  They're not taking anything; they just know we are gullible!  All those times a fish followed your streamer right up to you only to slowly drift back down into the depths without striking - you were snookered.  They just do that to freak you out and there is no end to their pleasure in doing this.  Do we amuse them?  Are we clowns?  Do they find us amusing?

You might be tempted to accuse me of being anthropomorphic in my assessment of trout intelligence, but I assure you I do not come to these conclusions hastily.  Nor am I delusional.   It's not paranoia when they really are out to get you.   After more than 50 years of careful observation it seems undeniable that trout not only think, they communicate, they plan, they execute, and they are probably adept at theoretical calculus, and if they had opposable thumbs they would be extremely dangerous.  Beware!  They're out there; they're plotting and planning even as you read this.  If you think I exaggerate, then the next time you do full pratfall in the river (and of course you will), before you rocket yourself upright gasping for breath, take just a moment while underwater to notice all the faint bubbly laughter.

 

Features To Consider When Selecting A Fly Reel
By John Berry – Taken from the Mid South Fly Fishers Newsletter

As I have written before, the fly reel is just a fly line storage device until you hook a big fish. Then it quickly becomes the most important piece of gear you own. When you go to a fly shop or look in a catalog there are literally dozens of choices. They vary widely in price, come in a variety of colors and shapes and all make some pretty impressive claims. Which one do you buy?

There are a lot of different types of reels. We all remember Grand Pa’s automatic reel. It was really pretty cool. It had a strong spring in it that could wind in any excess line pretty quickly. They are just too heavy, have a limited capacity to carry backing and have no effective working drag system.

I have a multiplier reel. If you turn the crank one full revolution the spool turns one and a half times. This feature allows me to get control over slack line very quickly. I bought it over twenty five years ago after attending a Dave Whitlock seminar on fly fishing for bass where he mentioned one. I have never fished with it. It is too heavy and I just do not need to gather up slack that quickly.

I have an anti reverse reel. This reel allows line to come off the reel without turning the crank on the side of the reel. It was designed for fishing in saltwater where strong fish can take long runs. If you were to place an errant finger in the wrong place, you could easily break a digit. I have never fished with this reel either. It is too heavy and was ridiculously expensive.

Then there is the single action reel. You turn the crank one time and the spool makes one revolution. It is simple to use and reliable. This is the one that I use for all of my fishing.

There are two basic drag systems for fly reels, spring and pawl and disc drags. The spring and pawl is basic nineteenth century technology. It is basically a ratchet system that prevents the spool from freewheeling on long runs. They have been around forever and are easy to maintain and do a great job. The disc drag is a technological breakthrough. It is just like the brake system on your car. They can be adjusted to put just the right amount of tension on the fly line. I am a traditionalist, in that, I mostly fish reels with spring and pawl drag systems.

Cheap reels are stamped from sheet metal. They are flimsy and unreliable. Moderately priced reels are made from cast aluminum. It is an inexpensive material and is reasonably strong and reliable.

The high dollar reels are lathe turned from a solid block of aluminum. This not only makes them stronger but ensures that they will run true at high revolutions per minute (rpms).

Most reels come with interchangeable spools. The spool is the part of the reel that holds the fly line. If you have interchangeable spools you can buy multiple fly lines and put each one on a different spool. This allows you to easily change from a floating line to a sink tip or a full sinking line. You should have a five weight line and a six weight line on separate spools. This would allow you to use the same reel on two or more different rods. I have spare spools for most of my reels.

The current trend in fly reels is to manufacture them with larger arbors. The arbor is the hub on the spool. If you have a larger arbor you can crank in more line with a single revolution of the spool. There are mid arbor and large arbors.

The simple fact is that they are significantly heavier than a reel with a conventionally sized arbor. Over the last few years fly rods have become lighter and at the same time fly reels have become heavier and heavier. It is not just the large arbors that have added weight. The switch to disc drag systems from spring and pawl drag systems has also increased the weight of these reels.

I have never understood the allure of the large or mid arbor reels. Their increased weight does not balance as well as that of conventionally sized reels. I have never been in a situation where I had so much slack line out that I wished that I had a larger arbor to crank in the slack quicker. It is a cure for a problem that I do not experience. I would rather fish with a lighter reel.

