Jump to content
Fly Tying

Recommended Posts

I'm putting together a list of books for winter reading. These would be for entertainment more than learning. I already have copies of Trout Magic and Trout Madness and several of the Gierach books. I was thinking of "Favorite Flies and Their Histories" by Mary Orvis Marbury (daughter of the Orvis founder) and "Every Day Was Special" by Bill Tapply.

 

Anyone familiar with these books? I would like to get your opinions. Thanks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Over the decades, friends and family have gifted me at Xmas and birthdays a small hoard of 'cute' or fly- fishing-101 books on fly fishing.

 

I hated every one of them as I always was most into how-to reading and, even then, on fairly advanced or esoteric topics which were not available in most book stores. (One, on fishing lodges around the US (!), had a picture of a guy that was the spitting image of my oldest fishing partner. The guy in the picture --identified only as a "fashionable fly fisherman" struck a pose that was 100% 'him' . When confronted he was adamant in denying he had ever used 'those ugly blue waders'. OK, but a few years later, he found the hated waders deep in a closet and, memory jogged, admitted it was him after all. I gave him that book.)

 

I gave most of a bookshelf full of the rest to Healing Waters a few years ago. The books I still have constitute one shelf of really useful, well written, and/or valuable historic books I bought myself -- like a signed copy of Wulf's "Atlantic Salmon" and several by Haig Brown. None published in the last twenty years.

 

More mumblings from a card-carrying old fart w/o his morning coffee.

 

Rocco

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If you'd like to do a little browsing I'm sure you'll find a title or two here......... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_fly_fishing_(species_related)...or here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_fly_fishing_(fly_tying,_stories,_fiction) or here....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_fly_fishing

 

You can actually read some of them that have the adobe reader icon.

 

Happy hunting!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The River Why by David Duncan, purely for the entertainment. A River Runs Through It (NOT really about fishing,) but well worth the read.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing

I am currently trying to find this book in a store rather than order. But I was a big fan of the Harvey Penick original little red book regarding golf. I hear this is similar in read and entertainment

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

All of Jim Harrison's books have some fly fishing--some in the U.P. of Michigan, some in the American West, some in Key West-- in them, and would be well worth reading even if they didn't. Some personal favorites: (novels) Dalva, True North, A Good Day to Die, Farmer, Wolf, The English Major; (collections of stories/novellas): Julip, The Woman Lit By Fireflies, The Summer He Didn't Die; (Poetry) The Theory and Practice of Rivers, The Shape of the Journey, In Search of Small Gods.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have read favorite flies and their histories. My library has a copy. I tried to tie some of the flies out of the book. I did not make it past the first plate of flies called "hackles"!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A book I really enjoyed was "what a trout sees" a fly-fishing guide to life underwater by Geoff Mueller. It's a good read and can be downloaded from amazon.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Folks,

 

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I've got a good list to work with now. Fortunately, our local library has several of them and I have time to haunt the used books stores looking for others.

 

I'm still learning the basics of tying and will work on that this winter. But I also enjoy reading anecdotes and memories involving tying and fishing. It's peaceful and, perhaps, therapeutic.

 

Jeff

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

"Holding Lies", by John Larison. Set in the northwest, an interesting view into the world of steelhead guides along with some intrigue.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

BRB,

also checkout "The Longest Silence" by Thomas McGuane excellent read by a great writer, also look at "royal Coachman" by Paul Schullery a very unique look at fly fishing from a historian. Give me anything by John Gierach.

 

steve

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

×
×
  • Create New...