Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Woolly Rainbow on December 29, 2021, 09:23:36 PM
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Does anyone have any recommendations for books that they have read that they found interesting or changed the way they approach angling? Would be interesting to see what others are studying or reading during this cold winter.
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I've read a couple and this one was definitely my favourite!
Really helps you think like a fish in order to guess where to locate them, and great visuals.
https://burnaby.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S2C277441 (https://burnaby.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S2C277441)
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West Coast River Angling by Eric Carlisle
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I've read a couple and this one was definitely my favourite!
Really helps you think like a fish in order to guess where to locate them, and great visuals.
https://burnaby.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S2C277441 (https://burnaby.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S2C277441)
West Coast River Angling by Eric Carlisle
Nice, I will have to check out and read those books!
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West Coast River Angling by Eric Carlisle
Second that. When I was new to fishing in BC, it was the first book I bought and read. It set my course and lit a fire in me.
It was published in 1990 and is a little dated, but I would suggest that it is still the best book out there regarding river fishing for BC anadromous fish.
Hancock Press has several other very good titles too: "Steelhead" and "Salt Water Fly Fishing", by Barry Thornton, and "West Coast Fly Fisher" and "West Coast Steelheader", both edited by Mark Pendlington, but I think that Carlisle's book is best for all around book.
In fact, it's sitting on the bookshelf just to my right as I type this :)
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for books that changed the way I approached angling any of the classic Roderick Haig-Brown books; The Western Angler, A River Never Sleeps, the quartet of fisherman's seasons books (Fisherman's Spring...etc). I first read these books before I was a teenager and still pick them up and read them 50+ years later. Published from the late 30s into the 60s they are timeless for various reasons not the least of which they are the best kind historical documents. Mostly about fly fishing, he also covers gear fishing rivers and in the ocean. If you ever tie flies, Gary Borger's Designing Trout flies was a game changer for me. For stream craft The Orvis Guide to Reading Trout Streams by Tom Rosenbauer is the best book on that subject I have read or seen.
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There are also some soft cover books on catching salmon by Charles White, Alec Merriman and Mike Cramond. But these are for salt water fishing. I think Charlie White also did one on fishing for steelhead but right now I can't find it.
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Fly Fishing for Pacific Salmon - Bruce Ferguson : Les Johnson : Pat Trotter Dry line Steelhead - Bill McMillan Island Fly Fisherman - Edited by Robert H Jones & Larry E. Stefanyk : The Gilly - A Flyfishers Guide to BC - compiled by Alf Davey . I am also a fan of books by John Gierach , an active USA writer , He has writen over 20 books including Dumb Luck & Kindness of Strangers, No Shortage of Good Days , A Fly Rod of Your Own, All Fishermen Are Liars and Fools Paradise . All informative good reads !
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Nice, thanks for all the ideas on these different titles! Looks like I'll have lots of interesting books to start reading this winter!
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The Gilly - A Flyfishers Guide to BC - compiled by Alf Davey .
I heard alot of good things about this book as well I will have to pick up a copy
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while they are all good books, some of the information on techniques and patterns in The Gilley and similar books like the 2 Jack Shaw books (Tying flies for Trophy Trout & Fly Fish the Trout Lakes). Morris and Chan on Fly fishing Trout Lakes. Steve Raymond's Kamloops, may be a little dated these days. Trout School by Mark Hume and Mo Bradley published in 2019 would be worth checking out.
One thing we really lack in BC (and elsewhere I take it) is a general book on fishing the many larger lakes for trout, kokanee and char. There so many good lakes literally too many to mention from a few square miles to very large bodies of water like Kootenay lake (where I caught my PB rainbow - 22lb 14 ozs) Arrow Lake, Christina, Okanagan, Shuswap, Quesnel, Babine to name a very few. A book that goes over seasons, how to 'break a lake' down, lures trolling speeds, getting deep and shore fishing would be helpful to a lot of anglers.
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Personally, I enjoy reading books and the tips, strategies and stories the authors offer. However if you want to learn current trends I suggest YouTube is a good source of info both for equipment, tactics and related info. Can cover a multitude of species from all over the world including our area which offers many options
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A couple books not mentioned.
Fishing With John by Edith Iglauer...what it was like to be a troller, the west coast and its people,,,
Lake Fishing by Karl Bruhn...a lot of lakes that you have heard of...
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I think that Carlisle's book is best for all around book.
