Fly fishing for dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 The Basics
	Chapter 1 What Every Fly Rodder Needs to Know
		What Is a Fish?
			How do I know it’s a fish?
			What does a fish want out of life?
		Fishing versus Angling
		How Do I Learn? Who Do I Ask?
			Parents
			Friends
			Fly shops
			Guides
			Schools
			Online: My inbox runneth over
		Four Things I Wish Somebody Had Told Me about When I Started
			Bad vibrations
			Trying to do more than you really can
			Shadows of evil
			Your Budweiser hat
		The Dog Ate My Homework (Or Why You Need a License)
	Chapter 2 Choosing a Rod
		Anatomy of a Fly Rod
			No, butt seriously . . .
			You have to cast your way
		The Four Jobs of a Rod
			When bigger is better (and when it isn’t)
			Line weight and rod weight: The bottom line
			The long and short of it
			Realistically speaking
			Where the action is
		A Rod for All Seasons
			Trout
			Bass, pike, and light saltwater
			Heavy saltwater: Tarpon, sharks, and other monsters
			Matching the rod to the fish
			Have rod, will travel
		Rod Care
			Be finicky about ferrules
			Use a rod case
			Not getting stuck
			Getting unstuck
			The last word
	Chapter 3 Reels
		MFP (Maximum Fishing Pleasure) and the Balanced Outfit
		Fly Reels
			What does a fly reel do?
			The ABCs of arbors
			Kind of a drag
			Using your tools to stop the fish (Hint: Your hand is a piece of tackle, too)
		Why Is a Reel Like a New Business?
			Be seated
			The full-figured reel
		Maintaining Your Reels
			Like the dentist says, rinse often
			Don’t forget to oil
	Chapter 4 Between the Rod and the Fish: Hooks, Lines, Leaders
		Checking Out Fly Lines
			Is weight good or bad?
			Does color count?
			Taper tips
			Sink or swim
			Threading your fly line
		Looking at Leaders
			Matching your leader to your fly
			What tippet should I tie?
			How strong does the leader need to be?
		Everything You Need to Know about Hooks
			When bigger is smaller
			Get to the point!
			Unhooking yourself
			Get rid of your barbs
		That Sinking Feeling
		What Comes After the Tippet?
			Tie one on
			Hopper dropper: A true life saver
Part 2 The Fish and the Flies
	Chapter 5 Trout and the Bugs They Love (Plus Some Non-Bugs Too)
		The Short, Happy Life of the Mayfly: Swim, Eat, Fly, Mate, Die
			In the beginning
			Dry-fly time: The big show
			Spinners: The happy ending and then kaput!
			Get wet!
			Get net!
		Some Nymph Basics
			Crawlers
			Clingers
			Burrowers
			Swimmers
		Reading the Rings
			Headhunting
			Emergers: Trout candy
			Spinners: After the fun is done
			Don’t ignore the small stuff
		Caddis Flies: Not Sexy, but They Work
		Stone Flies: The Biggest Bugs
			Salmon flies: The greatest hatch
		Grasshoppers: Trout Candy
			Beetles, ants, and other terrestrials
			Big fish eat little fish
	Chapter 6 Mayflies (And Why Trout Love Them)
		How Big (Or Small) Is a Mayfly?
		The Quill Gordon: As Unpredictable as the Weather
		The Hendrickson: When the Fishing Gets Serious
		March Brown: Big Enough to Care About
		Green Drake: The B52 of Mayflies
		Pale Morning Dun: All Summer Long
		Trico: Major Snack Food
		Callibaetis: Banker’s Hours
		Giant Michigan Caddis: The Champ
		Blue Winged Olive: Always There
		Isonychia: Fast and Furious
	Chapter 7 Fly Tying
		How Many Flies Do I Need?
			Why dry?
			Wets came first
			Nymphs: Unseen but invaluable
			Streamers: More than a mouthful
		An Even Dozen
			The Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear
			The Prince Nymph
			The Comparadun
			The Elk Hair Caddis
			The Parachute Adams
			The Ausable Wulff
			The Griffith’s Gnat
			Rusty Spinner
			Zebra Midge
			The Chernobyl Ant: All in the nuclear family
			The Clouser Minnow
			The Woolly Bugger
			The Muddler Minnow
		So Which Fly Should I Use?
		Roll Your Own?
