I’m looking to get a few books on fly fishing. My main goals are to improve my casting, general techniques (especially nymphing), and insect id.
This board has always been a great resource for me so I was wondering what you guys thought were great books.
TROUT by Ray Bergman. Problem is, it won’t do any of the things you are after.
THE CAST…by Ed Jaworowski.
The Fish’s Eye: Essays About Angling and the Outdoors by Ian Frazier. JGW
I have and enjoy “Fly casting Techniques” by Joan Wulff. Which along with Her fly casting video make a good combination.
I have Lefty Kerh’s latest flycasting video which I like as much as I like Joans. different styles but both great casters and teachers.
Bearing in mind that I Stillwater fish most of the time with Nymphs and chronimids my favorite book is “Fly patterns for Stillwaters” by Philip Rowley.
It concentrates on my home waters which for me is a plus but may not help you so much as I live in British Columbia.
My favorite video is a set of 6 cd’s put out by True North entertainment called “Expert Techniques for creative Fly Tying” which I have found Helped my tying a lot . It has detailed instructions for tying 55 different fly patterns. Although it is called ExpertTechniues even a beginner can tie using its easy instructions.
For chironomid fishing I like the video by Brian Chan called expert techniques for “Stillwater fly Fishing” It has instructions for 15 flies. He shows how to read stillwater lakes and fish them effectivly. There is a very good section on how to read a lake to find out what the hatch is and how to use what you have learned to catch fish.
for fly fishing - I have no favorite book - I love 'em all. Not trying to sit on a fence - but I keep my mind open that everyone flyfishes differently - then I meld what I read into something I can use.
As for insect ID … Audobon (sp?) has a pocket field guide titled ‘Insects’. Great for general and some detailed ID. But if you’re looking for mayflies, caddis, stones … I forget the book and who wrote it, but there is one that was put out specifically for mayflies of the NE USofA. It was very well put together, great info - but too $ $ $ at the time (between payday$).
As mentioned above, it doesn’t really cover what you’re looking for, but the book I’ve gotten the most from is AK’s Flybox by AK Best. Been tying for years, and this book fixed many problems.
For nymphs, the standard for me is Randall Kaufman’s American Nymph Fly Tying Manual
Production Fly Tying by AK Best…he is just awesome.
I would suggest “Prospecting for Trout” and a book on Reading Trout Streams (there are a few good ones) for any beginner. I find that a lot of the true beginner books (Orvis’s comes to mind) severly lack information on both of these aspects.
Curious… I was given the Orvis Guide to Reading Streams for Christmas. I’ve gathered a decent amount of information from it. Keep in mind I’m pretty new to fly fishing so pretty much everything I read right now seems like good information, so what is lacking? Being “green” makes it difficult sometimes to filter what’s “enough” and what’s “lacking” simply due to inexperience. Which books would I look at to find the information missed? Or, maybe better phrased, which books are more thorough? Perhaps more to the point, how does a relative “newbie” determine if a book has enough information or good information? There’s just SO much out there, it’s daunting.
Matt
Hard to pick just one. So far i’d say “FLY FISHING WITH AK” by AK Best of course. I have a big pile to go, so that may change.
Prospecting for Trout by Tom Rosenbauer (Orvis)
Fly fishing with AK Best by AK Best
There are some good ones by Dave Hughes and also Joe Humphreys
The Earth is Enough by Harry Middleton. I know it doesn’t give the info you are looking for but it will help get your head in the right place. The rest is gravy…
I am in the process of writing the shortest fly-fishing book ever. Let me know what you think (and this is totally tongue-in-cheek, not intended to be harsh):
My only advice for becoming a better fly-fisher (or fish-catcher using flies, a fly rod, and fly line) is to stop reading, get your a$$ out there and fish.
In my down time I enjoy John Gierach’s books, but they’re leisure books.
Marty
“Matching the Hatch” by Ernest Schwiebert
If you have to read only one book on fly fishing it would be Ray Bergmans “Trout”. You can find the book on ebay starting at $5.00. I wore one out when I was a kid. The color plates on fly patterns are amazing. You won’t be disapointed.
If your interested in Nymphing, I would suggest-
(NTF) Nymphs: Tying & Fishing, SB
Code: 1571880852
Price: $12.95
This book can be found right here on FAOL sponsor page. FRANK AMOTO PRESS Great store, great people (they fly fish). Jim Teeny also has a book on Steelhead Nymphing techniques. Good luck, Jonezee
I’ve got a hundred or so FF books and am not home right now but I one I know I forgot is “Presentation” by Gary Borger
zdank:
After you read all of the so called “modern technical books” just make sure to take the time to read some of the so called “old, out of date books” like JC’s suggestion, Bergman’s [u]Trout[/u]. There is one chapter, (Chapter 10) in that book that I think about almost every time I fish. I figure reading it has accounted for 2,647,836 additional trout captured and released but who’s counting. 
Part of most people’s fly fishing education is the realization that hardly anything is new and most of the “old” stuff is as valid now as it was then. That being said, this sport of ours is blessed in many cases with more literature than places to fish so take a lifetime and enjoy as many as time permits.
Hazmat
I think the orvis book on reading trout streams is a good one. What I meant (and I agree that my post doesn’t make much sense) was that information was not given a good once over in the Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing. Not sure if this was intentional to get people to buy the reading trout streams book, or (which is more likely) that there was just too much info to fit into the Guide to Fly Fishing book. I agree with you though that there is a lot of info out there and it is most certainly daunting. I always find that reading the Amazon reviews is a pretty darn helpful way to filter the good from the bad. Well that and just asking on here.
GBurg… gotcha! Amazon reviews are how I’ve chosen the few books I own currently and they’ve been the difference between making or not making a purchase. Gotta love the internet!
Casting , presentation, fly selection, or fishing with a worm will obviously do you no good if you’re not fishing where the fish are.
It’s already been suggested, but anything on reading water is a good bet.
Experience of course it the best teacher and at my age wish I had more on flowing water. :lol: