Simple Flies

Sometimes the best fly is a simple one. Whether you're a beginner looking to get started with tying or an expert looking to get back to the basics, these simple wet flies, nymphs, dry flies, and streamers will often catch fish as well as--if not better than--more complex patterns. This guide shows you all the techniques, tools, and materials you need to get started. • Techniques for tying quick, durable, and effective flies • Simple flies from history, plus interviews with modern anglers such as Chico Fernández, Bob Wyatt, Daniel Galhardo, and Chris Stewart • Contains flies for and inspired by tenkara fishing

Modern-day fly fishing, like much in life, has become exceedingly complex, with high-tech gear, a confusing array of flies and terminal tackle, accompanied by high-priced fishing guides. This book reveals that the best way to catch trout is simply, with a rod and a fly and not much else. The wisdom in this book comes from a simpler time, when the premise was: the more you know, the less you need. It teaches the reader how to discover where the fish are, at what depth, and what they are feeding on. Then it describes the techniques needed to present a fly at that depth, make it look lifelike, and hook the fish. With chapters on wet flies, nymphs, and dry flies, its authors employ both the tenkara rod as well as regular fly fishing gear to cover all the bases. Illustrated by renowned fish artist James Prosek, with inspiring photographs and stories throughout, Simple Fly Fishing reveals the secrets and the soul of this captivating sport.

Learn to tie 17 popular nymphs, dry flies, and streamers Master fundamental tying techniques in a series of practical lessons "Charlie Craven's Basic Fly Tying" is a modern course in fly-tying fundamentals covering the essential tools, materials, and techniques needed to tie a wide range of popular flies. With 1,000 photos, Craven covers cutting-edge techniques for the more tried-and-true classics, such as the Royal Wulff, Adams, and Hare's Ear, and shares innovative approaches to current patterns such as the Brassie, RS2, and Copper John. With clear, concise text, Craven provides tips and techniques from his over thirty years of tying flies for fly shops on Colorado's Front Range. This book is built on Craven's successful fly-tying classes, which start out with simple flies and work toward more complex patterns, all the while teaching techniques and introducing materials by tying popular patterns that catch fish in Eastern and Western streams. This series of lessons show how flies build on one another, enabling readers to tie a wide range of patterns simply by breaking them down into parts. Craven illustrates the progression with his meticulous directions to fingerbusters like Copper Johns, Stimulators, and Humpies. This book, which is sure to become a standard text for basic fly tying, covers 17 flies (including recipes for popular variations), including the Brassie, Black Beauty, RS2, Hare's Ear, Pheasant Tail, Prince Nymph, Copper John, Woolly Bugger, Elk Hair Caddis, Stimulator, Adams, Rusty Spinner, Parachute Blue-Winged Olive, X Comparadun, Royal Wulff, Humpy, and Goddard Caddis.

New flies and old standbys from one of Umpqua Feather Merchant's top-selling fly designers with 500 step-by-step photos of 24 proven patterns for the most demanding troutPatterns for streams across the country, not just tailwaters; includes nymphs, emergers, and dry flies that imitate mayflies, midges, stoneflies, and caddisDetailed information on how to fish the patterns with over 30 rigging illustrations from artist Dave Hall

Provides step-by-step instructions on tying five hundred trout flies and offers information on tying techniques, tools, and materials.

Expert fly tier Skip Morris shows how easy it is to tie classic and popular flies for all kinds of fly fishing, presenting basic information on tying effective go-to flies in a clear, organized way and giving advice for when tying goes wrong. Skip covers nymphs, streamers, soft hackles, and dry flies with 16 classic flies—Wooly Bugger, Mickey Finn, Black Ghost, Griffith’s Gnat, and many more. Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple is the primer for learning how to tie flies—a time-tested classic.

A look at the development of the sport over the past six centuries. Once limited to trout and salmon, today fly-fishing techniques are used to catch every fish species from minnows to marlin in rivers, lakes and oceans from the Amazon to the Arctic. From the many thousands of fly patterns developed over the centuries, The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies focuses on fifty iconic flies chosen to represent the evolution not only of fishing flies and fly tying but also the sport itself. Filled with illustrations and photographs of the flies (the fifty are just the starting point—more than 200 flies are mentioned or shown in the book), as well as profiles of key characters, The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies charts the growth and diversification of this fascinating sport from the fifteenth century to the present day and its spread from Britain, Europe and Japan to North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, and now to every country in the world. The evolution of fly-fishing tackle—rods, reels, lines and hooks—is also covered in a series of essays spread throughout the book. Praise for The History of Fly-Fishing in Fifty Flies “A delightful ramble along the stream of fishing history.” —Star Tribune “This glorious book of lures will get you itching for a new toy, a new boat, a new rod—anything to experience the relaxation of this old hobby.” —Foreword Reviews

A comprehensive, lavishly illustrated guide to tying popular trout flies. This book is aimed at all fly tyers, from those with modest experience to those with more advanced skills. The author’s intention is to focus on certain important elementary techniques, and then share some of his favorite contemporary twists on old, tried-and-true techniques. Many of the flies in this book are based in his own techniques and patterns, ones that he has developed in more than thirty-five years of tying. The book is arranged in sections to give readers the opportunity to easily locate the pattern or technique they are looking for. Patterns are not grouped alphabetically, but by technique. For example, the section on dry flies has categories demonstrating a particular dry fly style or technique such as mastering the use of deer hair, parachute, CDC, and so on. If you are fairly new to fly tying, the opening chapters on materials and special techniques and tricks will familiarize you with some basics and help you get started. Seasoned tyers will similarly find information here to help them raise their tying skills to a new level. Each pattern is listed with a recipe, recommended hook style, size, and materials. They are listed in the order that that author uses them, and illustrated by the book’s step-by-step images. This will help you plan each pattern and assemble materials your beforehand. Included are lushly illustrated photos for such well-known trout flies as: Pheasant tail nymph Klinkhamer Humpy Deer Hair Irresistible CDC Mayfly Spinner And much more. A special feature of this one-of-a-kind books is that its the first tying book to have a video link for all the patterns featured. Watch the author tying online, then turn to the matching chapter in the book to follow the step-by-step instructions so that you can tie your own fly in your own time. Author Barry Ord Clarke will respond online to your questions.