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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
Dry-Fly Patterns for the New Millennium
Dry-Fly Patterns for the New Millennium
by Poul Jorgensen
Hardcover: 87 pages; Aug. 2002
Publisher: Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
ISBN: 1571882456
Poul Jorgensen is a master fly tier born in Denmark and
now living in the town of Roscoe in the Catskills in New
York state. His several books on tying include Salmon Flies:
Their Character, Style, and Dressing and Poul Jorgensen's
Modern Trout Flies (among others) and are recognized
as classics.
I eagerly looked forward to Poul's latest book. It differs
from his earlier work in that it is not an instructional
text featuring Jorgensen's own tying. Instead, it contains
photographs of and patterns for flies sent in by tiers from
around the world for the current display at the Catskill
Fly Fishing Center & Museum. This volume is the first in
a series the proceeds from which will benefit the Catskill
Fly Fishing Center & Museum in Roscoe.
On the plus side, the book provides a wonderful cross section
of fly tying circa the year 2000. The patterns featured range
from the classics of Catskill tying such as the Quill Gordons
to what might best be called postmodern flies like the Big-Eyed
Toadbug. Some of the better known patterns are represented in
the work of several different tiers; for example, there are
six renderings of the Royal Wulff, allowing you to see the
variations of individual style. This book is not dominated
by the work of master tiers, although several are represented
(for example, Ed Shenk, Al Beatty, Ronn Lucas Sr., Roman Moser,
and Jorgensen himself); it includes a democratic sampling at
all levels of skill.
On a personal note I was pleased to see flies tied by a number
of people I know, either as friends, or by correspondence, or
by participation in fly swaps. I'm sure I'll overlook someone,
but among these are Mark Romero, Steve Gossage, Allan Podell, Ron Koenig
and Dave Schmezer - all fine tiers.
On the other hand, the production values of the book flagged
in places. The photograph accompanying the recipe for the Gray
Quill on page 84 did not match the pattern (it shows a downwing
caddis tie); a number of the photographs were overexposed
(e.g., the Goddard Caddis on page 18). I also found numerous
typographic errors throughout.
These problems notwithstanding, the book is a treat, and I
look forward to the volumes yet to come in the series. All
the flies are on display at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center
& Museum in Roscoe, and include wets, streamers, flies for
saltwater and panfish. ~ 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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