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Fly fishing and fly tying books are a passion. Here you will find book reviews of books I have read covering fly fishing for trout, smallmouth bass, muskellunge, steelhead, and many other freshwater and saltwater species. You will also find fly tying books covering the same areas. There are also books on aquatic entomology, history of fly fishing and fly tying, hydrology, and great prose having fly fishing as its main theme. There is far more to fly fishing than casting a line, and there should be far more to a fly fishing guide service web site than just costs and services offered.


Spey Casting
by Simon Gawesworth
Stackpole Books
Mechanicsburg, PA, 2004
286 pages, hardbound
illustrated, color and B&W
suggested price $49.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            In fly-fishing there are a few seminal works that stand as benchmarks and cornerstones of the sport. I believe this book is one of those works. The author has decades of spey casting experience as a caster, fly fisher, and as an instructor. He has taken this wealth of practical as well as intellectual experience about spey casting and written a comprehensive course of spey casts and spey casting.
            The book comprises twenty-six chapters that provide a complete course in spey casting and spey casting gear. The first chapter explains what spey casting is. This is followed by chapters directed to, Getting Used to the Rod, Grip and Stance, the Overhead Cast, and the Basic Principles, of all spey casting. Following these first five chapters, there are eight chapters teaching the individual spey casts. These chapters are “the Roll Cast”, “the Switch Cast”, “Crude, Traditional, and Modern Spey Casting”, “the Single Spey”, “the Double Spey”, “the Snake Roll”, the Circle Spey and Snap T, “the Devon Switch”. Each of the individual spey cast chapters have a section teaching the cast with color photos and where appropriate, diagrams, a section explaining why and when to use the particular cast as well as the proper grip and what group of spey casts the particular cast belongs too, and finishing with a section detailing the five most common errors in making the cast and solutions to correct these problems. For a spey caster having problems this last section of each chapter is worth more than the price of the whole book. The text is very well written and very easy to read and understand. The photograph sequences are excellent in bringing the text to life and visually reinforcing the written word. The line drawings of the rod movements are most helpful to assist the caster in visualizing what he is trying to accomplish with his casting movements. Unfortunately, it seems the diagrams on pages 105, and 110-111 are printed in reverse of the photographs of the same strokes. A bit disconcerting until you realize the problem. With careful attention to these chapters, and practice of what is being taught in them, the fly fisherman desiring to learn to spey cast, or to improve his spey casting, will be well on the way to achieving his goal.
            Following the chapters on the spey casts are chapters covering advanced spey casting, single-handed spey casts, underhand casting, casting with left or right hand, shooting line, weird casts, mending, fishing with a two-handed rod, safety, rods, reels, lines, and leaders. The chapters on equipment are especially good for people who have not yet purchased equipment as they will provide you with a good understanding of what questions to ask, and what features to look for before you spend your money. The casting chapters provide a whole spectrum of advanced techniques to allow the two-handed rod to function efficiently under most actual fishing conditions. The chapter on weird casts is a bit of good fun and will also provide the spey caster with ideas about modifying spey casts to perform special functions.
            Quite simply, this is the finest book on the subject of spey casting to date. It is the benchmark and will continue to be the cornerstone of spey casting instructional literature for decades to come. This is a must have volume for any spey caster’s library.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Modern Spey Casting and More
by Dec Hogan
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR, 2004
DVD, 45 minutes
color
suggested price $24.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            The author presents a master class in modern spey casting techniques using the popular short head spey lines and lightweight, fast action spey rods. This is not an instructional program for beginners, but instead is aimed at the spey caster that has mastered the basics and is looking to improve and fine-tune his spey casting technique when using the short head and shooting head lines with the lightweight, fast action spey rods so popular in the Pacific Northwest and Scandinavia. The author shows you how to use a compact style of rod movement which allows you to cast all the line you desire with a minimum of arm and body movement.
            Casts illustrated are the single spey, C or Snap-T, snake roll, and reverse double spey. The top quality photography will allow a spey caster with knowledge of the basics to easily follow and emulate the casting strokes the author demonstrates.
            In addition, to the casting instruction, the author also presents his thoughts on fly selection, fish release technique, wading, turnover of the fly, and using a spey rod in close quarters. These are a nice addition to the program to present a well-rounded fishing school. The lessons are interspersed with scenes of the author actually fishing, hooking, and landing some very nice steelhead.
            Unfortunately, the DVD does not have a chapter menu so the viewer is forced to fast forward and fast reverse to find parts of the program he wishes to watch or review again. Other than this oversight, the DVD is extremely well done with excellent photography, sound, and editing.
            If you are looking to fine tune, or improve your casting of modern lightweight fast action spey rods coupled with modern short head spey lines this DVD is an excellent choice.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Salmon Camp
by Livingston Parsons, Jr.
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR, 2004
88 pages, softbound
illustrated, color and B&W
suggested price $14.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            This small volume is a fun read about one of the traditions of the pursuit of Atlantic salmon with a fly rod. The Salmon Camp has played an important part of fly-fishing for Atlantic salmon all over the world. Now we have a well written, easy to read history of one of these private salmon camps that have contributed so much to the lore and legend of the King of fish. The Boland Brook Salmon Camp is also the story of a remarkable woman who lived a life from the end of the 19th Century thorough most of the 20th Century, a life that would be considered unique even today. If you enjoy reading about the history of fly-fishing and the people who have given us the traditions we honor today you will find this an interesting and fun book. Well written, and documented with photographs covering the whole sixty-five year history of the Camp, this is a wonderful story for a rainy or snowy evening in front of a fireplace when there is no fishing to be had. This is definitely one of the best fishing stories to be printed in a long time. The fact that it is a true story makes it all the more incredible.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Plank Cooking
