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Fly fishing and fly
tying books are a passion. Here you will find book reviews of books I have
read covering fly fishing for trout, smallmouth bass, muskellunge,
steelhead, and many other freshwater and saltwater species. You will also
find fly tying books covering the same areas. There are also books on
aquatic entomology, history of fly fishing and fly tying, hydrology, and
great prose having fly fishing as its main theme. There is far more to fly
fishing than casting a line, and there should be far more to a fly fishing
guide service web site than just costs and services offered.
Frontier Flies
Patterns on the Cutting Edge
by Troy Bachmann
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.,
Portland, OR, 1998
127 pages, softbound
illustrated, color
suggested price, $ 29.95
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
When I saw the title in
a catalog I was really interested. A fly pattern book of innovative patterns
it screamed at me. Frontier flies, cutting edge flies. Really new and
innovative patterns, heady stuff indeed.
Imagine my disappointment when I received the book and sat down
and started reading it. It indeed was strictly a pattern book. Each pattern
had a printed recipe and a photograph of the finished fly. Well all right,
it did say "patterns on the cutting edge" not techniques. But why was the
same pattern repeated 3 or 4 or more times with the only difference being
the color? Why was there a number on the bottom right-hand side of every
photograph? Why were most of the patterns simply well known ones, and slight
variations thereof?
When I reached page 123 I found out the answers to all of my
questions. This is simply a catalog to order flies from the Frontier Fly
Company! The purchaser is paying $30 dollars for a catalog and order form.
This is simply a poor imitation of the Umpqua Feather Merchants pattern
books.
The quality of the photographs is poor. Many of the colors are
clearly wrong with improper color balance and intensity. The gloss surfaced
paper makes it difficult to read the book at the fly tying table under the
strong tying lamp light.
Overall, a book you need not even bother opening let alone
purchasing.
© 1998 Bruce E. Harang
Modern Fur Flies
by Petri Pajunen
Mayfly Oy
Espoo, Finland, 1998
48 pages, softbound
illustrated, color
suggested price, $ through Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
This small volume is
mostly an advertising brochure for Finish captive-bred fur for use in fly
tying. The book is a British translation of a Finish original, which makes
for interesting reading in spots. This is not a major problem, but you must
stop and reread some information to glean what is trying to be conveyed.
The book contains 35 patterns for a large number of styles of
flies. However, the written tying procedure instructions are very poorly
done. The color photographs are generally of moderate quality, though most
pattern tying procedures can be decoded from these photographs and the
printed recipes.
This book presents some interesting starting points for using
captive-bred fur as a substitute for more traditional fly tying materials.
However, to effectively use the captive bred fur materials, you should buy a
package of a material of interest and play with the material. You will be
farther ahead.
Overall, this is a book of very limited information, and one
with below average composition, and grammar.
© 1998 Bruce E. Harang
Tying Glass Bead Flies
by Joe J. Warren
Frank Amato Publications, Inc., 1997
Portland, OR
64 pages, Hardbound, spiral binding
illustrated, Color
suggested price, $35.95
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
If you are like me, when
glass beads came upon the fly tying scene a few years ago, you passed them
by. Or, if you did anything with glass beads, it was to add a iridescent
bead to the body of caddis emerger patterns. After a few outings the flies
got pushed into a forgotten corner of the fly box and the beads got lost in
the fly tying materials storage boxes. After a few articles in the fly
fishing periodicals, the few published glass bead patterns seemingly
disappeared.
With the publication of Joe J. Warren's book on tying with glass
beads this has all changed. Now the innovative fly tyer has a cornerstone
work to use in his pursuit of better flies using this modern form of an old
material, glass beads. More particularly, "seed" and "pebble" beads. These
beads range in size from approximately 1/16" to 5mm OD beads. Surprisingly,
these beads fit on hooks from size 28 to over 1/0 and are strong enough for
use in all forms of fly fishing if properly mounted on the hook.
The book is well organized into chapters on Materials, Single
Bead Flies, Bead-Body Flies, Dressed Bead-Body Flies, Extended Bead-Body
Flies, Imitations of Naturals, Searching Flies, Flies for Anadromous Fish,
and Saltwater Flies. Each chapter dealing with a type of bead fly starts
with overview of that particular style of fly and then gives explicit tying
instructions of several patterns utilizing the particular style. The
instructions include both well written text and excellent step-by-step
photographs.
The chapters on Imitations of the Naturals provides pictures and
recipes for 81 different Mayflies, Stoneflies, Caddisflies, Midges,
Mosquitoes, Craneflies, Damelflies, Dragonflies, Crustaceans, Worms,
Leeches, Terrestrials, and Fish Spawn. The chapter on Searching Flies
provides pictures and recipes for 9 attractor patterns and 21 streamers.
