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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
Trout and Salmon of North America
Trout and Salmon of North America
by Robert J. Behnke, Joseph R. Tomelleri (Illustrator)
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Free Press (September 24, 2002)
ISBN: 0743222202;
Let me start by saying that no, I have not read every word
of this book, and don't expect to finish it for quite a
while. I'm also not qualified to judge this book for its
technical accuracy. Why will it take me so long? And how
can I pretend to review a book without having read the
whole thing?
This book is densely packed with information on all the
varieties (species and subspecies) of trout, salmon, and
char found in North America and has beautiful color
illustrations of each (sub-) species. It starts with an
introductory chapter that covers the basics: origins/evolution,
taxonomy, life history and biology, and anatomy/morphology.
The rest of the book is broken down by genus. The section on
genus Oncorhyncus starts with a family tree
including all the rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, and pacific
salmon in relation to each other, and includes discussions
of commonalties across the genus of biology, evolution,
geographic distribution. Conservation issues such as hatchery
versus wild populations, effects of introduced (sub-) species
on native populations, and Endangered Species Act listings
are covered. There's also a sidebar which tries to clear
up the confusing history of taxonomic classification; the
rainbow trout, now known as Oncorynchus mykiss,
is referred to in older texts by its former name of
Salmo Gardinieri.
For each species there are illustrations covering
spawning/non-spawning, fluvial versus sea-run forms, and key
field identification points. There are general discussions
of biology, distribution, classification, and conservation
are reiterated in detail specific to each species.
When we think of trout, we tend to think only of the major
species of rainbow, cutthroat, brown, and brook trout (actually
a char). Having lived in Oregon for enough years to consider
it my true home, I particularly enjoyed discussions of the
Redband Trout of the Columbia River Basin. This includes a
section on the very specific subspecies found in the three
corners area where Oregon, California, and Nevada come together.
The less common trout species are also covered in detail:
Golden Trout, Greenback Trout, Apache Trout, and others. Bull
Trout, Dolly Varden, Lake Trout, Grayling, and even the lowly
mountain whitefish get their share of attention, as do
Atlantic Salmon and the various species of their Pacific
cousins.
Aside from the sheer volume of information, the other reason
I have not yet read the whole book is that I want to savor it
over the long Pacific Northwest winter, when the days are
short and the rivers often too high and off color to fish.
~ 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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