Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #452078 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 94 pages

Customer Reviews

A Difference of Opinion
I found this book to be quite useful. It is indeed a beginning text on the subject but if you, like myself, have spent most of your time fishing on streams you will find this a good jumping off point for fishing small lakes. There is much useful information in this book covering the nature of small lakes and the trout that you will find there. Specific information is given on the insects found there and their imitations. Basic techniques are covered as well as fishing craft. I would recommend it for someone starting out with lake fishing.

Entirely Ignores the Existence of Minnows

Lately I've been having a ball going after native brookies and wild rainbows in remote Adirondack ponds. I've caught my share of both, mainly using # 10 freshwater clousers and other small streamers.

Approaching still water trout is a daunting experience for the stream fisher person. Where to begin? How to read a lake? How deep is deep with a fly rod and how to get down there?

I bought this book in the hopes of answering these and many other questions that had been keeping me awake at night (well not quite, but they did seem important).

There's a lot of information here so generally I'm not disappointed. However, the book is definitely skewed to western conditions, and completely ignores fly-fishing with imitations of baitfish, presumably a primary food source for large trout at least in eastern waters. In fact, in the chapter, Insects and Other Trout Foods, the only "other" foods touched on are scuds and leeches.

This major omission in an otherwise very good book results in the three star recommendation. But if you're OK with tossing all your streamers (with the exception of the odd Wooly Bugger to imitate a leech) then go ahead and give it a read just the same. The section on chironomid fishing may be worth it in and of itself.

Fly Fishing Trout Lakes
This book is short, to the point, and answered my questions about fly fishing in lakes (what are the different kinds of sinking lines and which one do I use? what kinds of flies/nymphs should I use? what are some techniques for fishing deep? etc.). The authors did not add "filler material" as many fly fishing authors do: there is no long chapter teaching you all the methods of fly casting nor narratives of the authors' own fly fishing adventures. I did enjoy the smattering of humor throughout (another reviewer didn't appreciate the bit about the Moors and Spain). My favorite was the tip on fishing with two in a boat: "If your partner calls out and you are already casting...inform him of the potential problem: 'Oh my God - No!' is popular."