reviews

Guide to Fly Fishing the Oregon Cascades

Reviewed by Scott Richmond

Guide to Fly Fishing the Oregon Cascades, by Jeff Morgan. Can be ordered directly from the Jeff Morgan. You can send him an e-mail at donnerundblitzen@hotmail.com.

eff Morgan has prowled the waters of Cascades and come up with An Angler's Guide to the Oregon Cascades the most comprehensive text on fly fishing for trout in Oregon. From the big-name waters to the seldom visited creeks and ponds, he tells fly anglers how to get there, what flies to use, and how to fish.

Morgan's approach is scientific and thorough. He starts with the natural history of the Cascades, telling you, for example, how different types of trees affect your fishing. Then digs into issues of equipment and presentation. These are good chapters--usefull and well-written.

But when you start reading the chapters on insects and fly patterns, you realize that this book is a real find. The treatment is thorough and practical, and many of the fly patterns are unfamiliar to American anglers.

Morgan has carefully researched and tested many British fly patterns and adapted them to Oregon's waters. The stillwater patterns are especially helpful. The Brits often fish over jaded trout on crowded lakes and reservoirs, so they have been more innovative than their American counterparts who deal with more receptive quarry. Kudos to Jeff Morgan for adapting these patterns and sharing them with us.

All of the above would make this book invaluable to Oregon fly anglers. But, as those come-on TV ads say, "Wait! There's even more." No, you don't get a free set of steak knives with Morgan's book. Instead, you get a run-down of dozens of fly fishing venues in the north part of Oregon's Cascades. Morgan has been exploring the lakes and streams--both big and tiny--of this region. He shares his findings with us, telling us how to get there, what flies to bring, and how to fish each water.

Are you one of those anglers who's been complaining about how crowded the Deschutes can be? Wondering where to find the hidden gems that are within striking distance of the Willamette Valley? This is the book you've been waiting for.

An Angler's Guide to the Oregon Cascades costs $24.95. The book is self-published and spiral bound. Spiral binding gives fits to book shop owners because they can't shelf the books with the spine out. Fly tyers, however, love it because the book pages lay flat.

Bottom Line: Hard won information about the big and little waters of Oregon's northern Cascades. 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 12/05/2000.

User Reviews

5=tops  3=average  1=low

Rated as 5 by on the rise on 02/21/2008

Comments: great book.

Rated as 5 by Cabunit on 03/05/2008

Comments: A goldmine of info and a good read too!

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