by Scott & Tiffany Haugen
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR, 2004
152 pages, spiral softbound
illustrated, color
suggested price $19.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            Plank cooking salmon is a regionally popular in the Pacific Northwest. However, there are many other foods that can be enhanced by the smoke flavor imparted to food cooked on hardwood planks. In addition, this method of cooking lends itself to foods favored in all regions of the country. This well written and illustrated cook book introduces the adventurous chef to interesting and flavorful recipes for plank cooking foods such as seafood, fish, beef, pork, poultry, wild game, as well as appetizers, vegetables and desserts. These recipes and ideas will add a new dimension to anyone’s cooking as well as providing a great topic of conversation at parties and family gatherings. And the method of plank cooking is simple and easy to learn.
            The book starts with an introduction to plank cooking, a chapter on getting started, and one on plank preparation before introducing the reader to the recipes themselves. Everything you need to know to be successful is in these first chapters. The reader learns about acquiring the planks, preparing them for use on outdoor grills and indoor ovens, and preparing the food you wish to cook. These chapters are easy to read, clear, and to the point.
            The recipes are each presented on a single page that includes the recipe, preparation and cooking instructions, preferred plank wood, recipe variations and a photograph of the finished dish. The book is spiral bound within a softbound cover so it opens flat for use but shelves like a normally bound book. The book is well designed, edited, and printed making it easy to read, easy to use, and fancy enough to give as a gift.
            This is a wonderful addition to the cooking library of anyone who enjoys eating as well as fish and hunting. Now if you will excuse me I have some pheasant with cilantro and yogurt to sit down too.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Fly-Fishing for Bonefish
by Chico Fernandez
Stackpole Books
Mechanicsburg, PA, 2004
192 pages, hardbound
illustrated, color and B&W
suggested price $49.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            Chico Fernandez is one of those rare individuals that can transfer knowledge to almost anyone with ease and grace. Everyone seems to “get” what Chico has to say. This book is no exception to the author’s ability to pass knowledge on to others. Here is a complete course in being successful at the game of bonefish fly-fishing. Without a doubt anyone who takes the information in this book to heart will have the opportunity to catch bonefish, and even catch big bonefish.
            The first four chapters are the work of Aaron J. Adams, Ph.D. and encompass the biology of the bonefish, his habitat, and his food sources. All of this information is written in an easy to read and easy to comprehend style that encourages the reader to learn this important information about bonefish,  where to find them and why.
            The author then teaches you the equipment you need and why you need it. This includes the obvious equipment like rods and reels and just as importantly, the not so obvious items such as leaders, other gear to make the trip successful, such as a bandana, camera, tackle bag, wading bag, and airline carry-on bag, and how to rig your gear so you have little to no chance of equipment failure. Most importantly he teaches you what to do with the equipment and how to achieve the level of competence you need to succeed. He then teaches you how to hunt for bonefish. Next he teaches you how to prepare to fish, approach and cast to the bonefish, how to retrieve a given fly design, hook the fish and fight the fish successfully. Finally, he teaches the reader how to land and release the bonefish, including how to handle photographing your catch. There is also excellent information on fly-fishing for the other fish you are likely to encounter on a bonefish flat such as permit and barracuda. No matter the conditions, you are prepared to have a wonderful trip fly-fishing on tropical flats. The next to last two section of the book deals with the critical topic of how to travel with your fly-fishing gear so you arrive ready to fish and with the proper gear in the proper condition. Finally the book finishes with an impassioned request to give back to the bonefish flats the protection they and the bonefish need for future generations to enjoy.
            If you are a beginner bonefish fly fisher or someone that is planning on a bonefish trip this is the best information you can possibly have at your disposal. If you are already fishing for bonefish, this book will make you much better at it. No matter your bonefish fishing skill level, this is a must have book. In addition, this book is beautifully illustrated with color photographs by Chico and others and fantastic watercolor images of bonefish flats and bonefish fishing by Millard Wells. These images are so beautiful the book is almost a coffee table book that incidentally teaches. Clearly, this volume is the benchmark for bonefish fishing books for years to come.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Deer-Hair Fly-Tying Guidebook
by Jack Pangburn
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR, 2004
63 pages, softbound
illustrated, color
suggested price $14.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            This small volume is indeed a guide not a manual. It has some interesting ideas for using deer hair as a material for designing fly tails, bodies, extended bodies, wings, and spun as heads. However, the instructional portions are extremely brief and a bit sloppy in development and layout. The instructional section on materials includes suggestions for at least one hook model no longer available. If you are looking for a good teaching aid to learn to use deer hair this is not it. If, however, you are looking for ideas on how to use deer hair in the design of flies this book will get you started.
            The illustrations are very well done. The range of fly types and designs covered is very good. You will find ideas for rivers, lakes, freshwater and saltwater, as well as for warm water.
            Overall the layout, design, and illustration are well done, but the author really has little to say.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Fly-Fishing Coastal Cutthroat Trout
by Les Johnson
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR, 2004
144 pages, softbound, hardbound, & limited edition hardbound
illustrated, color and B&W
suggested price $29.95, $45.00, & $125.00