There are 51 patterns with pictures in the Anadromous Fish Flies chapter,
and 20 saltwater patterns. Many of these are glass bead adaptations of well
known and standard patterns, and many are new patterns developed for glass
beads.
The book is hardbound with a spiral binding so that it may be
laid flat on the tying table for easy reference. The photography is
generally very good, though there are some sections which have photographs
with busy backgrounds and strange lighting. Some of the full page
photographs were clearly amateur snap shots, but overall the photography is
very well done. The art work by Lee Clarke is exceptionally well done. And
the book includes a color chart of beads showing a wide range of colors, and
finishes, which will be most helpful and welcome to a fly tyer just getting
started in using glass beads for fly tying.
Joe's writing style is clear, concise and his enthusiasm for the
subject comes through clearly. He has not only brought excitement to glass
bead fly tying, he has brought the original work of a good number of glass
bead fly tyers to the forefront.
Overall, a book full of fly tying fun well worth adding to any
fly tying library.
© 1998 Bruce E. Harang
The Golden Age of Fly-Fishing
By Ralf Coykendall,
editor
Countryman Press
New York, NY 1997
173 pages, hardbound
illustrated B&W
suggested price $32.50
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
The author grew up with
The Sportsman magazine as his father was its advertising director for most
of its existence. Here are twenty seven of the best this magazine had to
offer between 1927 and 1937. This being the best of the sporting journals of
its day, and possibly any day, these stories are in fact the best of the
best.
Learn of the discovery of the solunar tables by the man who made
the discovery, John Alden Knight Jr. Read about anglers entomology from one
of the first Americans to understand and appreciate its importance, Preston
J. Jennings. Learn how to catch big trout by the trout guru of the Neversink,
Edward R. Hewitt.
While A. W. Dimock wrote the first material about taking tarpon
on a fly it was the article on fly fishing for tarpon by George D. B.
Bonbright in The Sportsman that catalyzed the sport to what it has become
today.
Possibly the most interesting observation you will make is that
these stories from over a half a century ago are still applicable.
Interestingly, this same information still appears in the fly fishing
magazines on a regular basis. The authors names are new, and credit to these
pioneers is not given, but ideas are the same. In addition, these words are
beautifully complemented by illustrations by some of the greatest outdoor
illustrators ever to hold a pencil.
Overall, this is one of the finest collections of fly fishing
prose ever written. Buy this book, you will not be disappointed. You will
read it, and relish it for years to come.
© 1998 Bruce E. Harang
Tying Hair Wing Flies
By Al & Gretchen Beatty
Oregon Council of FFF
Eugene, OR 1997
94 pages, spiral softbound
illustrated, Color and B&W
suggested price $16.50
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
The authors count
commercial fly tying among their talents. Therefore they are well versed in
tying techniques which produce durable well proportioned flies. Here they
share many of their tips and techniques learned over years of producing
commercial quantities of hair wing flies.
The book gives clear easy to read information about the natural
materials used in tying hair wing flies. It also has step-by-step
instructions for tying 13 popular hair wing patterns. The accompanying black
and white photographs are very clear and generally well exposed and printed.
The color photographs of each fly are all well done. A spiral binding allows
the user to lay the book flat for use at the tying bench.
The descriptions of how to measure the length and the amount of
hair for wings and tails alone is worth far more than the price of this
little book. The descriptions of tying the humpy style of fly are two of the
very few that will produce wings of proper size, length, and density.
If you tie using animal hair this book is a must.
Overall, well done and worth far more than the cost of
ownership.
© 1998 Bruce E. Harang
An
Honest Angler
by Sparse Grey Hackle
edited by Patricia Miller Sherwood
The Lyons Press
New York, NY 1998
260 pages, hardbound
not illustrated
suggested price: $30.00
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
Here is some of the best
writing of Alfred Miller (Sparse Grey Hackle). And therefore some of the
best prose ever written about fly-fishing. A few selections can be found in
the author’s many times reprinted book Fishless Days and Angling Nights.
But most are from private letters and magazine articles now difficult if not
impossible to find. All of these pieces are gems to be treasured. They are
excellent examples of good writing. They have clarity, direction, and
purpose all mixed with humor and a love of the outdoors.
These are mostly pieces about fishing. But there are also
articles involving the author’s military excursions during the Mexican War
and World War I in France. You will laugh at the antics of the US Cavalry
mules and cry over the poem about the ambulance drivers at the siege of
Verdun.
Overall, this is a great collection of one of the best outdoor
writers of all time. This book is a must for every serious student of fly
fishing literature.
© 1998 Bruce E. Harang
Tying &
Fishing Southern Appalachian Trout Flies
by Don Howell & Kevin Howell
Fern Creek Press
Clayton, GA, 1999
104 pages, softbound
illustrated: Black & White with 4 color plates
suggested price: $19.95
reviewed by Bruce
E. Harang
This slim volume is an
important addition to preserving the history and lore of the Southern
Appalachian fly tying heritage. Don and Dwight Howell were two of the
foremost commercial fly tyers and fly pattern innovators of the Southern
Appalachian region during the 1970’s through 1990’s. During this time Don
And Dwight created some of the most successful modern era local fly patterns
available.
