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  1. #1
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    Recommended reading for comprehensive understanding of fly fishing...

    Biggest fly-fishing JONG in the world, here, but I have really enjoyed it so far. Any books out there to fly fishing as, say, something like "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills," is to climbing?

    Thanks in advance, and flame as necessary.
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  2. #2
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    Not flaming, but, I'm not sure there is a such thing as having a "comprehensive understanding of fly fishing", unless of course you are someone who's guided all over the world, during all seasons. I'm new to the fishing world too, and am learning that every day on the river is different.

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    I'd start with something a little thinner than Freedom of the Hills. I suggest The Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson. It reads more like a comic book than an encyclopedia. If that's too dumbed down for you, get Presentation by Gary Borger.

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    The Pat Dorsey book "Fly Fishing Tailwaters" is pretty awesome if you fish in the west. I think there is a ton good info in there even you are fishing freestones.
    "We had nice 3 days in your autonomous mountain realm last weekend." - Tom from Austria (the Rax ski guy)

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    [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Bum-John-Gierach/dp/0671644130/ref=pd_sim_b_9"]http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Bum-John-Gierach/dp/0671644130/ref=pd_sim_b_9[/ame]

    not an ultimate guide, which are pretty dry, but fun reads that get your mind thinking the right way

    welcome to the fold, there is no return

  6. #6
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    I haven't gotten around to unpacking books yet but stop by sometime.
    I have a nice flyfishing library I'll dig a few out
    Or pay a guide
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
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  7. #7
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    I have read "fly fishing strategies and tactics" and fly fishing with A.K. by AK Best. Both are pretty good for he beginner. Also listen to the Orvis fly fishing podcast on Itunes. There is some really good info there.
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  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by mawree View Post
    Not flaming, but, I'm not sure there is a such thing as having a "comprehensive understanding of fly fishing"...
    Very good point. I don't think I'll be fly fishing much outside of the intermountain west much (think Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and maybe Oregon, Washington, and California, once in a while).

    Quote Originally Posted by Underoos View Post
    I'd start with something a little thinner than Freedom of the Hills. I suggest The Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson. It reads more like a comic book than an encyclopedia. If that's too dumbed down for you, get Presentation by Gary Borger.
    I'll look into it, but I'm kind of looking for something that would read like a reference, so I can look-up-as-I-go kind of thing...

    Quote Originally Posted by gretch6364 View Post
    The Pat Dorsey book "Fly Fishing Tailwaters" is pretty awesome if you fish in the west.
    Quote Originally Posted by DeathVan View Post
    http://www.amazon.com/Trout-Bum-John...ref=pd_sim_b_9

    not an ultimate guide, which are pretty dry, but fun reads that get your mind thinking the right way

    welcome to the fold, there is no return
    Thanks, I will look these up.

    Quote Originally Posted by skifishbum View Post
    I haven't gotten around to unpacking books yet but stop by sometime.
    I have a nice flyfishing library I'll dig a few out
    Or pay a guide
    I'll trade you some ladders for the chance to borrow a book or two. I can't believe you're not all unpacked, yet.


    Quote Originally Posted by Vinman View Post
    ...Also listen to the Orvis fly fishing podcast on Itunes. There is some really good info there.
    Hadn't thought of that. Thanks.

    Amazing how the fishing sub-forum compares to the rest of forum. I almost kind of miss getting flamed (I guess that's an invitation).
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    Any idiot can stand on skis or a snowboard, but it's a pretty cool idiot that catches fish on a fly.

    I'm old school, and am partial to 'Trout' by Ray Bergman for reference, Anatomy of a Fisherman to capture the magic, and The River Why when you've got a buzz on.
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    and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.

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    First thread I've ever subscribed too. Thanks for all the rec's fellas. Great starting point for a fishing library.
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  11. #11
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    I got this one because I was going on a short road trip and wanted something to read and also because I like nice glossy pictures. Good for noobs and people with short attention spans. Has good beginner techniques, means and methods.

    Fly Fishing for Trout in Streams: A How-To Guide
    [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Fly-Fishing-Trout-Streams-How/dp/0865730733/ref=pd_sim_b_11"]Amazon.com: Fly Fishing for Trout in Streams: A How-To Guide (The Freshwater Angler) (0052944020545): Editors of Creative Publishing: Books[/ame]
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  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by RTR View Post
    Biggest fly-fishing JONG in the world, here, but I have really enjoyed it so far. Any books out there to fly fishing as, say, something like "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills," is to climbing?