When choosing a reel pay particular attention to their capacity. What sizes of line will they hold and with how much backing? Backing is the thin Dacron line that is attached between the reel spool and the fly line. It acts as an insurance policy in case a fish takes a long run (longer than the fly line). I want a reel that will hold the line I am buying it for and one hundred yards of backing.

Whatever you choose, have the fly shop install the backing and fly line for you. This will make everything easier. If you are going to use your reel in salt water make sure that it is designed for that purpose. Many of the high priced reels on the market are not designed to survive the abuse of salt water. At the same time, there are several moderately priced reels that function well in salt water.

Take a bit of time when you choose a reel and make sure that it compliments your rod and your fishing style. It will help you become a better fly fisher.

 

Is Your Fly Pattern More Important Than How You Present It?
By Pat Damico – Taken from the Tampa Bay Fly Fishers Club Newsletter

A book that should be in every saltwater fly fisherman’s library is, “Fisherman’s Coast,” by Aaron J. Adams, Ph.D. Described as, “An angler’s guide to marine warm-water gamefish and their habits,” this book has been a revelation on how to fish different fly patterns. The author spends a lot of time discussing different types of prey found in every type of shallow saltwater environment. Color and size, as well as movements are presented in detail. Aaron’s most recent book, “Fly Fisherman’s Guide to Saltwater Prey,” continues his quest and not only describes and contains photos of prey, but has detailed tying instructions and patterns that closely duplicate each life form.

Freshwater trout fishermen frequently wear a wool patch on their vests to dry fly patterns used that day. Did you ever notice that the most successful fisherman usually only have a couple flies present, while others may have a dozen or more? What does this tell us? Can we apply this information to improve our saltwater success? Could it be that the way a fly is presented is more important than the pattern itself? If you “match the hatch,” exactly, why aren’t you having as much success as you should? Think about how many times your beautiful fly improved as fish after fish destroyed the fly until only half of it was left.

With crabs, for instance, most fisherman fish a good pattern ineffectively. When discussing snook, the author reveals that stomach contents in colder weather show a very high number of crab parts. This finding was reinforced when our Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club had an outing close to Cockroach bay. Dressed for a cold windy morning with water temperatures below sixty degrees, we were all wading and fly fishing except for one person nearby who was using live shrimp with spinning tackle. During the first fifteen minutes, he caught two redfish and a snook casting into a deeper hole and just letting his bait sit on the bottom. None of us fly fishing had a strike. I switched to a weighted crab pattern and with a sinking tip line cast into the deepest part of the water in front of me. After waiting until I was sure the fly was on the bottom, I made short, one inch slow strips. My third cast stopped abruptly, almost like being snagged, and when I strip set the hook, I felt some head shaking. I thought I had a redfish on because the fish just, “Bulldogged,” along the bottom. When he tired and came to the surface, much to my surprise, it was a decent snook. I told my companions what I was using, and continues to fish. Soon, another snook took my bottom-hugging crab pattern. After releasing the fish, I again shouted, “Put on a crab pattern!” Two more larger snook were later released. Every fish caught that morning fell to the same technique. Others fishing the same pattern were not fishing slow or deep enough to duplicate natural bait. Instead of changing to multiple patterns, presentation was the key.

Our spin fishing friends who use a DOA shrimp successfully follow my friend Capt. Mel’s advice, “If you think you are fishing it too slow, slow it down even more.” This will tell you how to fish shrimp patterns.

Size and color of these patterns should not be underestimated. Use a shrimp or crab pattern that closely matches the bottom you are fishing.

 

The Next Best Thing
By Neil Gross – Taken from the Red Cedar Fly Fishers Newsletter

For many of us the next best thing to actually fishing is talking or reading about it. These days we can also readily listen to fly fishing podcasts or even watch fly fishing movies. This section of our newsletter will be devoted to sharing favorite books, podcasts, movies or even stories.

If you have something that you would like to share then type it up and send it to our newsletter editor.

To kick off the section I’d like to share with you an excellent book that I’m enjoying at the moment. The book is “Bright Rivers – Celebrations of Rivers and Fly-fishing” by Nick Lyons (published by Simon & Schuster Inc. Fireside Edition 1988).

