Fly Fishing Book Reviews by Bob Triggs - Little Stone Flyfisher : Guide

Fly Fishing Western Trout Streams 2003 By Jim McLennan ISBN: 0-8117-2636-3 207 pages Paperback, 8 page color section with 21 photos Publisher: Stackpole Books (ISBN: 0-8117-2636-3) $16.95

Jim McLennan is a working fly fisherman. His previous published titles include Blue Ribon Bow and Trout Streams of Alberta. For many years Jim worked as a profesional guide and fly fishing writer, fly shop owner, Fly fishing TV Personality, and he is the Rocky Mountain region Orvis Business Manager. It helped that Jim started fly fishing, over forty years ago, as a boy in Alberta's wilderness trout country. It helped that he was an incisive student of the rivers and the fish. It is our great fortune that Jim is now also a very clear and talented teacher and writer. A lifetime of fly angling, from the Rocky Mountain range in Alberta to the Southwest desert country of the United States, emminently qualifies this proven angling author to provide us with this comprehensive primer to the unique experience of western trout fly fishing.

Jim introduces the West's trout species, their forage and feeding behaviors, the places they live, and when to look for them. He shows us the major types of western rivers and streams, and especially important; he shows us how to read the water. If any skill is underserved in trout fly fishing- it is reading the water. Learn to read the western trout waters and you are well on your way to catching trout anywhere that they swim. Anywhere. Equally important is the ability to present the fly properly, with a minimum of effort or distrurbance. Jim takes the time to speak of the western flyfishers primary need to get casting under control, and shows us how to do it with decades of experience and sage wiisdom. Included here are some special casts for specific situations.

Special attention is given to trout forage, and to the insect hatches for western trout rivers, including some very good seasonal hatch charts, along with a listing of the essential fly patterns and tying recipies for them. Presentation is everything, and plenty of detail on this art is provided in this book, enough to get any fly angler started with confidence. Jim also shares his experience on tactics for trout in heavily fished waters, and this is something most fly fishermen will appreciate, especially in places like the Big Horn or the Madison or Yellowstone in july. 

Commonsense chapters on Wading and Driftboat fly fishing methods are refreshingly thoughful, and again; this shows the mark of a seasoned, experienced professional riverman, who has lived a life on the western trout rivers. Jim also includes an overview of  the unique tackle requirements for the western fly fisher. In all I can recommend this book as a very helpful  introduction for any beginning fly angler. Rarely does a book like this bridge the range of western trout fly fishing skills so simply, clearly, or with so much authority. Experienced western fly fishermen, including many pros, will be referring to this collection of  observations and experience for decades to come.

 

Article	102
Created	1-27-2006
Modified	1-27-2006
Author	Bob Triggs
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