Fly Fishing For Dummies (2^nd Ed.)

Hook up with the fly-fishing guide that?s a keeper

Some say successful fly fishing requires supreme athleticism, a surgeon?s delicate touch, and the serene spirit of a Zen master. But forget the hype: The updated edition of Fly Fishing for Dummies shows that all you need to get the hang of this enjoyable sport are the right tools, a disciplined technique, and a positive attitude. Whether you?re an old salt or dipping your toes in for the first time, you?ll find everything you need to learn, improve, and keep your casting sharp and fresh!

Longtime fishing writer Peter Kaminsky wades right in, taking you from choosing a rod and tying flies all the way through to staying dry with the right wardrobe and cooking up a delicious catch. You?ll also find out how you can get by with just 20 flies, a half dozen casts, and three knots. And, if you want to plunge deeper into the sport, he suggests some bucket-list destination rivers and streams to keep you agreeably hooked and learning for life?proving that the father of fishing writers Izaak Walton was right when, three centuries ago, he said: ?No life is so pleasant and happy as that of a well-governed angler.?

• Study your quarry?from rainbow trout to fashionable ?glamour? fish
• Get the best rod, reel, and gear for success?including the smartest tech
• Know where to fish (land or sea) and how to read the water
• Follow visual examples to sharpen your casting

Whatever your fly-fishing aims or skill level, the proven advice and 150+ illustrations in this friendly guide are your path to a lifetime of happy and productive trips: Don?t let it be the one that got away!

Introduction 1

About This Book 2

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: The Basics 5

Chapter 1: What Every Fly Rodder Needs to Know 7

What is a Fish? 7

How do I know it’s a fish? 8

What does a fish want out of life? 9

Fishing versus Angling 10

How Do I Learn? Who Do I Ask? 13

Parents 13

Friends 13

Fly shops 13

Guides 14

Schools 15

Online: My inbox runneth over 15

Four Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me about When I Started 17

