The author has guided anglers in Alaska for over twenty-five years, plus Mexico, Argentina and Sweden. She has numerous other credentials to her credit, which is to say that she knows what she is talking about when she authors a book about flies for Pacific salmon.
While this book is certainly not an exhaustive treatise on flies for Pacific salmon it will certain provide the beginning Pacific salmon angler with a very good basic idea of what’s required to be successful when fishing for the various species of Pacific salmon while using a fly.
I particularly enjoyed the description of the five species of Pacific salmon; information about their spawning habits and the physical changes that takes place when they enter fresh water. She includes a description on how to use some of the special items that are used for tying the types of flies used to catch these fish; beads, cones, eyeballs, bunny strips, Schlappen hackle, and fluorescent hooks.
The bulk of the book is composed of pattern instructions for the 33 patterns that she lists. At the end of the book is an interesting chart that lists the best flies for each species of salmon. This chart lists each fly pattern included in the book, the species of salmon that are likely to take that fly, and the color and size that is best for that species.
My only experience fishing for Pacific salmon was in the Great Lakes nearly 40 years ago. If I was planning a trip to fish for them in the future I would certainly consider this book an excellent primer for planning my trip.
Pacific Salmon Flies*/*New Ties and Old Standbys
Author: Pudge Kleinkauf
Photography by: Michael DeYoung
Softbound, 8½ x 11; 72 pages; individual color fly plates
Amato Books, $19.95
ISBN-13: 978-1-57188-489-3
UPC: 0-81127-00334-1
Originally published Oct 22, 2012 on Fly Anglers Online by Reviewed By Neil M Travis.