It seems every major writer on
fly tying has contributed to the praise of the "Benchside
Reference," but A.K. Best seems to have sumed up
the whole of it. "The Fly Tier's Benchside
Reference is an incredibly detailed book
that will no doubt be recognized for many decades as
the definitive guide to tying anything on a hook to
create any kind of trout fly. With in-depth discussions
of over 400 tying techniques dealing with both natural
and synthetic materials, and demonstrated with more
than 3,000 color photos, there is hardly a question
concerning tying trout flies that goes unanswered."
We received a copy delivered
this week - an unexpected surprise! I knew the
book was in process; promo information was at
the Amato booth at the Salt Lake fly tackle dealer
show. I did not ask for a copy of it, because
frankly it is expensive, and I have a problem asking
a company to "comp" anything. That said, I was
doubly delighted when it arrived. As publisher of
this website, I needed a really good reference on
fly tying. Even though I taught tying years
ago, I am not an expert! And I need to be able
to answer questions, find sources for folks with
problems and keep up with what is new in
tying in general. Thanks to the folks at Amato
I can now do that.
If I had a fly shop, I would
order at least a half-dozen copies of
The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference.
One of the copies would be open sitting on the shop
tying bench, and one to keep at home. The other
copies would walk out the door the first time one
of my customers couldn't get in to check out the
copy on the tying bench.
The book is incredibly detailed.
The photo (left) is of one page. The end of one
section on a winging method is on the left, and on the
right, the beginning of a section on using wing burners,
has not just the basic methods, but specialized methods
as used by the "name" tiers. There are several
sections on burnt wings, from feather tips to folded
caddis wings. In total over 100 pages just on winging!
Very thorough!
For the serious tier here are the
solutions to the most difficult problem. For the new
tier, it is step-by-step, hand-holding thorough basics -
including handling materials! Your copy may get
very dog-eared - but in the process you will greatly
improve your tying skills.
There are nearly 500 pages,
in a large page format, 8.5" x 11.5", and weighs
over four and a half pounds! Sections are color
coded, a very considerate detail. This is a real, lifetime
reference book.
The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference priced at $100.00,
although one of our FAOL readers tells me Amazon.com has it for around $70.00. The ISBN number is 157188126. ~ DB
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