Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Flytech on October 30, 2015, 08:49:50 PM
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I've read a bunch of fly fishing books. The complete angler, the gilly, and more. But I'm interested in your favourites, doesn't have to be fly fishing. I'm looking to learn more, and become a better all around angler.
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Playboy , but it's not the same anymore...
Hey, you said doesn't have to be flyfishig, lol
One must be relaxed in a Zen like fish catching state to be successful ...:)
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Fishing ... "The River Why" by David James Duncan; anything by RL Haig-Brown or John Geirach
Or for just a real good read, try "The Source" by James Michener
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I found Irresistible Waters by Art Lngren interesting. "Classic Steelhead Flies" is a nice book, I am reading it now and find it interesting.
For just a good read try Illusions by Richard Bach.
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Old issues of STS~
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disclaimer: like a River Run's Through It this book isn't really about fishing, it's about childhood, sex, children and mostly the sullying of American country life in post the WW2 USA. Second disclaimer Brautigan was a counter culture writer of the 60s and 70s. However it does feature angling though it's not an instructional book. It is also funny.
I also loved A River Runs Through It. Haig Brown's Seasons series & The Western Angler are classics. Steve Raymond and Ernie Schwiebert wrote a series of books in the same style. Raymond is (was?) from the Seattle area so his books relate to BC and in fact came here often to fish and you may recognize some of the spots he fishes as quite nearby. He was also well known for technical books - Matching the Hatch but his Remembrances of Rivers Past and particularly Death of a River Keeper were favourites of mine.
Another good PNWC book is Ralph Wahl's One Man's Steelhead Shangrila about a secret but now gone slough on the US portion of the Skagit River. Great stuff about fishing in the 30s 40s and 50s.
My Father My Friend by Arthur Mayse a memoir of exploring and fishing Vancouver Island centered around the Oyster River area.
Trout Madness by Robert Traver - a memoir of fishing Michigan's famous upper peninsula area in the first half of the last century .Also a funny book.
Designing Trout Flies by Gary Borger which is a book that influenced my fly choices and tying.
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http://www.fishingwithrod.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=34365.msg327476#msg327476
My favourite fishing books aren't about fishing, and are more about life and the world and people around us, with really good fishing yarns thrown in as a sub text...and they haven't changed over the past couple of years.
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Steelhead Fly Fishing by Trey Coombs. A coffee table book but a classic.Some beautiful prints as well as insight into the history of this fishery in the Pacific Northwest.
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Stillwater Strategies by Brian Chan
A kind of flyfishing for beginners with hatch timing and how to fish certain hatches etc.
I would highly recommend this book to any novice flyfisher.
It never leaves my side when in the boat.
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I like the way geirach writes.... During a recent flight I read "all fishermen are liars" I enjoyed it.
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I've read a bunch of the Hancock house books. Available at the yellow barn in Chilliwack, I live in Calgary now so I just ordered some online if you look at the website they have a list of all the available ones.
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Some great recommendations so far - like Dave suggested, anything written by Haig Brown and John Gierach is a worthy read. But there is this one book that draws me back to it time and again: "The Habit of Rivers", by Ted Leeson. This book is mind blowing. After reading it, your approach to fishing will be forever changed - in a good way, of course.
If at first you have trouble going through the pages, put it down, make yourself a warm cup of tea or coffee, and try again. It's deep. It's almost mind altering. Please put it on your list. :)
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I agree with your Leeson choice Milo, and meant to mention it as I did the first time this topic came up.
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Metro town has a old book about steel head (and possibly salmon) fishing.... I accredit it to getting me into 7 steel head in a short time first year out once I learned to apply the methods... Forgotten the name of it but it should still be there for those who want to put in the work...
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Funny I ran into that with the Leeson book - not involving after a few chapters in. I guess I will have to get it back from the used book store and try again.
My favourite Gierach story wasn't even about fishing but about hunting rabbits in early winter. He started with a partner, went off on his own and got lost in the cold. It was a good story. Can't remember what book it was from or the title.
The River God by Roland Pertwee is a good short story of a young British Boy and his angling mentor - it's in a number of collections. Pertwee was a successful screen wrieter
Arnold Gingrich The Well Tempered Angler is a good book as I recall.
Jack Hemingway's (son of famous novelist Ernest) Misadventures of a Fly Fisherman: My Life With and Without Papa, was good and includes stories of his early life with Papa if you are a Hemingway fan.
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I must also really reccomend this brillant book by Dave Huges. Execllent guide to reading water and locating holding locations and patters.
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As mentioned The Gilly is a good read , all old STS magazines , Egg Cures by Scott Hagen . Recently I received a book as a gift, Treasury of Great Fishing Stories , a Collection of Tales that celebrates the Art ,Craft and the Soul of Fishing. Basically a compilation book with 27 stories. If you can wade through some of the fiction and archaic writing it has a few good short stories in it with writing by Haig-Brown, Hemingway, and Zane Grey, amongst others.
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Funny I ran into that with the Leeson book - not involving after a few chapters in. I guess I will have to get it back from the used book store and try again.
Worth a shot. It took me three, maybe four attempts to get comfortable with it. Not an easy read, but when it finally sucks you in, it blows your mind.