Bad vibrations 17

Trying to do more than you really can 17

Shadows of evil 17

Your Budweiser hat 17

The Dog Ate My Homework (Or Why You Need a License) 18

Chapter 2: Choosing a Rod 19

Anatomy of a Fly Rod 20

No, butt seriously 22

You have to cast your way 23

The Four Jobs of a Rod 24

When bigger is better (and when it isn’t) 24

Line weight and rod weight: The bottom line 25

The long and short of it 25

Realistically speaking 26

Where the action is 26

A Rod for All Seasons 27

Trout 27

Bass, pike, and light saltwater 28

Heavy saltwater: Tarpon, sharks, and other monsters 28

Matching the rod to the fish 29

Have rod, will travel 29

Rod Care 30

Be finicky about ferrules 30

Use a rod case 30

Not getting stuck 32

Getting unstuck 32

The last word 33

Chapter 3: Reels 35

MFP (Maximum Fishing Pleasure) and the Balanced Outfit 36

Fly Reels 36

What does a fly reel do? 36

The ABCs of arbors 38

Kind of a drag 38

Using your tools to stop the fish (Hint: Your hand is a piece of tackle, too) 39

Why is a Reel Like a New Business? 40

Be seated 40

The full-figured reel 41

Maintaining Your Reels 42

Like the dentist says, rinse often 42

Don’t forget to oil 43

Chapter 4: Between the Rod and the Fish: Hooks, Lines, Leaders 45

Checking Out Fly Lines 45

Is weight good or bad? 46

Does color count? 47

Taper tips 47

Sink or swim 47

Threading your fly line 48

Looking at Leaders 50

Matching your leader to your fly 51

What tippet should I tie? 51

How strong does the leader need to be? 53

Everything You Need to Know about Hooks 53

When bigger is smaller 55

Get to the point! 55

Unhooking yourself 56

Get rid of your barbs 57

That Sinking Feeling 59

What Comes After the Tippet? 59

Tie one on 59

Hopper dropper: A true life saver 59

Part 2: The Fish and the Flies 61

Chapter 5: Trout and the Bugs They Love (Plus Some Non-Bugs Too) 63

The Short, Happy Life of the Mayfly: Swim, Eat, Fly, Mate, Die 64

In the beginning 64

Dry-fly time: The big show 64

Spinners: The happy ending and then kaput! 66

Get wet! 67

Get net! 68

Some Nymph Basics 68

Crawlers 68

Clingers 69

Burrowers 69

Swimmers 70

Reading the Rings 70

Headhunting 71

Emergers: Trout candy 72

Spinners: After the fun is done 72

Don’t ignore the small stuff 72

Caddis Flies: Not Sexy, but They Work 73

Stone Flies: The Biggest Bugs 76

Salmon flies: The greatest hatch 76

Grasshoppers: Trout Candy 78

Beetles, ants, and other terrestrials 80

Big fish eat little fish 80

Chapter 6: Mayflies (And Why Trout Love Them) 81

How Big (Or Small) is a Mayfly? 81

The Quill Gordon: As Unpredictable as the Weather 83

The Hendrickson: When the Fishing Gets Serious 84

March Brown: Big Enough to Care About 86

Green Drake: The B52 of Mayflies 86

Pale Morning Dun: All Summer Long 88

Trico: Major Snack Food 90

Callibaetis: Banker’s Hours 91

Giant Michigan Caddis: The Champ 92

Blue Winged Olive: Always There 93

Isonychia: Fast and Furious 94

Chapter 7: Fly Tying 97

How Many Flies Do I Need? 97

Why dry? 98

Wets came first 99

Nymphs: Unseen but invaluable 100

Streamers: More than a mouthful 100

An Even Dozen 102

The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear 102

The Prince Nymph 102

The Comparadun 104

The Elk Hair Caddis 105

The Parachute Adams 105

The Ausable Wulff 106

The Griffith’s Gnat 107

Rusty Spinner 107

Zebra Midge 107

The Chernobyl Ant: All in the nuclear family 108

The Clouser Minnow 109

The Woolly Bugger 110

The Muddler Minnow 111

So Which Fly Should I Use? 111

Roll Your Own? 112

Tools of the trade 112

Tying your first fly, a wooly bugger 115

Tying a dry fly 121

Tying a Comparadun 122

Tying a Nymph 125

Finding Help Online 128

Chapter 8: Freshwater Fish 129

Trout 129

The champ: Brown trout 130

High jumpers: Rainbow trout 131

Sentimental favorite: Brookies 134

The cutthroat 135

Lakers: Big Macks 136

Pacific Salmon 137

Atlantic Salmon 139

Basses 140

Largemouth 140

Smallmouth: The gamest fish 141

Pike (“And the Winner of the Mean and Ugly Contest is ”) 144

Northern pike 144

Muskellunge 145

Pickerel 147

Fun with Panfish 148

Catfish 150

Shad: The Poor Man’s Salmon 151

Carp 153

Golden Dorado 154

Chapter 9: The Beautiful Black Bass 155

Smallmouth and Largemouth 155

Do I need a special rod for bassing? 156

Don’t be shy 156

Mainstays of the Bass Diet 157

Mayflies: Not just for trout anymore 157

Damselflies: Big and crunchy 157

Dragonflies: Bassing’s B-1 bomber 158

Crickets and grasshoppers: Always good, by Jiminy 159

Hellgrammites: Helluva meal 160

Leeches: Finally, something good about these slimers! 160

Crayfish: If you don’t eat them yourself 161

Frogs: The bass cookies 161

Sculpins: Little big head 162

Shiners: A classic bait 162

Mice: A bonus 163

Great Bass Destinations 163

The Everglades: Often overlooked, but nearly perfect 163

The St Johns: Fishing with eagles 163

The Ozarks: U-pik-it 165

Lake Superior, Lake Michigan: Some very Great Lakes 165

The St Lawrence River: A lotta water 166

The Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers: A good connection 166

