Building a library of the Classics - What do I need?

Fly Patterns
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1

I’ve fly fished for almost 12 years and tied for half of those. While I love to fly fish, I’m infected by all that is tying, from entymology to tying techniques. I’m at the point where I want to read the books that built the hobby (for lack of a better word). I read articles today that pay homage to folks lh 2006).]ike Marinaro, Troth, Orvis, Wulff, and Carrie Stevens, and feel as if my self-education is missing. I don’t know what the authors are talking about. I feel like I’ve started the hobby without giving the due diligence to the pioneers that started it all. Not only do I want to tie the classics, I want to know the whys and hows. All that being said, who and what titles would I need in my library and HOW do I go about getting the books?

I greatly appreciate any and all help.

Very respectfully,

Adam M. Aycock
LCDR USN

P.S.
If this has been a post before, pls email me the list of books. Otherwise, I’ll collate below:
Title…Author
Fishing the Fly…Orvis and Cheney
Favorite Flies and Their Histories…Mary Orvis Marbury
Fly Patterns and Their Origins…Harold Hinsdill Smedley
Flies…Edson Leonard
The Dettes. A Catskill Legend…Eric Leiser
The Complete Book of Fly Tying…Eric Leiser
Fly tying Materials…Eric Leiser
The Book of Fly Patterns…Eric Leiser
Catskill Flytier…Harry Darbee
Trout…Ray Bergman (One I have!)
Freshwater Bass…Ray Bergman
Book of The Black Bass…James Henshall
Fly Tying and Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish …Tom Nixon
Saltwater Flies…Kenneth E. Bay
Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing…Joseph Bates
Trout…Ernest Schwiebert
Streamside Guide or the reprint: The New Streamside Guide…Art Flick
Fishing the Midge…Ed Koch
The Fly & the Fish…John Atherton
Fishing Flies and Fly Tying…William Blades
Modern Trout Flies…Poul Jorgensen
Universal Fly Tying Guide…Dick Stewart
Trout and Salmon Fly Index…Dick Surette
Forgotten Flies…Schmookler & Sils
Perrault’s Standard Dictionary of Fishing Flies…Keith Perrault
Tying and Fishing The Fuzzy Nymphs … Polly Rosborough
Nymphs … Ernest Schwiebert
The Art of Tying the Wet Fly…James Leisenring
THE COMPLETE FLY FISHERMAN
(The Notes and Letters of Theodore Gordon)…John MacDonald
A Modern Dry Fly Code…Vince Marinaro
In The Ring Of The Rise…Vincent Marinaro
Trout Fishing…Joe Brooks
Rising Trout and This Wonderful World of Trout…Charles Fox
Fishing Small Streams With A Flyrod…Charles Meck
Trout From Small Streams…Dave Hughes
Two Centuries of Soft Hackle Flies…Sylvester Nemes
Fly Fishing Small Streams…John Gierach
The Dry Fly and Fast Water…George LaBranche
The Beaverkill…Ed VanPut
Quill Gordon…John MacDonald
That’s Enough For Now…RW
Selective Trout…Doug Swisher and Carl Richards
Hatches…Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi
Caddisflies…Gary LaFontaine
Trout Flies: Proven Patterns…Gary LaFontaine
What The Trout Said…Datus C. Proper
Clyde Style Flies…John Reid
Anything…Robert Traver
Anything…Rube Cross
Anything…Thomas McGuane
Anything…Ed Hewitt
Anything…G.E.M. Skues
Anything…Frank Sawyer
Anything…W.H. Lawrie
Anything…Oliver Edwards
A Fly Tyer’s Benchside Reference (Another one I have and swear by, too!)
The Orivis Streamside Guide to Trout Foods And Their Imitations…Tom Rosenbauer
Steelhead Fly Tying Guide…H Kent Helvie
Popular Fly Patterns…Terry Hellekson

Somehow related, but essential
Anything…Patrick McManus

Sources for books: [url=http://www.abebooks.com/:b58e3]http://www.abebooks.com/[/url:b58e3] [url=http://www.rareandunusual.com/tcs.html:b58e3]http://www.rareandunusual.com/tcs.html[/url:b58e3] [url=http://www.amazon.com:b58e3]www.amazon.com[/url:b58e3]

[This message has been edited by bluwatr (edited 20 March 2006).]