The authors name may be familiar to you. He was recently interviewed by Zach Matthews for the November 24, 2008 Itinerant Angler podcast (season four, episode two) (see www.itinerantangler.com).

Zach’s introduction for Mr. Lyons was as follows: “Nick Lyons is the founder of the Lyons Press, a longtime columnist in Fly Fisherman magazine, and a true literary luminary of the sport of fly fishing. Listen to his intelligent and insightful commentary on the nature of publishing fly fishing books, the lasting impact of Norman Maclean's great work, and the search for his successor.” The Itinerant Angler Podcast is, by the way, an excellent production. It is available through iTunes or directly at the Itinerant Angler website. Perhaps we’ll talk about Zach Matthews and the Itinerant Angler in a future newsletter.

The first thing to be said about Nick Lyons is that he is an excellent writer. Reading his prose is a delight. He evokes wonderful mental pictures of fly fishing and portrays the people in his stories in an amusing, sometimes hilarious and thoughtful manner.

To wet your appetite for this writer here is an excerpt from “Bright Rivers.” To set the scene Nick has left home (New York City) early on a Saturday to fish a stretch of the Delaware. There has been talk of large rainbows and Nick and couple of friends are lucky to have a local fish biologist to take them to a good pool. It is four o’clock when he and his friends finally link up with Ed, the biologist, and drive to the river. It has begun to rain steadily and Nick doesn’t have his rain jacket as, he says, “about six years earlier when I’d gone outside my apartment to wait for Mike, it had been sunny.” The rain has dampened both Nick’s spirits and his cigar, which he can’t keep alight. “I fish better with a lit cigar” he says. He is despondent. After suiting up and walking about a mile along an old railway line they began to fish however only Ed was catching. From here we’ll let Nick tell the story.

But finally, about eight-forty, just after the light grew dim, two splendid events took place: the rain stopped and the fish began to rise ferociously, dozens of them. I promptly lit a new cigar, clipped off my large nymph, and rummaged around in one of my fly boxes for a No. 16 Adams. Well, I was going to make a day of it at last—or at least a fifteen minutes of it. I could taste the rise and run of one of those sleek rainbows.

My hands began to tremble. All the old fever and expectation returned, all fatigue vanished. I fumbled with the fly, couldn’t get the leader point through the eye of the hook, raised the fly against the dun sky, manipulated the thin monofilament with the deftness of a surgeon, and at last got the pesky thing done.

Eight forty-five, and nearly dark.

The circles—rhythmic and gentle-continued to spread in the flat water where the current widened. Ed was at my left shoulder now, willing to forego these fine last moments of the day so he could advise me. A saint.

“Cast to the specific rises, Nick, as delicately as possible. Some of these are really big fish. Over twenty inches. Strike them lightly.”

With not a second to lose, I took my dry-fly spray from my vest, held the Adams near my face, pressed the plunger-and went stingingly blind. The little hole had been pointed in the wrong direction. I’d given myself a triple shot of fly dope in the eyes, and even after I doused them with a bit of the Delaware I could barely see.

But I squinted bravely, puffed with vigor on my cigar-whose tip now glowed like a hot little coal in the dark-and began to cast in the general direction Ed was pointing.

“That looked about right,” he said as I laid out a surprisingly accurate cast to one of the inviting circles. I couldn’t see the fly but that didn’t matter.

“Can’t imagine why he didn’t take it,” Ed said.

When I miraculously repeated the feat, a good cast, he said, “They’re awfully picky sometimes. What have you got on?”

“A sixteen Adams.”

“That ought to do it.”

Another cast, my third good one in a row, a record. It was a magical, witching moment, the far bank receding in the swirling mists, the river sounds filling my ears, my squinting eyes seeing only that faint multitude of spreading circles. I could not see my fly but knew exactly where it was by estimating the distance from the end of my bright yellow fly line.

Nothing.

“Strange,” said Ed.

“Maybe this time.”

Still nothing—and nothing for the next fifteen minutes, when a moonless sky finally pulled the curtain on us and we began to head back up the long stretch of railroad tracks to the cars.