The Susquehanna River: Birthplace of the Clouser Minnow 166

The New River: Not so new 167

Alabama’s statewide bassin’ 167

The Snake River and the Columbia River: The great Northwest 167

Quetico Provincial Park: The boundary waters 168

Down east: Ayuppp, pretty fayah fishin’ 168

Any farm pond 168

Golf courses: No clubs required 168

Great Bass Flies 169

Popping bugs: My favorite 169

The Clouser Minnow 170

Wooly Bugger 170

Big-headed deer-hair flies 170

The Deceiver: I’m a believer 170

The Gamechanger: It ain’t the meat; it’s the motion 171

Chapter 10: Saltwater Fish 173

Some Saltwater Fishing Tips 174

Fishing in 360 degrees 174

Deciding what rod to use 174

The trout strike: A big mistake 175

Striped Bass: A Silver Treasure 175

Bluefish: Tough Guys 176

False Albacore: The Fall Classic 177

Weakfish and Speckled Trout: Brothers in Angling 178

Redfish: A Cook’s Tale 181

Fluke: Flat and Fun 182

Marlin: Fly Fishing’s Mt Everest 183

Bluefin Tuna: Big, Fast, and Gorgeous 184

Inshore Grand Slam 185

Bonefish: Gray lightning 185

Permit: As if 187

Snook: No schnook 188

Tarpon: The silver king 189

Giant trevally: Gangsta of the flats 190

Chapter 11: Saltwater Baits and Flies 193

Seafood: Major Saltwater Bait 193

Sand eels: Not reely eels 194

Silversides: Ocean-going French fries 195

Anchovy: Not just for pizza 195

Bunker: All in the baitfish family 196

Cinder worms: On the moon tides 197

Paolo worm: Small bait, monster fish 199

Mud crab: A white sand standout 199

Shrimp: A great go-to bait 201

Mullet: Good in the gullet 201

Great Saltwater Fly Types 202

Crazy Charlie: A very sane choice 202

The Surf Candy: The name says it all 203

Snake fly: Eels and then some 203

A crab fly: It fairly screams “eat me” 204

Lefty’s Deceiver: A true friend 205

The Clouser: Still the champ 205

The Crease fly 205

Part 3: Fly Fishing Essentials 207

Chapter 12: Casting and Presentation: The Heart of the Game 209

The Keys to Success 210

Timing: Not just for comedians 210

Keeping your loop tight 210

Holding the rod correctly 210

Mastering the Forward Cast 212

Okay — I tried what you said; what did I do wrong? 214

What am I looking for? 215

Don’t be in a hurry 215

Now what? Preparing to catch an actual fish! 217

The reach cast 217

Mastering Other Useful Casts 219

The roll cast 219

The backcast 221

The steeple cast 222

Dealing with a headwind 222

Aiming for distance 223

The double haul 223

The Spey cast: Where have you been my whole life? 226

Drag: It’s a major drag 227

Adding to Your Casting Arsenal 228

The backhand: A great tool 228

The pile cast: Lotsa loops 229

Bouncing under a limb 230

Mending: A must-learn technique 231

Keeping a dry fly dry (or at least floating) 231

False casting: The awful truth 232

Quarter casting: A great old-timer 232

Using a stripping basket and the two-hand retrieve 233

Fish Near, Then Far 234

Fishing the clock 234

Understanding the boat clock 234

Chapter 13: Time and Place 237

Getting in the Zone 237

Going with the flow 238

Lakes and reservoirs 241

Salt water 247

The Time is Now 251

Good times 252

When the barometer’s moving, rent a movie or clean your closet 253

“Real guys fish at night” 253

No Matter When or Where You Fish, Remember This 254

Keep a cool head 254

Go slow 254

Be quiet, please 254

Stay out of sight 254

Be chill 255

Wading 255

Thy rod and thy staff 255

Thy friend, too 255

Don’t do what fish do 256

Back(ass)wards, please 256

If you fall 256

Chapter 14: Catching and (Often) Releasing 257

When Should I Strike? 257

Lifters and Strippers 258

Trout: Be firm but gentle 258

Salmon: A different tune 258

Bass, pike, muskies: Gangsta style 258

Salt water: Stay down! 259

