If you don't like one tip there are 1,000 more

Sunday, February 3, 2008

By Gary GarthSpecial to The Courier-Journal

Fly-fishermen who don't mind cold weather should think small, according to "1001 Fly Fishing Tips: Expert Advice, Hints and Shortcuts from the World's Leading Fly Fishers," a 224-page compilation of tips edited by Jay Nichols for Headwater Books.

Not small fish. Small flies.

"Cold-weather bugs are almost always small and mostly midges," according to the section about seasons on Page 169. "Fill your winter box with mostly small subsurface patterns, a few dry flies for those opportunities when they arise, and a few meat-and-potatoes flies such as stonefly nymphs and streams."

"1001 Fly Fishing Tips" is loaded with practical information, most of which is baseline. The text is simple and easy to understand.

The book is divided into four parts: Technique and Presentation; Equipment; Hatches and Seasons; and Travel Destinations and Species other than Trout. It's nicely illustrated with 200 line drawings.

Some of the information has a very strong dose of common sense. From the blurb on wading: "Unwadered legs are more sensitive to temperature changes. If the water feels like bathwater, don't fish for trout."

Need help in hitting the target? "Cast in an almost vertical plane for accuracy, but you can cast sidearm on your backcast and come forward straight over your rod tip on your forward cast. This elliptical motion helps avoid tangles -- especially with sinking-tip lines."

The book includes tips and advice from more than 30 contributors, including veteran fly anglers Lefty Kreh, John Randolph and Bob Clouser.

Kreh on keeping a tight loop: "Any movement with your hand is magnified at the rod tip, so a short movement with your wrist can move the rod tip too much and open your loop. At the first sign of wide loops, focus on keeping a stiff wrist and using only your forearm."

The book seldom gets more advanced that this. And some of the stuff -- such as two pages dedicated to building homemade braided loops -- is interesting but nearly useless. Still, there's enough practical stuff here to benefit any angler's library.

"1001 Fly Fishing Tips" is published in softcover with a list price of $19.95.