Charlie K. Fox’s This Wonderful World of Trout has reached an audience much wider than the tiny spring creeks the author haunted. With an endearing mix of how-to, anecdote, and history, the book has been embraced as a classic of the angler’s library. Fox was numbered among the prominent Pennsylvania fly fishers of the mid-20th …
Maybe you’ve noticed that there are a lot of books about fly fishing. You needn’t have consumed the loads of literary content on Casting Across to know that fly fishing and writing go together. Whether it be gripping narratives, applicable techniques, or pertinent stream guides, a book will help you in some way, shape, or …
There are few fish that inspire as much awe and admiration as salmon. Whether it be their qualities as a sport fish or food source, salmon have been at the pinnacle of many cultures and communities. Mark Kurlansky’s 2020 book is a biography of sorts. It traces the various species, their natural state, their past …
Although it is not the oldest work on fishing in the English language, Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler is undoubtedly the most prominent. From both a literary and cultural perspective it is well known and widely celebrated. For these merits and those intrinsic to the nearly 400 year-old book, you should read a passage or two. …
In this “one minute review” I share three reasons why Travers Corners needs to be on your fly fishing book stack. Scott Waldie’s first book in the series is a great read on its own. The people of this remote Montana town are endearing, the exploits of the protagonist interesting, and the fly fishing exciting. …
Barry and Cathy Beck’s Fly Fishing the Flats is a modern classic in the instructional genre of fly fishing literature. It isn’t groundbreaking or breathtaking. It is simply the perfect solution to a legitimate problem: How do I make the transition from fly fishing in freshwater to saltwater? Although there are many similarities, countless trout …
I obviously advocate for the reading of fly fishing books. Hopefully it is understood that this is in no way to the exclusion of other books in general, or outdoors books in particular. One title that is in the same section as fly fishing books, albeit not on the same shelf, is Steven Rinella’s Meat …
Among many fly fishers, there is a positive – albeit somewhat nebulous – perspective on Trout Unlimited. They know that the conservation work and the cold water resource advocacy happens, but that might be the extent of it unless there has been a personal connection or proactive involvement in a local chapter. John Ross’ Rivers …
It would be easy to say that I regret not reading Christopher Camuto’s A Fly Fisherman’s Blue Ridge years ago. Not only is it well written, but the author’s experiences overlap with my own in a remarkable way. It is good enough that I can simply embrace that it was providentially saved for me today. …
Most of my fly fishing books are purchased because of their historical reputation or from the hype surrounding their release. Every once in a while, a book falls into my hands with no fanfare whatsoever. In the case of John Inglis Hall’s Fishing a Highland Stream, the lack of fanfare at its acquisition has been …