2

bluwatr;
Madsen and Borcher for some traditional Au Sable River fly’s (MI). 1920/30 era fly’s, I have photos and pattern’s if you’re interested.
The Adam’s is a Michigan fly tied by a guide for a customer named Adam’s. It originaly used Golden Pheasant for the tail much like the Royal Coachman.
As my tying instructor once said, “When all else fails go to the old tried and true!”

Don’t forget the Michigan Fish-In August 14th to the 20th. The Holy Water’s of the Au Sable await you!!

Cactus

3

Ok - here goes - this is just a start.

Fishing the Fly by Orvis and Cheney

Favorite Flies and Their Histories by Mary Orvis Marbury

Fly Patterns and Their Origins by Harold Hinsdill Smedley

Flies by J. Edson Leonard

The Dettes. A Catskill Legend. By Eric Leiser

Catskill Flytier. by Harry Darbee

Trout by Ray Bergman

Book of The Black Bass by James Henshall

Freshwater Bass by Ray Bergman

Fly Tying and Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon

Saltwater Flies by Kenneth E. Bay

Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing by Joseph Bates

Trout by Ernest Schwiebert

The Book of Fly Patterns. By Eric Leiser

Of course there are more, but thats a heck of a start! You’d be surprised how many of these are in the library. If you want to buy, go to abebooks.com. Cheers, Alec

[This message has been edited by flytackle (edited 10 March 2006).]

4

You might add:
Art Flick, Streamside Guide
or the reprint: The New Streamside Guide
Ed Koch, Fishing the Midge
Eric Leiser, The Complete Book of Fly Tying
Eric Leiser, Fly tying Materials

Any of the books by Poul Jorgensen

5

Definitely what I was looking for - tks & keep 'em coming!
V/r.
Adam

6

The Fly & the Fish, John Atherton.

Dennis ~BadBug~

7

Fishing Flies and Fly Tying by William Blades

Modern Trout Flies by Poul Jorgensen

Universal Fly Tying Guide by Dick Stewart

Trout and Salmon Fly Index by Dick Surette

8

And, if money is no object, Forgotten Flies by Schmookler & Sils. $250 on Schmookler’s website the last I looked. Jamie

Tight Lines & Big Smiles
Take A Kid Fishing!!!

9

Am I way behind in my reading or what! I’m reclassifying my talent level to novice.

10

Perrault’s Standard Dictionary of Fishing Flies …Keith Perrault

Tying and Fishing The Fuzzy Nymphs … Polly Rosborough

Nymphs … Ernest Schwiebert

11

Please consider “The Art of Tying the Wet Fly” by James Leisenring. A true classic whether you like wet flies or not!

12

blu, RW here,

I luv the history of fly fishing, and I’ve collected over 200 books on the subject and still going. I have all (I think) of the books so far listed, but I’m 70 years old and it’s taken me most of my life to acquire them, mostly at original prices. I hope that government job you have pays better than the one I had cuz you ain’t gonna get a lot of the ones so far listed for a song.

Amazon.com is probably your best bet for both new and used titles listed and would be your most economical way to go. Hope you’re a single guy or have a real understanding wife cuz it’s gonna get expensive. Putting together the classic fly tying books is not something you can do overnight. Good Luck.

