“What do you want?”
Whether it is Christmas, a birthday, or an anniversary coming up, you know you’re going to get this question. You might have some really practical thing that you need. Or, you might want something fun. Something fly fishing-related, even. But for many, picking out gear is an incredibly personal process. It has to fit. And it doesn’t have to just fit you, it has to fit the rest of your stuff and how you fish.
Do you know what is one-size-fits-all? Books.
I like to keep a running list of fly fishing books that catch my eye. My wife has access to said list, and shares it whenever someone needs a little help come gift-giving time. Or, if I have a gift card burning a hole in my pocket the list reminds me of something that piqued my interest.
So, want something that piques your interest?
As I’ve done for all of the entries in my “Fly Fishing Books” series, I’ve spread the selections over three rough categories:
- Guide (regional, site specific)
- Technical (methods, locations, fly tying)
- Literature (novels, biographies, history)
Check out one kind of each book, why I suggest it, and a bonus read below. And follow the links in the headings to get a copy for yourself.
Flyfisher’s Guide to Northern New England, Steve Hickoff & Rhey Plumley
For years, Wilderness Adventure Press published the prototypical guidebook. Word, map, and hatch chart heavy, these reams of paper gave you any and all information you’d need to plan and execute an adventure. Although more recent editions have moved to the equally valuable (but different) large binding, full color format, the older books still have value. In fact, with the caveat of potentially outdated information always in effect, using an older book chock full of details alongside a newer edition with bigger maps makes for great research. All that said, this Northern New England guide has everything you need for Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.
Art Flick’s New Streamside Guide, Art Flick
This classic is the kind of entomology book that you should read if you don’t consider yourself fanatical about Latin names or matching numbers of thorax ribs when you tie. Even Flick’s introduction is full of gems. “The better fly-tyers will realize they have more to gain than lose in a reduction of the number of patterns…” “It is doubtful that any fly pattern exists that under some conditions, will not take trout…” And so on. This 60-year-old book is worth way more than it’s pocket-size might intimate.
Remembering Dud Dean, Arthur Macdougall
The fly fishing community has always existed as a loose-knit ecosystem. Few anglers fished on top of each other, but many ran in the same circles. Read enough, and you’ll find some great literary rabbit trails to chase as one author gives a nod to another’s work. While working my way through David Van Wie’s Storied Waters, I became intrigued by his recurring allusions to Dud Dean. The volume I’m recommending is out of print, but it is findable and includes an anthology of this fictitious Maine guide’s exploits. The stories are good fun; the perfect kind of thing for a cold night by the fire or on the porch of the fishing cabin.
Trout & Salmon of North America, Robert Behnke
The dimensions of this heavy volume are the only thing that is un-textbook-like. The late Dr. Behnke knew more about salmonids than any other person in the world. What makes his books (and what made him) more engaging was his passion for fly fishing for trout and salmon. Again, this work is a resource book. But if you enjoy fish and appreciate their distinctives, history, and peculiarities, you’re not going to find anything better out there. Plus the art is phenomenal.
Looking for some other fly fishing book recommendations? There are dozens listed here on Casting Across.
Have a suggestion for me? I’d love to hear about it!