Bibliography of fly fishing (fly tying, stories, fiction)

The May Fly - Spring Tide-The Angler and His Friends, George Akerman, London, (1852)

This annotated bibliography is intended to list both notable and not so notable works of English language, non-fiction and fiction related to the sport of fly fishing listed by year published. Although 100% of any book listed is not necessarily devoted to fly fishing, all these titles have significant fly fishing content. Included in this bibliography is a list of fly tying, fly tackle, regional guides, memoirs, stories and fly fishing fiction related literature.

• For readability, the bibliography is contained in three separate lists. For classic general texts, history of fly fishing and fly fishing library collections see: Bibliography of fly fishing
• For species related fly fishing literature see: Bibliography of fly fishing (species related)

Annotations

Annotations may reflect descriptive comments from the book's dust jacket, third party reviews or personal, descriptive and qualitative comments by individuals who have read the book. Some older works have links to online versions in the Internet Archive or Google Books.

Fly tying and patterns

Fly fishing entomology and other prey studies

• Halford, Frederic M. (1897). Dry Fly Entomology. London: Vinton & Co.
• Rhead, Louis (1916). American Trout Stream Insects (PDF). New York: Frederick A. Stokes.
• Mosely, Martin E. (1921). The Dry-Fly Fisherman's Entomology (PDF). London: George Routledge and Sons Limited.
• Jennings, Preston J. (1935). A Book of Trout Flies. New York: Crown Publishers, Derrydale Press. , Jennings was probably the first American Fly Fishing writer to tie the entomology of trout stream insects to the artificial flies and how to fish them in this 1935 seminal work.^[8]
• Schwiebert, Ernest G. Jr. (1955). Matching The Hatch-A Practical Guide to Imitation of Insects Found On Eastern and Western Trout Waters. Toronto, Canada: The MacMillan Company. , Matching The Hatch was the first American book to cover fly imitation from a transcontinental perspective and is widely read and reprinted. According to Paul Schullery, Matching The Hatch set the standard for fly entomology and tying studies for the late 20th Century.^[9]
• Richards, Carl; Swisher, Doug (1971). Selective Trout-A Dramatically New and Scientific Approach to Trout Fishing on Eastern and Western Rivers. New York: Crown Publishers.

And probably the most far-reaching of all American fly-fishing books since World War II, Doug Swisher and Carl Richard's Selective Trout (1971) elevated our thinking not only in fly-fishing theory, but also, through its wonderful photographs of insects, in our basic understanding of what the flies really imitated.

— Paul Schullery, The Rise, 2006^[10]

• LaFontaine, Gary (1989). Caddisflies. New York: Lyons Press. ISBN 0-941130-98-3.
• Richards, Carl (1995). Prey: Designing and Tying New Imitations of Fresh and Saltwater Forage Foods. New York: Lyons and Burford Publishers. ISBN 1-55821-332-5.

Fly fishing anthologies

• Van Dyke, Henry, ed. (1932). A Creelful of Fishing Stories. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
• Taverner, Eric; Moore, John (1935). The Anglers Weekend Book. London: Seely Service & Co. Ltd. , contains a useful bibliography entitled Angling Writers & Their Works
• Walden, Howard T II., ed. (1947). Angler's Choice-An Anthology of American Trout Fishing. New York: The MacMillan Company. , contains 30 stories by many noted American anglers including: La Branche, Connett, Hewitt, Bergman and Jennings. Angler's Choice is considered by Arnold Gingrich as the first American fishing anthology devoted solely to trout.^[11]
• The Theodore Gordon Flyfishers (1996). Arnold Gingrich, ed. American Trout Fishing. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. , American Trout Fishing is the trade press edition of the Gordon Garland, a compilation of stories and history about American Trout fishing and is dedicated to Theodore Gordon. Noted fly fishing authors—Lee Wulff, Roderick Haig Brown, Ernie Schwiebert, Dana Lamb, Joe Brooks and many other contributed to this work.^[12][13]
• Wetmore, Jeff; Jones, Allen Morris, eds. (2001). Flylines-The Best of Big Sky Journal Fishing. Bozeman, MT: Bangtail Press. ISBN 0-9653336-5-5. , loaded with outstanding essays, stories and poems by many of the greats in the sport to include: George Anderson, Russell Chatham, John Holt, Nick Lyons, Datus Proper and Charles Waterman.

