|
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||
|
Frank Amato, a magazine and book publisher based in Portland, Oregon, has churned out a lot of titles over the years. Many of the books have been done quickly to fit a market niche. His river journals and some of the “self-help” books have been clearly published with perhaps not much else in mind. Every once in awhile, however, Mr. Amato produces a title that has nothing to do with the marketplace, and everything to do with the beauty and art of fly fishing. He’s at his best as a publisher (if not a businessman) when he does that. Fly Patterns of Roderick Haig-Brown is just such a title. Lovingly produced, with Art Lingren’s solid - as always - research, beautiful pictures and a high quality binding, the book is a pleasure from start to finish. Nobody needs this book, because although many of the patterns are effective, there are newer patterns that are much better. But there is something wonderfully nostalgic in reading about the flies that Roderick Haig-Brown used, when he was fishing the rivers that later would come to life for so many of us in his great books. This is one of those books you just want to have on your shelf, and having read it, you will want to tie some of the patterns and try them. They’ll catch fish, and in doing so you might feel a sense of kinship with Haig-Brown that would not have been possible otherwise. Art Lingren describes the book as a “labor of love” that he began in 1983, a decade before the title was finally published. He was the ideal author. Not only is he an expert tier and fly fisherman, but he’s intimately familiar with the waters on which Haig-Brown fished his patterns. The whole package comes together beautifully. On the back jacket, Mr. Amato explains his motivation for publishing it: “Before I started Salmon Trout Steelheader magazine in 1967, I asked my angling-ethics hero, Roderick Haig-Brown, if he would write for it. His acceptance was the go-ahead I needed to start a very risky adventure. Thus it is with great pleasure that we offer this fine little volume . . .that is both a collection and colorful celebration of the original flies Haig-Brown developed for steelhead, salmon and trout in the Western waters he fished.” Encouraged by Mr. Haig-Brown, Mr. Amato went on to become arguably the leading publisher of angling books in North America. Fly Patterns Of Roderick Haig-Brown is a fitting way to pay back the favour.
Kamloops trout have thick bodies, emerald green backs, spots as dark as splashes of India ink. Their bellies are milk white, and the rainbow glow that starts on their cheeks and flows along their bodies is as beautiful as anything you’ll ever see in the heavens. When you hook one on a deep fly, you often feel a heavy thud, then they start to run, sometimes streaking away from the boat so quickly your line hums as it cuts the surface. When you take one on a dry fly, it will hump up , showing off its back, dorsal fin and tail as it languidly takes down your fly. It’s no wonder that people become fanatical about fishing for these trout, which can now be found around the world, but which are in their native habitat in the lakes around Kamloops, in southern British Columbia. Jack Shaw is legendary in B.C. for his Kamloops trout knowledge. In 1976 his first book, Fly Fish The Trout Lakes, explained the techniques he used, opening up the magical world of Kamloops trout fishing to others. The book was reprinted several times, and for many anglers in B.C. it was the one publication that made it possible for them to catch big Kamloops trout. Tying Flies For Trophy Trout is a worthy sequel. In it he explains not only how to tie his favorite patterns, but he discusses how to fish the patterns and how to deal with the factors that affect lake fishing in the Kamloops region.
First published in 1985, this book was into its third print run before it was a year old. The book draws on the writings on some of British Columbia’s most expert anglers, with about a dozen different people contributing. If you’re just going to read one book about fishing in B.C., this is it. Ehor Boyanowsky describes how to catch steelhead on the wet fly, Mike Maxwell reveals dry fly techniques, Tom Murray writes about sea-run cutthroat and Ralph Shaw contributes a chapter on fishing the Tom Thumb, which he describes as “the dry for all seasons.” More than 15 years after it was published, The Gilly remains a classic instructional book for fishing in B.C. Jointly funded by the British Columbia Federation of Flyfishers, the editor and some of the writers, profits from the book are used for the enhancement and conservation of fishing in B.C. It was put together by extremely knowledgeable people, with a noble purpose - to raise some money for conservation, and educate anglers about the wide range of fishing possibilities in B.C.
|
||||||||||||
Fly Patterns of Roderick Haig-Brown. By Arthur James Lingren. Frank Amato Publications. $21.95 at publication, but may be more now.
Tying Flies For Trophy Trout. By Jack Shaw. Heritage House Publishing Co. Ltd. $14.95.
The Gilly. A Flyfisher’s Guide to British Columbia. Edited by Alfred G. Davy. Published by Alf Davy. $15.98.
