Wet Flies: Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs
by Dave Hughes, Richard Bunse (Illustrator); 1995; hardcover; 240pp
With three decades of fishing experience and coursework in aquatic entymology, plus leading workshops across the country and writing four books on fly fishing tactics, Hughes (Fly Fishing Basics, Stackpole, 1994) here does what he values in others: instructs and enthuses. He explains subsurface insect behavior, extensively covers fishing literature and history, presents detailed instruction on materials and tying, and teaches presentation-all with numerous photos, drawings, and 24 pages of color plates (not seen by this reviewer). Carefully researched and well written, this volume should be useful to all fly fishers and the libraries serving them.
reviewed: "Excellent reference Hughes' writing is clear and concise. His distillation of work by earlier writers on the subject is lively. But this is more than a well-researched history by a modern practitioner. Hughes' own contribution is the convincing and clear demonstration of some tying techniques that I now use in my basic repertoire. The colour plates are clear and well organized, and the advice, as usual, is worth taking seriously."
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Mayflies
by TED FAUCEGLIA; hardcover; 2005; 192pp
Everything on Eastern and Midwestern mayfly hatches, from the most outstanding photographs of every stage to descriptions and common and Latin names and pattern information, is included in this comprehensive book. Each chapter shows and describes the mayfly’s stages of development from nymph through spinner and lists patterns and photos of imitations that match each stage. Two photographic essays show in fascinating detail an emerging Blue Quill dun and a molting Yellow Drake dun. A breadth of information that includes a natural history of mayflies is matched with Ted Fauceglia's phenomenal photography. The book covers all of the major Eastern and Midwestern mayfly hatches and serves as an outstanding, detailed, full-color photographic reference for the fly fisher and fly tier.
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The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference
by Ted Leeson, Jim Schollmeyer; 1998; hardcover; 444pp
reviewed:"Every dressing technique I've ever heard of is here!, This wonderful book has very clear illustrations of just about every dressing technique I've ever seen, or heard of, or wondered about. The most obscure technique for winging I know of, the "reverse hackle" or as the Brit's call it, "wonderwing" is clearly shown. I'd never run across anything about this winging style, save for a few photos in European journals. I find the inclusion of this obscure technique amazing.
This book has something for everybody: beginners will have choices for tying that are easier (or, more sophisticated) than the guide they are working from; and, intermediate and advanced tiers will find interesting new methods or new uses for existing materials.
I simply have never seen a survey of technique this extensive anywhere in the (already voluminous) fly tying literature.
Mr. Schollmeyer's photos are sharp, well oriented and highly illustrative. Mr. Leeson's text (which is a substantial departure from his superb prose work) is a model of clarity and concise description.
Overall this is a fine work and one which will, I predict, become a standard in the field.
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