Fishing books vary in both their advice given and therefore in their credibility. But after reading a multitude over the decades, here’s a couple who stand out. One was American Lee Wulff. His books are down to earth and practical. Lee was a colourful character, multi-talented as shown by his working life from earning a engineering degree at Stanford before moving to Paris to begin a career in the fine arts and later, his prodigious talents gave him world renown for writing, filmmaking, hosting television shows, flying, inventing, exploring and furthering conservation. His adventures weren’t limited to work. Lee Wulff was married five times to women possessing strong traits of intelligence and independence. He was an exceptional fly fisherman a champion for conservation and is credited with developing the “catch and release” ethic.
His practical approach is shown by his countering of the tendency of some trout anglers to pretentiously use latin names for insects.
Lee Wulff on Latin:- I don’t know the Latin names of bugs but I figure that trout don’t know Latin names either.—Knowing the Latin names will not impress the fish or make you a better fisherman.
Lee Wulff on Fly Choice:- Each fly is a dream we cast out to fool fish. Those flies in which we have most faith, we fish with me hope, more determination and for longer.
Another writer was UK’s Frank Sawyer, regarded as the father of nymph fishing, author of the classic “Nymphs and the Trout” and the creator of the universally-used famous Pheasant Tail nymph.
Frank Sawyer on:-
The left hand:- In both dry fly and nymph fishing, both hands must play their respective parts, more especially when fishing directly upstream – while one hand has control of the rod, the other must control the drift of the line to prevent their being slackness between rod tip and artificial (fly) —However when gathering in the slack line, take care not to impart a drag of the nymph.
Tighten, not Strike:- Just a flick of the wrist to move the rod is enough to set the hook – the tip of the rod need only travel backwards a few inches – the flick of the wrist should be sideways.
<c> Frank Sawyer tying his Grey Goose nymph
