The trouble with reviewing books on outdoors-related topics in the spring is that we reviewers are actually outside participating in those topics covered by the books! However, I recently read THE BIG BOOK OF FLY FISHING TIPS & TRICKS: 501 Strategies, Techniques and Sure-Fire Methods, and it’s content impressed me so much that I put my fishing rods away for a bit to write about it!
THE BIG BOOK OF FLY FISHING TIPS & TRICKS: 501 Strategies, Techniques and Sure-Fire Methods (224 pages, MVP Books, $30.00 U.S.), by C. Boyd Pfeiffer, presents quick, useful, real-world tips “that lead to a simpler, better, faster, cheaper, more effective, more organized, or more efficient way” of performing tasks related to fly fishing and fly tying.
Logically organized in pithy, informative chapters and subjects, the book addresses some of the most common fly fishing-issues presented to fly fishermen, as well as some of the more obscure. Covering topics such as:
- tackle and rigging;
- fly fishing preparation;
- fly fishing strategies for freshwater and saltwater;
- casting; equipment care, storage, cleanup, and travel;
- and fly tying equipment, tools, methods, and techniques,
the book includes tips and tricks that are sure to appeal to fly fishermen of all experience and skills levels.
An example of a commonsense tip (that I somehow overlooked for years) provided by THE BIG BOOK OF FLY FISHING TIPS & TRICKS teaches readers to loop their lines around a fence post or tree limb for one-person stretching, rather than relying on two people to stretch line. The book also offers a bunch of other sensible tips including tips about applying sun screen and insect repellant so fish don’t smell them, optimal hat brim colors, and ways to photograph fish.
THE BIG BOOK OF FLY FISHING TIPS & TRICKS also provides useful information, tips, and tactics for fighting, controlling, landing, and releasing fish, and it provides tips for fly fishing from a boat or while wading.
Nearly half of the tips are devoted to fly tying, so novice, as well as expert fly tying practitioners will learn something new from the book.
Published in a large format with many full-color photos, THE BIG BOOK OF FLY FISHING TIPS & TRICKS will provide any fly fisherman with useful advice and hours of enjoyment. Most of the tips are presented in a paragraph or two, so the book can be casually read from cover to cover, or it can be used as a reference to find information on specific fly fishing topics.
Author C. Boyd Pfeiffer did his homework when compiling the 501 tips presented in THE BIG BOOK OF FLY FISHING TIPS & TRICKS so his readers don’t have to.
For more information, click here.