In the headlights I saw a strange sight, which I took the liberty of not reporting to my fellow anglers. There was no fly on my leader! There was only a blackened, melted end, as if, just possibly, it might have been burned through by a cigar.

Mike and I made the long trip back in silence. Had I really fished through the entire rise, the twenty minutes I’d waited for all day, with no fly? No doubt. I was capable of it. My face still smarted in the darkened car with embarrassment, my eyes still stung. I tried to keep my eyelids from drooping, and I tried to talk-because good talk with a good friend after a long day on a river is one of the best parts of any trip. But I was bushed.

I closed my eyes and dreamed of muscular rainbows dimpling to the No. 16 Adams, then skyrocketing out and taking me into the backing. That huge bend of the river was alive with rising fish and each cast was true. I heard Ed say,

“They’re awfully picky sometimes. What have you got on?”

And I answered, moaning, knowing I had developed a pattern even the experts had never thought of, “The emperor’s new fly!”

I had been looking for a Nick Lyon book for a while after listening to the Itinerant Angler podcast however could not find them in bookstores. I was lucky to spot “Bright Rivers” and a copy of “Confessions of a Fly Fishing Addict” at the GLC Fly Tying Expo.

Many of Mr. Lyon’s titles are available on Amazon either new or used. Some are available through the Capital Area District Library (www.cadl.org).

Here is a partial list of titles; Bright Rivers – Celebrations of Rivers and Fly-fishing, The Seasonable Angler: Journeys Through a Fisherman's Year Spring Creek, Full Creel: A Nick Lyons Reader, My Secret Fishing Life, A Fly-fishers World, Confessions of a Fly Fishing Addict, In Praise of Wild Trout, Fishing Widows.

There are also quite a few collections and other works edited by Mr. Lyons. I know I’m going to enjoy working my way though these books as, after all, it’s the next best thing to actually fishing.

Random Thoughts From The Tying Bench

Classic Bass and Lake Flies: A tribute to Mary Orvis Marbury
By Joseph D. Cornwall
See globalflyfisher.com for patterns to catch more fish!

 

Secret Flies of the Czech and Slovak Fly-Tyers
Author: Editor: Vaclav Liska
Reviewed by Bob Petti
Available from www.flyfishingpoint.net

Match fishing is not very popular in the US. There are a few events such as the Jackson Hole “One Fly” contest, but these are few and far between, and often the purpose of the event is to raise money for environmental purposes or some other similar good cause. The idea of fishing as a team sport – with winners and losers and national pride at stake – has not taken hold here in the United States outside of a few who have participated in international events. It’s a shame in some respects – as many of the new innovations in trout fishing techniques and flies have become popular through these events – Czech nymphing being but a single example. For those of us who are interested in learning new techniques to catch fish – we would be well advised to look over the shoulders of these match fisherman. The point of the match is to catch fish – not look pretty – and very few among us couldn’t use an extra trick up our sleeves when it is time to fish our own rivers.

The book “Secret Flies of the Czech and Slovak Fly-Tiers” is like a giant peek into the fly boxes of some of the best match fishermen on the planet. The intent is just that – to have these talented and innovative fishermen share their favorite secret weapon flies with the rest of us. This isn’t a random “bunch of flies” book, but rather a compendium of answers to the question “what are your favorite flies”.

Each chapter in the book opens with a bit of biography on the tier whose flies are to be shown. One after another, you read about competitions – the World Championships, the European Championships – each angler clearly relishing their participation both as an angler in the event as well as a representative of their country. Both their passion and their experience make me stand up and take notice.

After the bio page, the rest of each chapter is a series of fly recipes – two per page. Each fly has an excellent photograph along with the recipe for the fly and some notes about how the fly is intended to be used. The flies cover the entire range of trout flies – streamers, wet flies, nymphs, and dry flies, but without counting I would judge that nymphs represent the largest portion of flies shown. In some cases the materials used may sound unfamiliar, but the photos are clear enough that any clever tyer should be able to find a suitable alternative that is more readily available.

I have no quibbles with this book. There is something here for every trout angler, and for those who have grown tired with the “same old”, there is plenty of fresh ideas here to keep you filling fly boxes all winter long.

Fly Fishing Internet Radio Educates Fly Fishers Worldwide

 

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