The fly fishing literature includes a number of introductory guides, but there is no other quite like this one. With leisure time more precious and limited than ever before, prospective fly fishers want the shortest path to the stream bank. They want to wet their fly lines as quickly as possible, find out if this is a sport they enjoy, then pick up the nuances as they go along. But most how-to books demand total immersion as a tedious prerequisite for that first tentative cast, simply because they're written by longtime masters who have forgotten what a beginner needs. Getting Started in Fly Fishing is radically different. Making the assumption that the beginner will be fishing for trout (as the great majority do), in a few quick strokes it introduces the contents of a pared-down basic start-up kit - only what is absolutely needed to get you on the stream, and not a thing more. (It also identifies heavily promoted items of gear that are NOT needed.) This is in marked contrast to other fly fishing books, which typically include one or two huge gear chapters that you have to read in their entirety just to figure out what you need to start. Tom Fuller then imparts succinct instructions on a good-enough cast; shows how to tie leader to fly line, tippet to leader, and fly to tippet; offers quick advice on wading and where to fish; gives a brief and visual lesson on how the four basic fly types should look to fish; and then sends you out to the stream. The next chapter, "Your First Day on the Stream," walks you through the bare fundamentals of fishing pools, riffles, runs, and pocket water and how to play and land or release your first fish - i.e., only what you need, and not a thing more, to enjoy your first day and avoid making a fool of yourself. "Your Second Day on the Water" introduces a few nuances, and "Understanding More About Trout and How to Catch Them" takes you into the third day and beyond--all within the book's first 50 pages. There follows a symptom/solution troubleshooting section for common problems with casting (line doesn't straighten; no room for backcast; casting farther; casting into the wind); choice of fly (time of year; type of water); etc. The book's final section introduces the reader to other freshwater species (smallmouth and largemouth bass, pike, pickerel, panfish, salmon, and steelhead); saltwater fly fishing; tying flies; fly fishing destinations; and further reading.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction Part 1: Getting Out There 1. The Start-Up Kit Rod, Reel, and Line Leader and Tippet Flies Tools: Fly Boxes, Nippers, Hemostats, Fly Floatant, Landing Net, and Sunscreen Waders Clothing and Sunglasses Vests 2. Before You Wet Your Line Knots: Attaching the Leader to the Fly Line, the Tippet to the Leader, and the Fly to the Tippet Casting the Line Wading In Deciding Where to Fish Knowing How Flies Should Look to Fish 3. Your First Day on the Stream Gearing Up: Planning When and Where to Go, Assembling the Fly Rod, Choosing and Attaching the Fly, Donning Waders and Vest Your First Cast onto the Water Your First Cast to a Rising Trout Hooking, Playing, and Landing Your First Fish Checking Your Leader, Tippet, and Fly Before Casting to Your Next Fish Fishing Varieties of Trout Water Quitting Time 4. Your Second Day on the Stream Watching the Water Tying on the Right Dry Fly When and How to Fish a Nymph When and How to Fish a Wet Fly When and How to Fish a Streamer Mending Line 5. More About Trout and How to Catch Them More About Trout More About Trout Streams Fishing in Lakes and Ponds Part 2: The Art and Science of Fly Fishing 6. Casting Problems and Solutions The Line Doesn't Straighten Out on the Backcast or the Forecast The Line Cracks Like a Whip Unwanted Knots in the Leader: The Tailing Loop There's No Room for a Backcast Casting Sinking Line and Heavier Flies Casting in the Wind 7. More on Understanding and Imitating What Trout Eat The Foods Trout Eat Mayflies Caddisflies Stoneflies Terrestrials Still-Water Foods Forage Fish 8. Presenting Flies to Trout Dry Fly Strategies Nymph Strategies Strategies for Wet Flies and Streamers Still-Water Strategies 9. Trout Waters and Stream Safety Groundwater Rising Water to High Water Falling Water to Low Water Stream Safety--Again 10. The Future of Fly Fishing Stream Etiquette Local Conservation Regional Conservation Groups National Groups Part 3: Going Farther and Further 11. Beyond Trout Salmon and Steelhead Other Freshwater Quarry Saltwater Fly Fishing 12. Flies and Fly Tying Attractor Flies All-Purpose Flies Imitator Flies Dry Flies Wet Flies Nymphs Streamers Saltwater Flies Fly Tying Tom's Terrific Twenty-Four for Trout Bibliography Resources Index

About the Author

Tom Fuller (Belchertown, MA) is a lifelong angler and a writer whose articles have been widely published in fishing and outdoor magazines. He is New England editor of Field & Stream magazine.