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            This is a well-written book directed to a fly-fishing quarry rapidly gaining popularity, the Coastal Cutthroat. Easy to read and well illustrated the book is a pleasure and contains a wealth of information about a species for which little has been written. The color photographs and black & white drawings are well done and well chosen to illustrate and further elucidate the information within this fine book. There are chapters on the range of the Coastal Cutthroat, its life history, and on how to identify the Coastal Cutthroat from its neighbors the various other trout and salmon. This is followed by a chapter on the Coastal Cutthroat in each of the states and provinces in which it is found including the current state of the species well-being. There are then chapters on fly patterns, tackle and accessories and fishing tactics for both fresh and salt water. The book finishes with a first class bibliography and index.
            This is a first class introduction to this great game fish and one that was very much needed. This is definitely a keeper.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Western Mayfly Hatches
by Rick Hafele and Dave Hughes
Frank Amato Publications, Inc.
Portland, OR, 2004
267 pages, softbound, hardbound, & limited edition hardbound
illustrated, color and B&W
suggested price $39.95, $60.00, & $125.00

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            Rick Hafele and Dave Hughes have joined forces to once again provide the western angler with the finest hatch information available in an easy to read and easy to understand format. This book originally was going to be a revised edition of their now classic Western Hatches. However, they soon realized that there was simply too much new and revised information to cover such a broad topic in a single volume. Thus, the first portion of the Western Hatches revision is this book covering the Mayfly hatches of the West. Even with this more focused subject matter the resulting volume contains 264 pages. But what pages they are! Well-written and easy to read with top quality photographs and illustrations and designed to provide the reader with convenient access to all of the information contained within its pages. This book may be about the science of bugs for fly fishermen, but it is done so that everyone can understand this important information. The reader is provided with the keys necessary to identify the insects as well as with patterns that imitate them and with tactics for presenting these fly patterns successfully.