    Thanks in advance, and flame as necessary.
    The only fly fishing Book you'll need is "The Curtis Creek Manifesto"
    Seriously, anyone have this in their collection? Read this and you'll be slayin'. A classic work of fly culture's art high art. Super great comprehensive easy to understand......memorize it!!!
    "Do you have any idea what the street value of this mountain is" -Charles DeMar
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  13. #13
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    Go to library.

    Clear out shelves on flyfishing.

    Prosper.

  14. #14
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    Bluewater Fly Fishing by Trey Combs.

    Collection of stories about catching monster fish on the fly.
    Really cool read- totally different from what most of us normally fish for.

  15. #15
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    Yo RTR or other slc f fishers if you're not skiing Sat.
    http://www.wasatchexpo.com/
    Free lots of venders, fly casting pond, good shit
    "When the child was a child it waited patiently for the first snow and it still does"- Van "The Man" Morrison
    "I find I have already had my reward, in the doing of the thing" - Buzz Holmstrom
    "THIS IS WHAT WE DO"-AML -ski on in eternal peace
    "I have posted in here but haven't read it carefully with my trusty PoliAsshat antenna on."-DipshitDanno

  16. #16
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    The River Why - Duncan
    A River Runs Through It - Maclean
    The Habits of Rivers - Leeson
    Trout Bum - Gierach
    Its not that I suck at spelling, its that I just don't care

  17. #17
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    Read the water, if they rise tye a dry, if it's deep nymph a seam, if the nymph or dry do not provide, strip a streamer and hold on.

    Or just read some of the books above. Just don't overthink it, relax and have fun. Get a 9' 5wt and fish. Time, not tricks and tips will bring you more in the end.
    Harvest the ride.

  18. #18
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    My "must read" book recommendation for you or anyone else who wants to raise the level of their game is The Handbook of Hatches by Dave Hughes. This is not an encyclopedic entymology book. It covers the basic insect groups but its value is in how well Hughes focuses on the insect's habitat/behavior in its most important phase, the moments when it is available as food for fish. This book does a great job of weaving concepts of fly pattern design and angling techniques together with their underlying foundation in entymology and does it in plain english better than any other book I have come across. So, in terms of "comprehensive", I'd nominate this. Memorize it and you'll know more than your average junior guide. I have been flyfishing in the Rockies for 12 years, I work in a flyshop/lodge and can say that most of the crucial knowledge I have developed regarding bugs is in this book. So save yourself a decade of experimentation and read it.

    Chapter 1, "Trout don't speak latin." - the title pretty much conveys the gist of his approach to the subject.
    Last edited by neckdeep; 03-29-2010 at 10:34 AM.

  19. #19
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    I wish it were as simple as knowing what the hatch is.

    On the Saltwater, it gets a little fuzzy. Of course, a Clouser will work for almost everything, which is nice. After that it gets a little tougher. Daily trial and error seems to work best for me.

    I find the freshwater fish to be a little more responsive to fly fishing. Between fishing pressure, and smart fish, it is tough to get the saltwater fish to bite. Most days turn into casting practice. I can cast pretty well. I need catching practice now. Lately, I have started with a spinning setup, just to see what they will bite, then I move to the fly. Speed of retrieve, color, pattern, water clarity, time of day- it is mind numbing.

    My suggestion would be to get an array of shit that might work, cast it out there, and see what happens. Take notes if you need to. Keep in mind the water column. If they won't hit up top, ove through the water column until they will. This seems to be one of the most overlooked aspects of fishing, no matter what type of rod and bait you are using.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by warthog View Post
    I wish it were as simple as knowing what the hatch is.
    That is the meat of this book. Good stuff on how identifying the bug and the phase the fish are eating logically leads you to where to fish, your fly selection and, very importantly, the presentation technique that best imitates the natural behavior of the bug in the phase that fish are feeding on. I catch tons of trout each season because I very, very rarely go to the river and take whatever it gives me. I cherry pick it. I know what bugs are hatching when and with that knowledge, I just show up somewhere I know prime habitat for that bug exists. Most days the fish are there and feeding hard and all I have to do is not fuck it up somehow. That simple idea is a key concept in guiding. Why go to a section and try to "crack the code" or get lucky if you know where fish are going to be feeding.(OK, having the Henry's and 8 of its tributaries within an hour gives us plenty of advantages in habitat choice and elbow room, I'll admit that).

  21. #21
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    Lots of good suggestions above. I've got nothing to add on that.

    What I would suggest, and it's already been said, is that nothing compares to time on the water. If you're a newbie, try going with a guide or look for a casting school nearby you. The rest will come with time and that includes learning the water. Fly fishing is a life long experience that only gets better with time. I've been at it for a while and I will never be a master at it. Just someone looking to improve.

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