Oh, you might want to add to your list:

“THE COMPLETE FLY FISHERMAN”
(The Notes and Letters of Theodore Gordon) by John MacDonald

“A Modern Dry Fly Code” by Vince Marinaro

“Trout Fishing” by Joe Brooks

“Rising Trout” and “This Wonderful World of Trout” by Charles Fox

Anything by John Gierach

Anything by Robert Traver

Anything by Rube Cross

Anything by Thomas McGuane

Anything by Ed Hewitt

“Fishing Small Streams With A Flyrod” by Charles Meck

“Trout From Small Streams” by Dave Hughes

“Fly Fishing Small Streams” by John Gierach

“The Dry Fly and Fast Water”
by George LaBranche

“The Beaverkill” by Ed VanPut

“Quill Gordon” by John MacDonald

“That’s Enough For Now” by RW

Later, RW

“Maybe your stature as a fly fisherman isn’t determined by how big a trout you can catch, but by how small a trout you can catch without being disappointed.” <John Gierach>

13

I didn’t see these mentioned but they are a few of my favorites:

Selective Trout by Doug Swisher and Carl RIchards

In The Ring Of The Rise by Vincent Marinaro

Hatches by Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi

Caddisflies by Gary LaFontaine

What The Trout Said by Datus C. Proper(probaly my 2nd favorite book ,my favorite wich was already mentioned is A Modern Dry Fly Code by Marinaro, and I highly recomend it.)

[This message has been edited by Turk (edited 11 March 2006).]

14

Thks to all. While I am looking for fly tying classics, I appreciate the other inputs as they usually have invaluable info regarding both angling the flies the authors used.

BT

For RW, keep paying your taxes and I’ll do fine. I’m looking long range as well and hope to have a great library with I retire in a couple of decades. Of course, some may take that long to save up for! The Schmooklers book isn’t $250, it’s $500! While I’m sure it’s worth every penny, I have to think there’s more to that book than tying (like profit). On a better note, the Freshwater Bass book by Bergman ranged from $15 to $25 for what appeared to be good copies.

Tks to everyone who’ve donated and let me know if there are others.

Had a great weekend on the Rapidan in the Shenandoah with the family catching brookies, dace and “creek chubs”. As the Missus always says, “Minnows are fish too!”

V/r.
Adam

15

You gotta save some Sylvester Nemes books in your collection. IMHO they are the VERY BEST books written on classic soft hackled flies.

Lets go fishin
Antron Midge >> )))*>

…fly tying is the next best thing to fishing; it is the sort of licking of the lips that eases a thirsty man in the desert

Arthur Ransome

16

This book was reviewed on FAOL a couple of years ago.
Two Centuries of Soft Hackle Flies
By Sylvester Nemes
Published by Stackpole Books
Reviewed by Jim Slattery
“This book is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in angling history, fly fishing, and fly tying. Your wish list of books that you “Have to Have” will grow considerably. The information and knowledge gained is vast. The patterns and Nemes exquisite interpretations of them are more than worth the price of this book. Now we have a fourth classic from this author. Thank you, Sylvester Nemes, a job well done.”

Jim Slattery says it all.
I would also recommend anything by:-

G.E.M. Skues
Frank Sawyer
W.H. Lawrie
John Reid - “Clyde Style Flies”
Oliver Edwards

I think the American authors are comprehensively covered above.

Donald/Scotland

17

Blu, you were too late. Paul did have several on ebay BIN for $250. I did see one for $500 listed from the UK. Keep searching. Perhaps he will put up a few more. Seeing how fast the others went I wouldn’t be surprised if they went up a bit…

18

I would suggest “Trout Flies: Proven Patterns”
by Gary LaFontaine. It’s a great book for making you think about the how and why of fly design and how you can make flies do different things depending upon how they’re tied…or at least it did that for me.

It was recently re-issued (or perhaps it’s still in print) by Lyons Press.

Keith

19

“The Fly Tiers benchside reference to techniquesand dressing styles”. For the price it’s been the must important reference book I have. It has no paterns. It breaks down basic applications for attaching almost any material to a hook that I can think of and some never contemplated.

20

I think you’re right, Coach. I have the Tyer’s Benchside Ref and believe it was a classic the first day it was printed. Tks!
V/r.
Adam