Over the years, I have had the opportunity to teach fly-fishing to allot of folks.  One of the questions people asked is what books should they read.  Since I am from the old school so to speak, I always recommend “The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide” by Tom Rosenbaurer.  It has evolved into a wonderfully concise work for the beginner.  However, I like for people that I teach to become well rounded. 

That is why I always recommend the books I read when I first started. 

Books like “In the Ring of the Rise” by Vincent Marinaro, “A Streamside Guide to Naturals and Their Imitations” by Art Flick and “The Soft Hackled Fly” by Sylvester Nemes.  The research and passion found in these books is amazing.  I like to compare these books to one of my favorite rock albums, Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”.   These books like the album were cutting edge for their time.  The information contained in their pages are just as insigtful and relevant to the novice today as they were all those many years ago when they were first written.

 

Today, the fly-fishing information field is so vast thanks to the internet, youtube.com and cable television.   The printed word of the fly-fishing and fly-tying world is vanishing and I am sorry to see it go.  Most of the books I recommend to folks are out of print but the serious hunter can locate them easily.  That actually adds to the joy of it all at least for me.   I still have most of my library intact and will from time to time sit and read with a good cigar.  It is a relaxing walk down memory lane and a way to pay homage to the folks that got me started all those many years ago.

If you are interested in a broader list, feel free to contact me and I will get one to you.  Also, let me know which you are most interested in, fly-fishing or fly- tying.

I hope ya’ll get the time to get hold of these books and read them.  They are truly amazing and very well worth the time to find.

Tight Lines!