Coffee table books have a reputation; so too do books that are ubiquitous. How could something so popular and so prevalent be that good? Well, the late Chris Santella did some great work in his 50 Places to Fly Fish Before You Die series. The two books, which respectively came out in 2004 and 2011, …
Trout are essentially simple creatures. They look for food, they look for security, and (once a year) they look for love. That said, there is some nuance in how and why they do what they do. Even something as seemingly straightforward as a rise tells the angler a lot more than “the fish is feeding …
Every once in a while, something touching this little niche world of fly fishing breaks out into the larger cultural consciousness. Kirk Wallace Johnson’s The Feather Thief was a book that found acclaim among people who have never sat behind a tying vise, let alone cast a fly rod. Part of the reason why the …
The notion of smallmouth bass fishing doesn’t come across as romantic as the picturesque dry fly, trout angling aesthetic. The warmer water and the casual wet-wading vibe probably contributes to this. But just as often as fast and loud presentations catch bass, the ticket for a productive day is a finesse approach. In Fly Fishing …
The allure of the road trip is all of the things that you experience on the way to your destination. The best experiences often come off the beaten path, slightly beyond the main attractions that command most people’s attention. Fly fishers should understand this concept as good as anyone. In Storied Waters, David Van Wie …
This is, quite simply, the best book of its kind. I have been known to use hyperbole. But this labor of Steve Woit’s is truly the exemplar of titles celebrating fly fishing collections. And that is precisely what Fly Fishing Treasures is: a collection of collections. In their own words, custodians and owners of some …
No one would fault you for assuming that Fly-Fishing with Leonardo Da Vinci is a historical work of fiction. Because what else could it be? In reality, David Ladensohn combined two of his passions into a surprisingly engaging read. “It was an obvious connection once I saw his drawings, because as an engineer he was …
Admittedly, this is one of my favorite fly fishing books of all time. The reason for this distinction is also why it is a title that I think anyone can (and should) add to his or her library. Limestone Legends is a collection of papers presented at The Fly Fishers’ Club of Harrisburg. This angling …
If you’ve been fly fishing for trout for any length of time, there is a very good chance that you’ve absorbed a lot of both of these short stories by cultural osmosis. Or, maybe you read them decades ago. Perhaps you only saw the movie. That is all fine and good. But consider picking them …
Twenty years ago, it was virtually impossible to come across a fly fishing book section and not see a few titles from James Prosek. Quality writing and exceptional painting led his work to be instantly embraced by the angling community. And while he has over a dozen publications, there are a half dozen that are …