Fly fishing stories and memoirs

• Van Dyke, Henry (1899). Fisherman's Luck. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. , a man of immense social standing, the Reverend Van Dyke's Fishersman's Luck is a classic of Victorian recreational literature-John Schullery^[14]
• Sherrington, H. T. (1920). Trout Fishing Memories and Morals (PDF). Boston: Houghtin Mifflin.
• Aho, Juhani (1921). Lohilastuja ja kalakaskuja (in Finnish). Finland: WSOY.
• Walden, Howard T. (1938). Upstream and Down. New York: The Derrydale Press.
• Traver, Robert (1960). Trout Madness-Being a Dissertation on the Symptoms and Pathology of This Incurable Disease by One of Its Victims. New York: St Martin's Press.
• Hoover, Herbert (1963). Fishing For Fun - And To Wash Your Soul. New York: Random House Inc.

Herbert Hoover, thirtieth President of the United States, is a modern Izaak Walton. He values fishing for the solitude it brings and it theapeutic values to modern man as respects both body and spirit. The present tract is written in the Izaak Walton tradition and perpetuates the tradition of the wily "fresh water trouts" and their ability to outwit man.

— Justice William O. Douglas of the United States Supreme Court^[15]

• Lamb, Dana Stors (1967). Not Far From The River. Barre, Massachusetts: Barre Publishers. , one of Lamb's early works, stories telling in lyric style about Atlantic Salmon fishing.
• Miller, Alfred W. (1971). Fishless Days, Angling Nights-Classic Stories, Reminiscences, and Lore About Fishing and Camping by Sparse Grey Hackle. New York: Crown Publishers Inc.

Nowhere else can you get the sidelights on Gordon, LaBranche, and Hewitt that this book gives you, along with the evocative prose that lets you relive, vicariously, some of the most extraordinary fishing and fishing companions of the last five decades. Sparse Grey Hackle was Alfred Miller's pseudonym for these writings which were originally only available as a private publication of the Anglers Club of New York

— Arnold Gingrich, The Fishing in Print, 1974.^[16]

• Lamb, Dana Stors (1973). Where Pools Are Bright and Deep. Winchester Press. ISBN 0-87691-110-6. , one of many books by lyric fly-fishing writer Dana Lambs. Where Pools Are Bright and Deep is another great piece of fly-fishing poetry and story telling.
• Haig-Brown, Roderick (1974). A River Never Sleeps (Revised ed.). New York: Crown Publishers Inc. , a classic by Canadian author Haig-Brown first published in 1946.
• Lamb, Dana Stors (1979). Beneath The Rising Mist. Stonewall Press. ISBN 0-913276-27-8. , Beneath the Rising Mist is a collection of stories and articles written by a top lyric fishing writer, Dana Lamb. Most of the stories are about Atlantic Salmon fishing.
• Waterman, Charles F. (1986). Mist on the River-Remembrances of Dan Bailey. Livingston, Montana: Yellowstone Press. ISBN 0-9617253-0-3. , a comprehensive look at a Fly Fishing legend: Dan Bailey and his evolution into one of the most well known fly shop owners in Montana.
• Gierach, John (1986). Trout Bum-Fly Fishing as a Way of Life. Boulder, Colo.: Pruett Publishing. ISBN 0-87108-715-4. , Trout Bum is Gierach's first and best book.

Gierach is so laid back he almost vanishes from sight and maybe this is the secret of his writing. These are stories, pure and simple, most of them come from nowhere and go to nowhere and they are about the sort of things we all do, so they seep into your soul and never quite leave you, the way all good writing should. Unlike many writers, Gierach's style and storylines transfer effortlessly from one continent to another and the book has sold well all over the world

— Dr. Andrew Herd, A Fly Fishing History^[17]

