Larger Trout for the Western Fly Fisherman

Rating:
Summary: Great insights from a fly fishing pioneer
Review: Charles Brooks spent many years fishing the Madison, Firehole, and other streams in Yellowstone Park and southwestern Montana. This book was written in the late 1960's, and preceded today's many books on the subject that seem to re-hash much of the same material over and over.

Beginning at the age of 9, Charles took a very scientific approach to catching trout with flies. He maintained careful notes over the years regarding water temperature, clarity, barometric pressure, etc. He even spent hours sitting underwater in his woolen clothes in order to observe the reaction of these large, wild trout to his various creations.

Yet, he doesn't bore the reader with the details. The book is very readable; my only complaint is that it sometimes skips around a bit from topic to topic.

He shares the insights that he gained through his study, as well as through his many thousands of hours spent on Western rivers. He helps the reader understand not "what" will work in a particular situation, but "why" it works.

It's interesting to read that, even in the 1940's, Charles had concluded that the use of nymphs and underwater flies would be more successful that dry-fly fishing. He had found that the wooly worm and stone fly would catch many large trout, and could explain why. He had no distain for the techniques developed in Eastern trout streams, yet understood why they'd be only marginally successful in the West.

One of his most remarkable insights was an observation that small fish and poor yields result from over-stocking, and not from over-fishing. It seems obvious once you read why, but even today that statement would likely be met with skepticism.

I thought the book was well worth reading, and wish it were still in print.

Rating:
Summary: Great insights from a fly fishing pioneer
Review: Charles Brooks spent many years fishing the Madison, Firehole, and other streams in Yellowstone Park and southwestern Montana. This book was written in the late 1960's, and preceded today's many books on the subject that seem to re-hash much of the same material over and over.

Beginning at the age of 9, Charles took a very scientific approach to catching trout with flies. He maintained careful notes over the years regarding water temperature, clarity, barometric pressure, etc. He even spent hours sitting underwater in his woolen clothes in order to observe the reaction of these large, wild trout to his various creations.

Yet, he doesn't bore the reader with the details. The book is very readable; my only complaint is that it sometimes skips around a bit from topic to topic.

He shares the insights that he gained through his study, as well as through his many thousands of hours spent on Western rivers. He helps the reader understand not "what" will work in a particular situation, but "why" it works.

It's interesting to read that, even in the 1940's, Charles had concluded that the use of nymphs and underwater flies would be more successful that dry-fly fishing. He had found that the wooly worm and stone fly would catch many large trout, and could explain why. He had no distain for the techniques developed in Eastern trout streams, yet understood why they'd be only marginally successful in the West.

One of his most remarkable insights was an observation that small fish and poor yields result from over-stocking, and not from over-fishing. It seems obvious once you read why, but even today that statement would likely be met with skepticism.

I thought the book was well worth reading, and wish it were still in print.