The Complete Book of Fly Fishing

There's an old saying among fly fishers that equipment isn't the only thing, it's everything. But the best equipment in the world will catch few fish if you don't know how to use it. Experienced anglers with dimestore equipment can outfish the superbly equipped tyro every time--because they know how it's done.

With nearly fifty years of fly fishing to look back on, Tom McNally knows how it's done, from angling for tiny brook trout in mountain streams to fly casting for giant marlin in the open ocean--and everything in between. This book is the culmination of a long and respected career as one of the world's best-known outdoor writers--the collected knowledge of almost half a century of fly fishing condensed to fit between two covers. Here, in plain language, is a complete book of fly fishing from a complete fly fisherman.
In the wise words of Dame Juliana Berners, spoken five centuries ago yet just as immediate now, "there is more to fishing than catching fish." So begins The Complete Book of Fly Fishing, a combination primer-encyclopedia that is indeed a fairly complete book--and without sacrificing depth for breadth. Early chapters include the basics, such as history, equipment, and technique. McNally explains the differences between dry flies, nymphs, and wet flies, and how to approach these very different forms of fly-fishing. Insect hatches, stream tactics, and more advanced strategies are also detailed with illustrations and color photographs. Final chapters cover less traditional quarry like bass, pike, and saltwater species.