• Gierach, John (1988). A View From Rat Lake. Boulder, Colo.: Pruett. ISBN 0-87108-743-X.
• Schwiebert, Ernest (1988). A River For Christmas and Other Stories. Stephen Green.
• Gierach, John (1990). Sex, Death and Fly Fishing. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-70738-8. , For anyone who loves fly-fishing or is looking to begin, John Gierach offers an entertaining view of the sport. Written in a series of witty essays that are inspiring, humorous, and educational, this book will transport you to real rivers and lakes in the company of one of the great writers of fly-fishing literature.,.^[18][19]
• Gierach, John (1991). Where Trout Are As Long As Your Leg. New York: Lyons and Buford. ISBN 1-55821-098-9.
• Dawson, Chris (1994). Woolly Worms and Wombats-A Sidelong Glance At Flyfishing Downunder. Boulder, Colo.: Johnson Printing Company. ISBN 1555661211.
• Ritz, Charles. A Fly Fishers Life-The Art and Mechanics of Fly Fishing. New York: MJF Books. ISBN 1-56731-264-0. , this is the 1996 reprint of Charles Ritz (Ritz Hotels) 1959 memoir of his fly-fishing experiences. A fascinating read. Acknowledged as one of the great classics on the art of fly fishing. In 1973, Arnold Gingrich in Joys of Trout calls A Fly Fishers Life one of the top thirty outstanding fishing books printed since 1496.^[20]
• Gierach, John (1999). Standing In A River Waving a Stick. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-999-4.
• Babb, James R. (1999). Crosscurrents: A Fly Fisher's Progress. New York: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-946-3. , foreword by Ted Leeson. Based on the author's columns in Gray's Sporting Journal. Begins "Oh my. Another collection of navel-gazing essays from a baby boomer who got hold of a fly rod and a word processor and thought Eureka, I've found myself. And wants to share."
• Wulff, Lee (2000). Lee Wulff-Bush Pilot Angler. Camden, Maine: Down East Books. ISBN 0892724803. Posthumously published journal of his flying and fly-fishing off the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland in the 1940s and 1950s.
• Swegman, Ron P. (2005). Philadelphia on the Fly: Tales of an Urban Angler. Portland, Ore.: Frank Amato Publications. ISBN 1-57188-361-4. , an urban angler reveals a surprising fact: good fishing—and adventure—can be found a bike ride away within the city limits of the nation's first capital. A tale told in poetic prose, this is a practical, lyrical, all-American fish story.
• Landerman, Richard (2007). The Fly Rod Chronicles-A Collection of Essays on the Quiet Sport of Fly Fishing. Gilbert, Arizona: Sortis Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9772025-2-2. , author Richard Landerman takes random, everyday musings and weaves them together with humor and substance using the common thread of fly fishing. A great read that most baby-boomers will identify with^[21]

Fly fishing poetry

• Hoadley, James H. (1920). Speckled Trout-Fishing Lines and Other Verses. New York: Theo T. Schulte.
• Piper, Harry (2009). Ballad of a Bighorn Guide-Poems with Fins. Eugene, Ore.: Xlibris. ISBN 978-1-4415-3856-7.

Fly fishing humor

• Ford, Corey (1958). You Can Always Tell A Fisherman-But You Can't Tell Him Much. New York: Henry Holt and Company. , a compilation of short stories first published by Corey Ford in Field and Stream. Jokingly labeled: The Minutes of the Lower Forty Shooting, Angling and Inside Straight Club.
• Hartley, J. R.; Russell, Michael (1991). Fly Fishing--Memories of Angling Days. London: Stanley Paul & Co. ISBN 0-06-018232-6.
• Hartley, J. R.; Russell, Michael (1992). J.R.Hartley Casts Again: More Memories of Angling Days. London: Stanley Paul & Co. ISBN 0-09-177437-3.

Fly fishing art and artists

• Schaldach, William J. (1937). Fish By Schaldach-Collected Etchings, Drawings and Water Colors of Trout, Salmon and Other Game Fish. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott and Company. , Schaldach was an artist-angler. This work contains 60 reproductions of his art. Many of his illustrations adorned other Fly Fishing literature, to include fly fishing articles in Esquire magazine.^[22]
• Read, Stanley E. (1977). Tommy Brayshaw-The Ardent Angler-Artist. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia Press. ISBN 0-7748-0089-5. , Brayshaw was a conservation minded angler in British Columbia who is best known for his illustration of Roderick Haig Brown books. Contains twenty-two color plates and 28 inked drawings^[23]

Fly fishing fiction

• Slosson, Annie Trumbull (1889). Fishin' Jimmy. New York: Anson D. F. Randolph Co. , Annie Trumbull Slosson (1838–1926) was an important short story writer who epitomized the American local color movement that flourished after the Civil War and ended at the beginning of the twentieth century.^[24]

The loveliest of all her simple narratives is that which I have chosen to stand near the end of this book,--a kind of benediction on anglers.

— Henry Van Dyke, A Creelful of Fishing Stories, 1932^[25]

• MacDougall, Arthur R. (1946). Under A Willow Tree. New York: Coward-McCann, Inc. , Dud Dean stories about angling, hunting and camping in the wilds of Maine.^[26]
• Detweiler, M. David (2001). The Guide and The CEO. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0705-9. , The Guide and the CEO us a superbly told story about the relationship that develops between a trout bum-guide and a hard-as-nails Wall Street mogul.

