what is a good fly fishing book to read?

Kyle

Kyle

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im looking for a book to read about fly fishing. not looking for a "how to fly fish" book. maybe a bio. something related to fishing a certain area of PA or other states in the north east. maybe a book on a trip someone took. im really not sure as long as its not a how to flyfish book.
 
Both of my possible suggestions are not based in the Northeast.

For trout/bass - "The Earth is Enough : Growing Up in a World of Flyfishing, Trout and Old Men"

For real fish - "Lords of the Fly : The Quest for the World Record Tarpon".

For an autobiography - Lefty Kreh's (I can't remember the title) or Stu Apte's "Of Winds and Tides".
 
Vanishing Trout, by Charles Lose. It's about trout fishing in NC PA. The book was written around 1930.

It's hard to find a copy for sale at a reasonable price, but you should be able to get a copy to read through inter-library loan at your local library.
 
I'll second the vanishing trout. I have never read it cover to cover, but I need to make the time to do it. The historical accounts of the NC region are fascinating. There are others out there more focused on colonial times that are great reads as well, but tend to be more focused on conflict with Indians, general exploration, trapping and hunting.
 
Some great suggestions on Vanishing Trout (Loyalsock) and The Earth is Enough (Arkansas). I will add On the Spine of Time (Smokies) by the same author as the Earth is Enough.
I really liked Upland Stream by W. D. Wetherell (New England).
M.R. Montgomery The Way of the Trout (Pacific Northwest)
Nick Lyons Full Creel (Catskills)
Limestone Legends (Cumberland Valley)
 
Oh, there are sooooo many. I concur with a couple of the above posts for "The Earth Is Enough" and "The Vanishing Trout." They are wonderful books. Here are a couple others:

1. Trout Madness by Robert Traver
2. This Wonderful World of Trout by Charles K. Fox (Has how-to info. in the first half, but the second half is all fly-fishing semi-fiction)
3. A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
4. Any John Gierach book, especially older ones such as "Trout Bum"
5. A Good Life Wasted by Dave Ames
6. Tributaries by Lou Wentz (newer book by a man who posts on this site)

I'll stop here. There are lots of wonderful fly-fishing reads out there. Good luck. Get some and enjoy!
 
Kyle said:
im looking for a book to read about fly fishing. not looking for a "how to fly fish" book. maybe a bio. something related to fishing a certain area of PA or other states in the north east. maybe a book on a trip someone took. im really not sure as long as its not a how to flyfish book.
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Anything by John Gierach is awesome!
 
IrishFan said:
Anything by John Gierach is awesome!
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I grave a few Gierach books that I’d gladly loan you. Let me know and we can meet up.

Great short stories! I like to read one before going to bed.
 
Not purely flyfishing but any Pat McManus will entertain as well. I like rrt's suggestions. ARRTI, the book is worth the 128.pages over the three hour movie that omitted parts of the book.
 
Adding a bit to RRT''s nice list - I liked Charlie Fox's 2nd book - Rising Trout - even better than his first.

Another old classic that I finally just recently read - "Trout" by Ray Bergman.
Even though it was written in the late '30's / early '40's. it has aged very well.
Lot's of very good info that's still relevant to this day IMO
 

I don't hear this book mentioned much, but it's kind of interesting. It's a PA trout stream guide published in 1963. When I started flyfishing around 1970, a friend of mine had this book. The section on Spring and Bald Eagle Creeks was written by George Harvey.
 
I am showing my age and marked preference for older titles with these suggestions, but all of these books are in my library and all are inscribed to me by the authors because they made an impact on me as a fly fisherman and hold a special place in my heart & memories...

Not full of emotion. sophisticated prose or exotic locations but anyone of the four by Ed Zern will make you laugh your a$$ off:​
​
"To Hell With Fishing"​
"How to Tell Fish From Fishermen"​
"How to Catch Fishermen"​
"Are Fishermen People?"​
​
There were two later compilations of Ed's works called "Hunting & Fishing From A to Zern" and "The Best of Ed Zern." However, IMHO the original 1945 - 1955 D. Appleton & Company publications are better and include more of the hysterical H.T Webster cartoons.​
​
If want something more literary, these three by Nick Lyons are favorites of mine:​
​
"The Seasonable Angler"​
"Fishing Widow"​
"Bright Rivers"​
​
And finally "Remembrances of Rivers Past" by Ernest Schwiebert.​
 
riverwhy said:
Limestone Legends (Cumberland Valley)
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That's a really good book for the history of the Cumberland Valley streams. May be a little difficult to find.
 
The material is a bit dated, but the River Why is a pretty entertaining read.
 
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lars said:
The material is a bit dated, but the River Why is pretty a entertaining read.
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Isn't it a novel? What does that statement mean in regard to fiction? Is the author a terrible bigot or something?


I really liked Leonard Wright's Neversink. In some ways it's packaged as instructional, but it's actually not at all about how to fish / that river (and he's talking about sections the public will never fish anyway). In reality, it turns into a funny, insightful reflection on all things trout fishing.

If you like short essays about both fresh and saltwater, Thomas McGuane's The Longest Silence is great. Again, just a lot of interesting, unique storytelling and reflection from someone with lots of experience. (I think his fiction is unreadable - 92 in the Shade is goofy and terrible - but I read these essays a month or two ago and they really changed my perspective on him as a writer).
 
Vanishing Trout
Remembrances of Rivers Past- Schweibert
Trout Madness
Fishless Days Angling Nights- Sparse Gray Hackle
Upland Stream- Wetherell
 
JeffP said:
Vanishing Trout
Remembrances of Rivers Past- Schweibert
Trout Madness
Fishless Days Angling Nights- Sparse Gray Hackle
Upland Stream- Wetherell
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Forgot Nick Lyons but he wasn't on my shelf.
 
The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark. Nothing better in print, imo. GG
 
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