In fact, it's sitting on the bookshelf just to my right as I type this :)
I second your thoughts. He was one of the best and I was privileged to be able to fish alongside him when I began river fishing in the early 1970s. As the book includes a photo of me, I have a few copies :)
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I brought author Barry Thornton red hard cover book "Steelhead" back in 80's which inspired me to fished Vancouver island rivers from famous Cowichan river for brown trouts and steelheads which I fished all through way up Northern Island rivers. Also, I met author Eric Carlisle. I had pleasure to fished with him on Squamish river and her tributaries back good old days in the 80' and 90's. He's one who show me how to cast and drift spoon for steelheads. Also, I met writer Lee Straight whom wrote fishing reports for the Vancouver Sun newspaper backs good old days. I was walking out with a 6-7 lb Vedder river steelhead where Lee saw me carry out my supposedly steelhead when he told me it was actually Dolly Varden. Back those days you are allow to kill wild trouts and steelheads. I was newbie back then.
Silex-user
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I second your thoughts. He was one of the best and I was privileged to be able to fish alongside him when I began river fishing in the early 1970s. As the book includes a photo of me, I have a few copies :)
That was a fine coho too!
I trust retirement is treating you well. :)
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I met Eric Carlisle a few times fishing steelhead on the Cheakimus river. He liked casting spoons to the plentiful steelhead back in the early nineties. One particular time I saw him hook several in the same pool above Fergies. Thats when I decided to change over to throwing spoons and ended up catching some monsters in the Cheakimus river. I carried a spoon rod and a fly rod. Each day I would run into a school of large bulltrout in one or two of the runs that I fished. The fly rod then was used to catch the bulls. Those were unbelievable times and never to be forgotten.
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I heard alot of good things about this book as well I will have to pick up a copy
The Gilly is one of my all time favorite fishing books. Each chapter is from a different author and is quite an enjoyable read. However it was originally written in the early 80s, so the comments about parts regarding gear and patterns being quite dated is very true. Don't buy it expecting cutting edge info. But entomology and basic techniques don't really change and I still re-read the odd chapter just for fun.
while they are all good books, some of the information on techniques and patterns in The Gilley and similar books like the 2 Jack Shaw books (Tying flies for Trophy Trout & Fly Fish the Trout Lakes). Morris and Chan on Fly fishing Trout Lakes. Steve Raymond's Kamloops, may be a little dated these days. Trout School by Mark Hume and Mo Bradley published in 2019 would be worth checking out.
Trout School is similar to the Gilly in that's is written in a similar 'anthology' style to the Gilly. Kind of half fishing info, and half fish tales from the golden age of BC interior trout fishing.
'Morris & Chan on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes' is a slightly more technical treatise on fly fishing BC stillwaters. It doesn't include the fish tales and anecdotes, so it's more of a reference guide and is more informative rather than fun, but ends up being quite a bit more comprehensive. Originally written in the early 2000's I think, but was recently updated and re-printed just a few years ago. At least it contains more up to date patterns that utilize modern tying materials.
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"Morris and Chan..." was published in'99... I had heard that they may update it. That would be worthwhile. The info about seasonal cycle of lakes & entomology don't really change much. There are a number of books that provide the same info. Lake Fishing with A Fly by Ron Cordes and Randall Kaufmann from 1984 has one of the best discussions of turnover etc but mostly avoided detail discussion of patterns.
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Funny no ones talking about the local ice fishing some friends up at whonnack today did okay.
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A book I have enjoyed is "The River Why" by David James Duncan. You might not learn a lot about fishing but it will put fishing in perspective.
A very good read, imo.
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"Morris and Chan..." was published in'99... I had heard that they may update it. That would be worthwhile. The info about seasonal cycle of lakes & entomology don't really change much. There are a number of books that provide the same info. Lake Fishing with A Fly by Ron Cordes and Randall Kaufmann from 1984 has one of the best discussions of turnover etc but mostly avoided detail discussion of patterns.
I actually just bought that book recently and am still waiting for it to arrive in the mail. It seems like it would have alot of good strategies for lake angling which is what I usually prefer to engage in as I have never had much luck fishing rivers here in the lower mainland. I like the fact that it supposedly has alot of technical information and Brian Chan seems very knowledgeable on stillwater fishing in particular.
I'll have to pick up some of these books including Eric Carlisle's, thanks for all of the recommendations 🙂
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The Eric Carlisle West Coast Angling is on Craigslist for $10 plus many other classics:
https://nanaimo.craigslist.org/bks/d/parksville-west-coast-river-angling/7430529455.html