I thought I would throw out a little bit different post today. A book review. I just got done reading (for the third time) the book: Common Sense Fly Fishing 7 Simple Lessons to Catch More Trout by Eric Stroup. There is a reason I have read it three times. I think it is an awesome book to help a new comer to fly fishing get over difficulties and mistakes. If you haven’t read it then I urge you to pick it up and give it a read. Even if you aren’t a beginner, there is tons to be learned. Below are three of the reasons I recommend reading this book.
Common-Sense Fly Fishing
1. Simplicity. If you have fly fished for a while, you will realize that it can be complicated. I like to teach and think in simplistic terms and get by with as little mess as possible. In his book Eric explains over and over that catching fish boils down to technique and presentation more than fly patterns or secrets. I cannot stress this point enough when teaching my classes. Keep it simple, perfect the technique, catch more fish.
2. Common-Sense. I know, I just ripped of the title of the book but, that is the over all message of the book and it is great! A lot of what you find difficult in fly fishing can probably be solved if you just stop and think. One thing in particular that I see a lot of is the tendency to mend line TOO MUCH! I know you are trying to achieve that perfect drift to fool that giant trout, but sometimes you go overboard. One simple lesson from the book is where to position yourself in the river to achieve the optimal presentation. I love to tell people to get as close as they can to the fish. Trying to cast 50 ft and then throwing in all sorts of mends won’t get you as many fish as stealth and precision at short range.
3. Rod Position. To go right along with common-sense, it is hard to catch fish when there too much slack line on the water, EVEN WHEN FISHING DRIES! This is something that I had a hard time remembering at first and I don’t know why, it makes sense. The more line you get off of the water while maintaining a good drift the more effective your hook set will be. Therefore, you will catch more fish. He tells you to always keep the rod tip at or above shoulder height at all times, even while fishing dry flies. Just doing that one little thing will increase your hook up percentage, try it!
I first heard about the book while listening to and interview with Eric Stroup on Ask About Fly Fishing Internet Radio. He does a great job of explaining a lot of the principles discussed in his book. You can listen to the interview for FREE so definitely check that out!
If you have any questions or comments feel free to leave them. If you have read a good book I would love to know about it. Reading provides a great opportunity for growth and the fly fishing world is teeming with good books.
Continue Learning:
I would have a hard time remembering to keep the rod up too. Especially since when you fish streamers you keep your rod tip down sometimes touching the water. When we fish for stripers we actually stick our rod in the water to the second guide many times.