reviews

Essential Trout Flies

Reviewed by Scott Richmond

Essential Trout Flies by Dave Hughes. Published by Stackpole Books in an 8.5 x 11 inch format. 96 pages, all color; 323 color photos. $21.95 retail. Available at most fly shops, and many book stores. Also available online from the publisher and other sources (google title and author).

ne look at a local shop's fly bins can overwhelm a would-be fly tyer. "Am I supposed to learn to tie ALL of those?" he or she wails, shortly before going catatonic.

To avoid that feeling of helpless despair, a neophyte tyer should first pick up Dave Hughes' latest book, Essential Trout Flies. As Dave states in the introduction, "If you think of trout flies in terms of styles, rather than viewing them as a vast scattering of individual patterns, each of which you must patiently--or impatiently--learn to tie, then both your tying and your trout fishing will be greatly simplified."

Dave then takes the new tyer on a tour of basic trout fly styles: 14 dry flies, nine nymphs, and eight wet flies and streamers. For each of these 31 styles, he lists the dressings for six variations, so you get 217 patterns in all.

Essential Trout Flies is organized into two-page spreads. On each spread, you'll find step-by-step instructions and photographs that show how to tie a fly style, plus the recipe (and photograph of the finished fly) for six useful variations. Because Dave believes fly tying cannot be separated from fly fishing, you'll find notes on how to fish each fly style.

The book is bound so that when you open it to a two-page spread, it dutifully lays flat. The layout and typography are beautifully done, and there are high-quality photos of each fly.

Bottom Line: Great book for the beginning tyer because it shows how to tie basic styles of trout flies. Reviewer Rating: 4

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 06/07/2000.

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