            The book is arranged in five major sections, Matching Mayflies, Mayfly Swimmers, Mayfly Crawlers, Mayfly Clingers, and Mayfly Burrowers. The first section covers the authors’ philosophy for matching hatches, collecting and observing Mayflies, how to recognize Mayflies, information about the Mayfly group, and the timing and importance of finding and fishing Mayfly hatches throughout the West. The final four sections break the Mayflies down into easily recognizable divisions and contain an introduction to the group as well as a chart of the important families and genus of each group. Within each of these sections is a chapter on each genus to be found in the West. These chapters each contain a general description of the genus, emergence and distribution, a hatch importance score which relates the importance to the fly fisherman, a graphic emergence table, patterns to represent the insect, and presentation tactics for fishing the patterns successfully. Included, are excellent drawings of the insect as a nymph, dun, and spinner clearly illustrating the key identification factors and life size silhouettes of each phase of the insect covered. Also shown, are photographs of both the insect and the fly patterns that represent the insect. Overall, this is a superb fly fisherman’s book of western Mayflies. For anyone wanting to be able to match and fish the hatches of the West this volume is a must.

 

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Hairwing & Tube Flies for Salmon & Steelhead
by Chris Mann
Stackpole Books
Mechanicsburg, PA, 2004
224 pages, hardbound
illustrated, color
suggested price $34.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            This is a beautifully executed book on a very interesting segment of fly tying, hairwing and tube flies for Atlantic salmon and steelhead. Probably the most striking feature of this book is the computer generated color illustrations of the flies. These illustrations replace the currently traditional photographs of actual flies and while they are clearly more functional in showing detail, they do lack the soul of a real fly reproduced photographically.  From a practical point they are excellent instructional aids however. The writing is very well done and easy to read and the design of the book is also excellent making for a book that will be read and re-read many times.
            The book is divided into a short introduction, a well-written general history, and worldwide development of the hairwing style and tube style of fly patterns for salmon and steelhead, followed by a section on the hairwing flies and the tube flies of Europe and a section of the hairwing flies of North America. One of the most interesting features of the book is the way it shows how various regions of the world cross-pollinated one another in some techniques and how this did not happen in others. These are followed by a catalogue of dressings of a great number of classic and current fly patterns from all over the world. The book concludes with a very user-friendly bibliography and index. I would have like to have had the image of the pattern and the recipe next to one another in the pattern catalogue, but this is a small price to pay for such an extensive collection of patterns. There are no tying instructions included. However, if you are interested in tying hairwing or tube flies for salmon and steelhead, this book is an excellent resource. In fact, this is a book you may want two copies of, one for your reading table and one for your tying bench.

© 2004 Bruce E Harang


Splitting Cane
by Ed Engle
Stackpole Books
Mechanicsburg, PA, 2002
212 pages, hardbound
illustrated, a very few B&W photographs
suggested price $29.95

reviewed by Bruce E. Harang

            If you are an Ed Engle fan you will of course buy this book. If you are looking for out of date information on a few randomly selected cane rod builders this book is right up your alley. The author is simply republishing a series of short magazine articles from a now defunct niche magazine. The articles remain unrelated to one another and the “update” paragraph or two at the end of each article chapter does not make this a book. With so many really fine volumes on cane, cane rod building, and cane rod makers this is a book you can easily do without.

© 2005 Bruce E Harang


 

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Copyright © 1997 - 2006 Bruce E. Harang
Information in this document is subject to change without notice.
"Beaucatcher" is a service mark of Bruce E. Harang
Other trademarks referred to herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or mark holders.

Last modified: January 04, 2006

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