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The Internet is a powerful resource. It provides us instant
access to information, and brings us together via email,
bulletin boards, chat rooms, and instant messaging. FAOL
is a wonderful example of the Internet at its best. The Internet,
however, will never replace the printed page.
I've loved books and fishing since my youngest years, although
I did not start fly fishing until 1993. This column will give
me an opportunity to share reviews of some of my favorite fly
fishing and tying books (and some that are not such favorites)
with my friends here at FAOL. My library reflects my tastes
and interests, and so will this column. It will be heavily
slanted towards cold water fishing and tying for trout and
steelhead, and won't touch much on areas of which I know little,
such as warm or salt water fishing.
I hope that these reviews will motivate some of you to pick up
a good book, on this or any subject, and read.
~ Stu Farnham
Shrimp & Spey Flies for Salmon and Steelhead
Shrimp & Spey Flies for Salmon and Steelhead
By Chris Mann, Robert Gillespie
Hardcover (221 pages)
Publisher: Stackpole Books; (January 1, 2002)
ISBN: 0811714284
This is the time of year when summer steelhead are
present in numbers in the Columbia and Snake River
watersheds here in the Pacific Northwest, and the fly
fisherman's attention shifts to anadromous fish. This
week's review is of a book, new this year, discussing
shrimp and spey fly patterns for salmon and steelhead.
The book is both a delight and a disappointment. I'll
get the disappointment part out of the way, and then
move on to the more positive points. Co-author Chris
Mann is a graphic designer specializing in computer
graphics, and, as the dust jacket notes points out,
"It is this expertise that has equipped him to develop
the extraordinarily clear computer graphics of fishing
flies that grace this book." I find the graphics maddening,
as they have taken all the life and grace out of a beautiful
craft. Compare these static representations to be beautiful
photographs in John Shewey's book on Spey flies, and you'll
see what I mean.
With that out of the way, there is much in this book of
value to the tiers of steelhead or salmon flies. The authors
have done a broad survey of flies from both Europe and North
America, with over 450 patterns included in the catalogue of
fly dressings comprising the second half of the book. The
illustrations, while flat and lifeless, do provide a reasonable
over-all impression of the look and construction of the fly.
The patterns are drawn from the work of some of the world's
best tiers, with such noted European tiers as Peter O'Reilly,
Martin Jorgensen, Davy Wotton, and Malcolm Greenhalgh. North
America is represented by an impressive list including Bob
Veverka, Steve Gobin, and Welches, Oregon's own Troy Bachmann
and Brian Silvey.
The first part of the book deals first with the history and
development old shrimp, Spey, and Dee patterns, citing both
the usual sources (Kelson and Pryce-Tannet) as well as some
lesser known ones.
There follow generous chapters describing the current state
of tying craft on both sides of the Atlantic. These sections
provide an interesting and useful mix of tying information,
fishing and presentation techniques, and additional history.
The reader will also become familiar with the styles and
patterns of the noted and noteworthy contemporary tiers
whose works are represented.
Lest anyone conclude from my comments about the book's
graphics that it is not worth its price, that's not the
case at all. It's a wonderful read, and has a useful
pattern dictionary, just don't look at the pictures.
~ Stu Farnham
About Stu
Stu Farnham is a New Englander by birth, who was transplanted to
and put down roots in Oregon in the early 1990s, now residing in
the Seattle area. A software engineering manager by vocation,
he can be found in his spare time chasing trout and steelhead
in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest, chasing his four Gordon
Setters (who in turn are chasing chukar), tying flies, reading,
or working on his website. Colleen, his long suffering wife of
28 years, is a professionally trained personal chef.
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