The people, places, tackle, techniques, flies, literature, fly shops, photography, and lore of western fly fishing during the late nineteenth and twentieth century History of shooting heads, weighted flies, woven flies, the double haul, spliced lines, stripping baskets, and more Northwest fly-fishing innovations Development of unique fly styles west of the Rocky Mountains: Bailey's "mossbacks"; Pott's woven-bodied "mites"; Rosborough's "fuzzy nymphs"; and Pray's "optics"; among numerous others The inventions, achievements, traditions, and lore of western fly fishing are explored in this unique book, which examines the contributions of twenty-three pioneers and legends from British Columbia, California, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington: Dan Bailey, Ted Trueblood, Zane Grey, Polly Rosborough, and Roderick Haig-Brown, as well as some not so well known like Harry Hornbrook, "Mooch" Abraham, and Ralph Olson. Written in an engaging style with original photographs and fly plates, the book documents the development of new and effective fly patterns, fishing methods, techniques, and tackle, all necessary for the unequaled western waters and their novel fish--five species of Pacific salmon, Kamloops trout, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat trout.

Fly fishing has a rich heritage of "founding flies" that revolutionized the sport, yet many of these classic flies have fallen out of use. In this follow-up to The Founding Flies, Mike Valla includes detailed instructions to help anglers tie and fish these historic, effective patterns. • Features 21 classic fly patterns with step-by-step photo tutorials for tying them • Tips on the best way to fish the founding flies today • Includes a broad range of flies, from nymphs and streamers to drys and terrestrials

Modern fly-fishing is only the latest chapter in a two-millennia saga of technological creativity and passionate observation of the natural world. In Fly-Fishing Secrets of the Ancients, historian-naturalist Paul Schullery explores the earlier chapters in that saga and unearths a host of provocative theories, techniques, and insights that helped shape the modern fly-fisher. Schullery demonstrates that whether we're looking for a good fish story, a clearer understanding of why we fish the way we do, or even a way to improve our own sport, we ignore our elders at our peril. Fly-Fishing Secrets of the Ancients offers the beginning fly-fisher an unprecedented opportunity to come to terms with some of the sport's most fundamental theoretical and practical challenges. It offers the expert fly-fisher a chance to test current angling dogma--and his or her own pet theories--against that of the sport's greatest past masters. And it offers all readers a fresh, probing, and often-humorous take on the great endless fish story we perpetuate and enrich every time we cast a fly.

Aldo Leopold was known to advocate a love of sport as a catalyst for conservation, and his own preference was the sport of fly fishing. But fly fishing is not just a religious or spiritual endeavour. It is also a sport essential to the conservation movement. No fly fisherman wishes to wade into rivers full of stormwater, to cast for invasive Asian carp. Freshwater anglers have been foundational to the preservation and management of freshwater fisheries and waters for centuries. To Leopold s land ethic, fly fishing adds an aquatic vitality. Surveys of fly fishing culture reveal that the sport ranks among the highest for experiences of nature and understanding of ecology. So, it s not surprising that fly fishing, and organizations like Trout Unlimited, has influenced fisheries management, conservation, and restoration in coldwater systems across the world. Backcasts reels these important topics in by exploring the intersection of conservation and fly fishing, in its history, present, and potential future."

The definitive resource for tiers and anglers interested in the rich tradition of steelhead flies. Learn the histories of these classic flies, as well as how to tie them. • Covers steelhead flies from their origins in the 1890s up through the mid-1970s • Includes flies that remain popular today, as well as forgotten classics that were once popular or that exhibit stylistic merit • Contains 350 beautiful full color photos

Two of America’s foremost fly-fishing authors join forces in this unique book offering guidance to others who aspire to write about fly fishing. Paul Schullery and Steve Raymond, both members of the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame, have separately written many fly-fishing books, both fiction and nonfiction, and edited three fly-fishing magazines. Here they offer the benefit of their many years of experience to help others who aspire to write about the sport, including everything you need to know about developing your personal writing style, how to write and sell fly-fishing magazine articles or books, how to find publishers, how to promote and sell your work, or how to self-publish.

43 American fly-tying masters, including Mary Orvis Marbury, Thaddeus Norris, and Theodore Gordon.