Steelhead Guide: Fly Fishing Techniques & Strategies for Lake Erie Steelhead

Rating:
Summary: Steelhead Guide (2nd and 3rd Editions)
Review: Excellent book on steelhead fly fishing. Very good information and easy to read format.

NOTE - There is now a Third Edition of this book availible (March 2004) that has an expanded section on recommended steelhead flies and patterns. Book contains updated information on steelhead resources. Useful information on tying your own leaders (various leader formulas are explained in detail).

The Second Edition is good, but the Third Edition appears to be more complete.

Rating:
Summary: The One Stop Guide
Review: For a short book, this has it all.

The book is set up to provide a great deal of information in a concise format.

First it tells you where to fish in OH, PA and NY. Then it tells you how the weather affects the fishing (very important in the Great Lakes). Then it tells you how steelhead behave in this stream during different weather and water level conditions. This guides you in selecting a stretch of water to fish.

The author describes the various techniques that are effective in these streams, bottom bouncing egg patterns and nymphs. He closes with suggested fly tackle and local fly patterns.

I felt that I had accompanied a guide for an all-day trip after reading this book. It is an exellent start to learning how to catch these exciting fish.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide for the novice........
Review: John Nagy's book is perfect for the steelhead angler living in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Steelhead in Lake Erie are different from other populations of Great Lake's steelhead, because of the shale creeks and rivers.

John Nagy over the years has developed specialized leaders, custom built rods, and proper drifting presentations for these waters. The book goes in detail on weather and stream conditions, steelhead behavior, strategies, and maps of tributaries of Lake Erie. The book also has pictures of the most popular flies used for steelhead. I started fishing for steelhead two years and John Nagy's book has turned me from a frustrated newbie to a stream savvy steelheader. I would strongly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent starting point...
Review: The money you spend on this book will be the single best investment (aside from spending time on the stream gaining firsthand experience) you make. Easy to understand and turn into working knowledge for the flyfisherman new to this fishery.

Rating:
Summary: Wish I had bought the 2nd Edition instead!
Review: This books does have lots of decent info on the subject, and I learned a lot from reading it. However, the only photos of the fly patterns in the book are on the back cover, and leave a lot to be desired. I have been told that the 2nd Edition has much better photos and tying instructions for the fly (egg) patterns in the book. If I had known in advance, I would have purchased the 2nd edition for a few more dollars!