Geographic, regional and specific waters fly fishing guides

• Newland, Rev. Henry (1851). The Erne, It Legends and Its Fly-fishing (PDF). London: Chapman and Hall.
• Back, Howard (1938). The Waters of the Yellowstone with Rod and Fly. New York: Dodd & Mead. , memoirs of Howard Back's two visits to Yellowstone National Park in 1936 and 1937. Wonderful insights into what fly fishing the park was like in the 1930s. Reprinted in 2000.^[27]
• McDermand, Charles (1946). Waters of The Golden Trout County. New York: G. P. Putnam and Sons. , a very descriptive work of the Golden Trout waters of the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.
• MacDowell, Sly (1948). Western Trout. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
• Bradner, Enos (1969). Northwest Angling. Portland, Ore.: Binfords & Mort Publishers. , interesting chapters on fly tying for Northwest trout, fly-fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, Sea-run Cutthroat trout and Shad.
• Brooks, Charles E. (1979). The Living River-A Fisherman's Intimate Profile of the Madison River Watershed--Its History, Ecology, Lore and Angling Opportunities. New York: Nick Lyons Books. ISBN 0-385-15655-3.
• Brooks, Charles E. (1984). Fishing Yellowstone Waters. Clinton, N.J.: New Win Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-8329-0353-1. , this is an excellent source of information for fly fishing in Yellowstone National Park. An extensive amount of information, combined with detailed hatch information, makes this a great guidebook to have for anyone planning on fly fishing in Yellowstone National Park.^[28]
• Brooks, Charles E. (1986). The Henry's Fork. Piscataway, N.J.,: Winchester Press. ISBN 0-8329-0425-2.
• Repine, Jim; Wulff, Lee (1988). How to Fly Fish Alaska. Portland, Ore.: Frank Amato. ISBN 0936608684.
• Hughes, Dave (1992). The Yellowstone River and its Angling. Portland, Ore.: Frank Amato Publications. ISBN 1-878175-23-8.
• Probasco, Steve (1994). River Journal: Yakima River: Volume 6. Portland, Ore.: Frank Amato. ISBN 1-878175-75-0.
• Walinchus, Rod; Travis, Tom (1995). Fly Fishing The Yellowstone River. Boulder, Colo.: Pruett Publishing. ISBN 0-87108-861-4. , probably the most comprehensive work every published on fishing the Yellowstone River from the park waters all the way to Big Timber.
• Probasco, Steve (1995). River Journal: Big Hole. Portland, Ore.: Frank Amato Publishers. ISBN 1-57188-006-2.
• Holt, John (1996). Montana Fly-Fishing Guide-East. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-529-4. , comprehensive, stream by stream guide to fly fishing in Eastern Montana. Contains extensive descriptions of tributaries and secondary waters.
• Mathews, Craig; Molinero, Clayton (1997). The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide-A authoritative guide to the waters of Yellowstone National Park. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-545-X.
• Sajna, Mike (1999). Days on the Water-The Angling Tradition in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 0-8229-4039-6. , from a wade through the chilly waters of early April to his last muddy trek in late October, Mike Sajna remembers the days in one season of America's oldest sport—fly fishing. His territory: the streams, dams and runs of the three major river systems in Pennsylvania—the Ohio, the Susquehanna, and the Delaware.

... journalist Sadja provides an engaging history of sport fishing in Pennsylvania.

— Explore Pennsylvania History^[29]

• Edrington, Bill (2003). Fly Fishing the Arkansas: An Angler's Guide and Journal. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 1-4134-3522-X. , a very nicely written, comprehensive but concise guide to fly-fishing the upper Arkansas River from Leadville to Royal Gorge Colorado.

Fly rods and fly casting

• Wells, Henry P. (1885). Fly Rods and Fly Tackle (PDF). New York: Harper & Brothers.
• Holden, George Parker (1920). The Idyl of Split-Bamboo - A Carefully Detailed Description of the Rod's Building. Cincinnati, OH: Stewart and Kidd Company Publishers.
• Robinson, Gilmer G. (1942). Fly Casting. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co.
• Smedley, Harold H. "Dike" (1949). Accuracy Fly Casting. Chicago-New York: Ziff-Davis Publishing. , illustrated fly casting guide by Winner of National, Great Lakes, Midwest, Michigan and New York Fly Casting Championships.
• Garrison, Everett; Carmichael, Hoagy (1977). A master's Guide to Building a bamboo fly rod. New York: Martha's Glen Publishers. ISBN 0-8117-0352-5.
• Wulff, Joan (1987). Joan Wulff's Fly-Casting Techniques. New York: Nick Lyons Books. ISBN 0-941130-38-X.
• Gierach, John (1997). Fishing Bamboo-One Man's Love Affair with Bamboo Fly Rods. New York: The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-55821-591-3. , Noted angling author John Gierach's musings about Bamboo fly rods—why he fishes and collects them.^[30]

See also

• Annotated bibliography
• Fly fishing
• Fly tying

Notes