Fish On! (Now What Do I Do?!) 259

The Fight 260

Your rod is your best weapon 260

Help from the reel 260

The line helps too 260

The reel thing 261

Heads up! 261

Use the current 261

Running for cover 262

“What a jump! Hey! What happened?” 262

Rod up, reel down (pumping a fish) 262

Playing the fish 263

Light tackle takes longer 264

Landing or Boating the Fish 264

Should I use a net? 264

To kill or not to kill 266

Before you catch and release 267

Treating a fish properly 267

Revive and release 267

Catch, quickly shoot a photo, and release 268

Chapter 15: The Fly Fishing Wardrobe 271

Take It Off! 271

The Well-Dressed Fly Rodder 272

Dress like Robin Hood (green tights optional) 273

Keep the lid on 273

Don’t forget your face 273

Waders: A Necessity 274

Gloves: The Hot and Cold of It 275

Vest or Pack? 276

Packs that pack the right stuff 277

Another option: Lanyard 279

Sunglasses: Function, Not Fashion 281

Chapter 16: Knots: A Few Will Do 283

A Brief Vocabulary of Knots 284

The Fisherman’s Knot 284

The Surgeon’s Knot 286

The Perfection Loop 288

More Good-to-Know Knots 290

The Orvis Knot 290

Lefty’s Loop 290

Line to reel 291

Joining fat line to skinny line or wire 292

Chapter 17: Cooking Your Catch 297

Perfect Poaching, I Promise 298

Poached Fish 299

Pan Roasting for Crisp Skin 300

Crispy Skin Fillet 301

Frying Fish to Crunchy Perfection 303

Battered Fish 304

Baking Fish in a Salt Crust for Great Presentation 305

Salt-Baked Big Fish and Vegetables with Fresh Salsa 306

Tossing Whole Fish on the Grill 308

Grilled Whole Fish 309

Part 4: The Part of Tens 311

Chapter 18: Great Trout Streams 313

The Upper Delaware: New York and Pennsylvania 314

Henry’s Fork: Idaho 316

The Missouri: Montana 317

The Yellowstone: Wyoming and Montana 318

The South Platte River: Colorado 320

The Deschutes: Oregon 321

Fall River: California 321

The Au Sable: Michigan 322

The White River: Arkansas 323

The South Holston: Tennessee 324

Chapter 19: Ten Trout and Salmon Bucket-List Destinations 325

Argentina 326

Chile 326

New Zealand 327

Iceland 327

Alaska 327

The Kola Peninsula 327

British Columbia 328

The Pyrenees, Spain 328

England: Fly Fishing’s Home Court 328

Slovenia and Balkans 328

Chapter 20: Ten Saltwater Bucket-List Destinations 329

The Florida Keys: More Than Margaritaville 330

Lands of the Maya: The Yucatan and Belize 331

The Bahamas 331

Cuba, Sí 331

Kiritimati: That’s Christmas Island to You 332

The Seychelles: Far Away, and That’s Good 332

Montauk: A Frenzy of Fish (and Fishermen) 332

The Outer Bank 332

New Orleans: Reds in Bluesville 333

Cabo San Lucas: Bigger Game 333

Chapter 21: Eleven Good Reads 335

He Wrote He Fished It Was Good 335

The Modern Master 336

In the Beginning 336

Time and Place 336

Fly Fishing’s Ground Zero 337

Trout Are the Best Reason for Many Things 337

Guide Wars 337

A Latitude Attitude 338

The Way It Was 338

Madness? I Don’t Think So 338

An Eleventh Book, If That’s Okay with You 339

Chapter 22: Ten Great Online Resources 341

Catch Magazine 342

Flylords 342

Troutbitten 342

Southern Culture on the Fly 343

Midcurrent 343

Capt Jack Productions 343

Trout Unlimited 343

Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing 344

The Slide Inn 344

Rio Products on YouTube 344

Index 345

Peter Kaminsky's "Outdoors" column has appeared for many years in the New York Times. His books on fly fishing include The Moon Pulled Up An Acre of Bass, American Waters, and The Flyfisherman's Guide To The Meaning of Life. His fishing writing has appeared in Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Flyfisherman, Anglers Journal, New York Magazine, and GQ. He is the former managing editor of National Lampoon.