As far as Meck, I think his how-to FF books are okay. He uses a simplistic approach to methods and matching hatches - which I like. But there are more ways to catch fish than just using tandem rigs and indicators. The one thing that makes him believable to me is that a lot of the flies, methods, etc. that he writes about, I find that I have reached the same conclusion as Meck from my own experience.
Meck’s “Trout Streams of PA and Their Hatches” is a good book listing many PA streams and hatches. The Landis book is heavier on locations and maps, while the Meck book is heavier on hatches and flies. Both books are worth having for learning about PA streams.
I looked through a recent Meck book; I believe it is called “How To Catch More Trout”. It looks to be a very good source of info for a beginning or intermediate FF, with tips about hatches, flies, and methods.
With respect to “Fishing Tandem Flies”, I really don’t see how to Meck can fill an entire book about a single method or FF rig. One thing with Meck, for every bit of info comes a glory story about how the fly or rig vacuumed up the stream. I suppose, with enough stories and large type, you can fill up a book on any subject.
Paul, there are people who despise nearly every FF expert out there, all for various reasons. Some reasons are justified, some are not. I really don’t listen, I try to judge for myself.