			Tools of the trade
			Tying your first fly, a wooly bugger
			Tying a dry fly
			Tying a Comparadun
			Tying a Nymph
		Finding Help Online
	Chapter 8 Freshwater Fish
		Trout
			The champ: Brown trout
			High jumpers: Rainbow trout
			Sentimental favorite: Brookies
			The cutthroat
			Lakers: Big Macks
		Pacific Salmon
		Atlantic Salmon
		Basses
			Largemouth
			Smallmouth: The gamest fish
		Pike (“And the Winner of the Mean and Ugly Contest Is . . .”)
			Northern pike
			Muskellunge
			Pickerel
		Fun with Panfish
		Catfish
		Shad: The Poor Man’s Salmon
		Carp
		Golden Dorado
	Chapter 9 The Beautiful Black Bass
		Smallmouth and Largemouth
			Do I need a special rod for bassing?
			Don’t be shy
		Mainstays of the Bass Diet
			Mayflies: Not just for trout anymore
			Damselflies: Big and crunchy
			Dragonflies: Bassing’s B-1 bomber
			Crickets and grasshoppers: Always good, by Jiminy
			Hellgrammites: Helluva meal
			Leeches: Finally, something good about these slimers!
			Crayfish: If you don’t eat them yourself
			Frogs: The bass cookies
			Sculpins: Little big head
			Shiners: A classic bait
			Mice: A bonus
		Great Bass Destinations
			The Everglades: Often overlooked, but nearly perfect
			The St. Johns: Fishing with eagles
			The Ozarks: U-pik-it
			Lake Superior, Lake Michigan: Some very Great Lakes
			The St. Lawrence River: A lotta water
			The Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers: A good connection
			The Susquehanna River: Birthplace of the Clouser Minnow
			The New River: Not so new
			Alabama’s statewide bassin’
			The Snake River and the Columbia River: The great Northwest
			Quetico Provincial Park: The boundary waters
			Down east: Ayuppp, pretty fayah fishin’
			Any farm pond
			Golf courses: No clubs required
		Great Bass Flies
			Popping bugs: My favorite
			The Clouser Minnow
			Wooly Bugger
			Big-headed deer-hair flies
			The Deceiver: I’m a believer
			The Gamechanger: It ain’t the meat; it’s the motion
	Chapter 10 Saltwater Fish
		Some Saltwater Fishing Tips
			Fishing in 360 degrees
			Deciding what rod to use
			The trout strike: A big mistake
		Striped Bass: A Silver Treasure
		Bluefish: Tough Guys
		False Albacore: The Fall Classic
		Weakfish and Speckled Trout: Brothers in Angling
		Redfish: A Cook’s Tale
		Fluke: Flat and Fun
		Marlin: Fly Fishing’s Mt. Everest
		Bluefin Tuna: Big, Fast, and Gorgeous
		Inshore Grand Slam
			Bonefish: Gray lightning
			Permit: As if . . .
			Snook: No schnook
			Tarpon: The silver king
			Giant trevally: Gangsta of the flats
	Chapter 11 Saltwater Baits and Flies
		Seafood: Major Saltwater Bait
			Sand eels: Not reely eels
			Silversides: Ocean-going French fries
			Anchovy: Not just for pizza
			Bunker: All in the baitfish family
			Cinder worms: On the moon tides
			Paolo worm: Small bait, monster fish
			Mud crab: A white sand standout
			Shrimp: A great go-to bait
			Mullet: Good in the gullet
		Great Saltwater Fly Types
			Crazy Charlie: A very sane choice
			The Surf Candy: The name says it all
			Snake fly: Eels and then some
			A crab fly: It fairly screams “eat me”
			Lefty’s Deceiver: A true friend
			The Clouser: Still the champ
			The Crease fly
Part 3 Fly Fishing Essentials
	Chapter 12 Casting and Presentation: The Heart of the Game
		The Keys to Success
			Timing: Not just for comedians
			Keeping your loop tight
			Holding the rod correctly
		Mastering the Forward Cast
			Okay — I tried what you said; what did I do wrong?
			What am I looking for?
			Don’t be in a hurry
			Now what? Preparing to catch an actual fish!
			The reach cast
		Mastering Other Useful Casts
			The roll cast
			The backcast
			The steeple cast
			Dealing with a headwind
			Aiming for distance
			The double haul
			The Spey cast: Where have you been my whole life?
