Quill and Quire

REVIEWS

« Back to
Book Reviews

Bass Flies

by Dick Stewart

Fly Fishing: A Trailside Guide

by John Merwin

Fly Fishing with Children: A Guide for Parents

by Philip Brunquell

Fishing Small Streams with a Flyrod

by Charles R. Meck

“Fly fishing is an inefficient method used for catching comparatively few fish. Its appeal is found in that paradox, one whose occasional rewards come with persistent, skilled labour and are valued all the more greatly as a result.”

That’s how John Merwin introduces Fly Fishing: A Trailside Guide, a colourful and beautifully documented how-to book for the adult beginner on the art of fly fishing.

Merwin demystifies this complex and potentially frustrating sport with detailed instructions on the fundamentals of casting, fly presentations, and safety and wading technique. A fishing expert and teacher, Merwin uses a clear, comprehensible approach, conveying his knowledge with a live, hands-on feel.

Detailed illustrations of fly tying and knots complement elegant prose that isn’t overdone with superlatives. As well, Merwin emphasizes the ecological importance of catch-and-release fishing but is not an evangelist on the issue.

Though highly instructive and packed full of necessary information, the book does not read like a lecture. Aimed at the beginning angler, it emphasizes the value of patience and fundamentals and warns against trying to cast like Brad Pitt in the movie, A River Runs Through It (which of course was shot at long range and with stand-in professional fly casters.) It is also loaded with quotes that, to the veteran, may appear clichéd.

Canadian anglers may also take issue with Merwin’s focus on American fishing: there is a lot of “matching the hatch” (tying flies to resemble insect prey) in the great trout streams of New England and Montana but no reference to angling for the great Atlantic or Pacific salmon, steelhead, or char. Most other fisheries are included, however, and Merwin gets bonus points for addressing the needs of women anglers.

Philip Brunquell may believe that “trying to teach a child to fly fish is like trying to mix water and oil,” but he makes a convincing case for at least attempting the feat in his book Fly Fishing with Children.

Brunquell, a medical doctor from Connecticut, writes about sharing the outdoors with children as a means of closing the generation gap and stresses the value of teaching children about the environment.

Like Merwin, Brunquell is concerned with the long-term preservation of wilderness areas, but unlike many authors in the field, writes about the issue passionately. His prose has more in common with the wonderful stories of Haif-Brown, Walton, Gray, Roosevelt, and Hemingway than it does with such contemporary book and magazine writers as Zern, O’Connor, Bashline, and Wulff (who have a large following).

On a practical level, Brunquell doesn’t ignore the concerns that arise naturally when kids come into close contact with water and sharp objects. There are useful sections on conducting casting practices for children and teaching the “big three” skills: roll casting, back and forward casting, and line mending. Brunquell advises adults in these situations to concentrate on assisting the children and not to fish themselves. On the subjects of identifying aquatic insects and tying flies, Brunquell goes into some depth. As director of a fly-tying program for disabled children at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Centre, he also offers valuable information on this group’s particular fishing needs. There is even a chapter on choosing the best time to go fly fishing.

If I have a fault with this book, it is with Brunquell’s habit of name-dropping fellow fishing writers and promoting their books and videos, although I am sure this is done for the sake of offering helpful information. And while the content is aimed primarily at the American reader – focusing on brown trout, panfish, and bluegill in particular – most of the information applies equally well to the fish in Canadian rivers. With respect to equipment and its availability, there are plenty of references to Canadian outlets.

In his guide to tying bass flies – titled, appropriately, Bass Flies – New Hampshire’s Dick Stewart has attempted to close the gap between the wonderful, colourful world of salmon and trout flies and the much less vaunted domain of the bass bug. This is not an easy task. For decades, the tying and displaying of classic salmon and trout flies – the great feathered patterns of Scotland and Norway being among the most notable examples – has been considered an art form. Designed to resemble insects with pretty, coloured wings and shining bodies, they are generally more eye-pleasing than their bass bug counterparts, crafted to look like the bottom-dwelling crayfish, leeches, muddlers, and nymphs.

This is not to say that bass flies cannot be sophisticated. In fact, I believe they are more complex to tie. Trying to reconstruct a crayfish – or even a frog – on a hook with a bit of material is a challenge for even the most experienced angler.

Dick Stewart has been tying flies for over 30 years and has collected instructions for a vast number of creations, presenting them in a manner even a novice can follow. He lists basic tools, hooks, and materials, writes in sufficient detail, and the illustrations do a good job of presenting an awkward and complex subject.

Fishing Small Streams with a Flyrod by Pennsylvanian outdoor writer Charles Meck could have been inspired by his reading from the adventures of Nick Adams – stories such as “Big Two Hearted River,” set in the mountain streams of Ernest Hemingway’s home state, Michigan. Like Hemingway, Meck describes these shaded mountain streams with their canopies of oak and hemlock so accurately that readers will swear they can smell the surroundings.

Meck writes well about the difference between fly fishing large streams and small mountain creeks. The water is always much cooler on the tree-shaded, spring-fed streams, especially in mid-summer, and every angler knows that a fish will rise to a fly more quickly in cool water.

Meck tells readers how to “get off the beaten track,” where to get maps, what types of water to fish, and how to rate the stream afterward. Meck also writes of some of the disadvantages of small streams – coping with restricted space, smaller fish, and designated no-kill areas – and how to keep good spots a secret.

He goes into detail about the difference in equipment needed, and offers valuable advice on how to roll cast on small bush-clustered streams, the use of the so-called bow-and-arrow cast, flipping the line, side arm casts, and false casting.

There are tips on conservation and Meck writes of the environmental problems facing small streams: acid rain, mine drainage, erosion, and urban sprawl. He takes an active approach, discussing ways individuals, groups, and governments can protect these waters.

Brunquell’s fault, like Meck’s, is his propensity to drop names of fishing friends and tackle companies, which detracts from an otherwise credible read. Still, it is a personable book by an author whose heart is in the right place.

 

Reviewer: Wayne Curtis

Publisher: Mountain Pond/Nimbus

DETAILS

Price: $16.95

Page Count: 48 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 0-936644-04-4

Issue Date: 1997-4

Categories: Sports, Health & Self-help

Reviewer: Wayne Curtis

Publisher: Norton/Penguin

DETAILS

Price: $22.95

Page Count: 192 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 0-393-31476-6

Released:

Issue Date: April 1, 1997

Categories: Sports, Health & Self-help

Reviewer: Wayne Curtis

Publisher: Countryman/Nimbus

DETAILS

Price: $18.95

Page Count: 197 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 0-88150-289-8

Released:

Issue Date: April 1, 1997

Categories: Sports, Health & Self-help

Reviewer: Wayne Curtis

Publisher: Countryman/ Nimbus

DETAILS

Price: $19.95

Page Count: 224 pp

Format: Paper

ISBN: 0-88150-202-2

Released:

Issue Date: April 1, 1997

Categories: Sports, Health & Self-help