The book is divided into two major sections. The first deals
with the history and tying procedures for 10 of the Howell brothers best
patterns. The second section deals with fly-fishing techniques suitable for
fishing the small laurel covered streams characteristic of our area.
While the writing is clear, and well done, and the illustrations
are excellent, the reproduction of the photographs is very poor.
Additionally, it is disappointing to see so many photographs of dead fish
taken during the most environmentally aware period fly-fishing has seen.
Overall, this is a fine addition to the rather sparse literature
documenting the long and illustrious fly-fishing heritage of the Southern
Appalachians. It is also a tribute to son Kevin Howell to have seen to the
successful publication of this important book.
© 1999 Bruce E. Harang
Morris & Chan on Fly
Fishing Trout Lakes
by Skip Morris & Brian Chan
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR 1999
96 pages, Hardbound & Softbound
illustrated, Color
suggested price: $24.95 & $39.95
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
This is one of the very
few American books on fly-fishing for trout on Stillwater. It also turns out
to be one of the finest. The volume contains fewer than one hundred pages,
but they are all full of useful, insightful information. Comprising fifteen
chapters, this slim volume has everything you need to get started or to
improve your trout fly-fishing on flat water. There is information on lakes
including how to read them and how to fish them. Information on fly-fishing
equipment for lake fishing is well presented. Information on watercraft
useful in the pursuit of your quarry is clearly explained and illustrated.
Techniques for using your watercraft and the safety and courtesy necessary
for safe and successful watercraft operation is also well explained.
The sections covering trout food organisms in lakes and the fly
patterns to imitate and suggest them are extremely well done. The
explanations on what is and what is not required in casting ability is
insightful and will provide a level of confidence a beginner does not
normally have when trying something new.
The photographs and illustrations are extremely well thought out
and executed. Each photograph and illustration clearly helps to bring the
well-written prose to life. The reader will never feel left at the starting
gate with the information in this book. The design of the book and how the
illustrations mesh with the text is also of highest quality.
If you are interested in getting started in lake fishing for
trout, or want to improve your lake fly fishing technique the information in
this book will take you there. In addition, the information concerning lakes
seasonal behavior as well as the seasonal behavior of fish and fish food is
applicable to lake fly-fishing for many species in addition to trout. You
cannot go wrong with purchasing and studying the information in this slim
volume.
© 1999 Bruce E. Harang
Mayflies
by Malcolm Knopp &
Robert Cormier
Greycliff Publishing Co.
Helena, MT 1997
366 pages, hardbound
illustrated, color and B&W
suggested price $49.95
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
This pair of Canadian
authors have done the fly-fishing world a great service with this volume.
This is the first Mayfly entomology text and key both extremely well
illustrated and contains the latest changes to Mayfly classification.
The color photographs of Mayflies are of the same high quality
as the benchmark photographs of Doug Swisher and Carl Richards. The
illustrations are also extremely well done. All are clear and concise. The
quality of the writing and illustrative materials is at the high level of a
professional text. The style, prose, and good grammar are at the level that
makes fun and interesting reading for the fly fisherman. One of the most
useful features is the compilation of common (fly fisherman’s) names to that
of the scientific names.
If you fly fish for trout, this volume is an absolute must.
Overall, equal to Schwiebert’s “Nymphs” and Swisher and Richards
“Selective Trout”. Buy this book! Read it for the pleasure, then study it to
help make your fly-fishing time far more productive.
© 1998
Bruce E. Harang
Meanderings of a Fly Fisherman
by Seth Norman
Wilderness Adventure Press
Gallatin Gateway, MT 1996
234 pages, hardbound
not illustrated
suggested price, $29.95
reviewed by Bruce E. Harang
This is the author’s first book in the fly fishing arena, but he is
no stranger to writing. He is a Pulitzer Prize Nominee and a Golden
Medallion winner. It is clear Seth can write well. This book clearly shows
he can also write extremely well about fly fishing.
The author gives the reader a series of twenty eight scenes
revolving around fly fishing. There are stories from youth and from
adulthood. Memories from college and from contact with patients in his
professional career. Each one of these scenes carries the reader into a
world of water and fish. Each allows the reader to glimpse life through the
eyes of another. These are stories, inspirational, not technique and gear
reviews. As such they are wonderfully alive. Highlighting the sheer joy of
fly fishing and the outdoors.
The author’s choice of words is well developed. The book is easy
to read. It is also a book you don’t want to put down until your reach the
last page.
Overall, a great read well worth the price. This is a book you
will definitely will want in your library to read and read again.
© 1998
Bruce E. Harang
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