			Drag: It’s a major drag
		Adding to Your Casting Arsenal
			The backhand: A great tool
			The pile cast: Lotsa loops
			Bouncing under a limb
			Mending: A must-learn technique
			Keeping a dry fly dry (or at least floating)
			False casting: The awful truth
			Quarter casting: A great old-timer
			Using a stripping basket and the two-hand retrieve
		Fish Near, Then Far
			Fishing the clock
			Understanding the boat clock
	Chapter 13 Time and Place
		Getting in the Zone
			Going with the flow
			Lakes and reservoirs
			Salt water
		The Time Is Now
			Good times
			When the barometer’s moving, rent a movie or clean your closet
			“Real guys fish at night”
		No Matter When or Where You Fish, Remember This
			Keep a cool head
			Go slow
			Be quiet, please
			Stay out of sight
			Be chill
		Wading
			Thy rod and thy staff
			Thy friend, too
			Don’t do what fish do
			Back(ass)wards, please
			If you fall
	Chapter 14 Catching and (Often) Releasing
		When Should I Strike?
		Lifters and Strippers
			Trout: Be firm but gentle
			Salmon: A different tune
			Bass, pike, muskies: Gangsta style
			Salt water: Stay down!
		Fish On! (Now What Do I Do?!)
		The Fight
			Your rod is your best weapon
			Help from the reel
			The line helps too
			The reel thing
			Heads up!
			Use the current
			Running for cover
			“What a jump! Hey! What happened?”
			Rod up, reel down (pumping a fish)
			Playing the fish
			Light tackle takes longer
		Landing or Boating the Fish
			Should I use a net?
			To kill or not to kill
			Before you catch and release
			Treating a fish properly
			Revive and release
			Catch, quickly shoot a photo, and release
	Chapter 15 The Fly Fishing Wardrobe
		Take It Off!
		The Well-Dressed Fly Rodder
			Dress like Robin Hood (green tights optional)
			Keep the lid on
			Don’t forget your face
		Waders: A Necessity
		Gloves: The Hot and Cold of It
		Vest or Pack?
			Packs that pack the right stuff
			Another option: Lanyard
		Sunglasses: Function, Not Fashion
	Chapter 16 Knots: A Few Will Do
		A Brief Vocabulary of Knots
		The Fisherman’s Knot
		The Surgeon’s Knot
		The Perfection Loop
		More Good-to-Know Knots
			The Orvis Knot
			Lefty’s Loop
			Line to reel
			Joining fat line to skinny line or wire
	Chapter 17 Cooking Your Catch
		Perfect Poaching, I Promise
			Poached Fish
		Pan Roasting for Crisp Skin
			Crispy Skin Fillet
		Frying Fish to Crunchy Perfection
			Battered Fish
		Baking Fish in a Salt Crust for Great Presentation
			Salt-Baked Big Fish and Vegetables with Fresh Salsa
		Tossing Whole Fish on the Grill
			Grilled Whole Fish
Part 4 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 18 Great Trout Streams
		The Upper Delaware: New York and Pennsylvania
		Henry’s Fork: Idaho
		The Missouri: Montana
		The Yellowstone: Wyoming and Montana
		The South Platte River: Colorado
		The Deschutes: Oregon
		Fall River: California
		The Au Sable: Michigan
		The White River: Arkansas
		The South Holston: Tennessee
	Chapter 19 Ten Trout and Salmon Bucket-List Destinations
		Argentina
		Chile
		New Zealand
		Iceland
		Alaska
		The Kola Peninsula
		British Columbia
		The Pyrenees, Spain
		England: Fly Fishing’s Home Court
		Slovenia and Balkans
	Chapter 20 Ten Saltwater Bucket-List Destinations
		The Florida Keys: More Than Margaritaville
		Lands of the Maya: The Yucatan and Belize
		The Bahamas
		Cuba, Sí
		Kiritimati: That’s Christmas Island to You
		The Seychelles: Far Away, and That’s Good
		Montauk: A Frenzy of Fish (and Fishermen)
		The Outer Bank
		New Orleans: Reds in Bluesville
		Cabo San Lucas: Bigger Game
	Chapter 21 Eleven Good Reads
		He Wrote. He Fished. It Was Good.
		The Modern Master
		In the Beginning
		Time and Place
		Fly Fishing’s Ground Zero
		Trout Are the Best Reason for Many Things
		Guide Wars
		A Latitude Attitude
		The Way It Was
		Madness? I Don’t Think So
		An Eleventh Book, If That’s Okay with You
	Chapter 22 Ten Great Online Resources
		Catch Magazine
		Flylords
		Troutbitten
		Southern Culture on the Fly
		Midcurrent
		Capt. Jack Productions
		Trout Unlimited
		Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing
		The Slide Inn
		Rio Products on YouTube
Index
EULA