When the weather isn’t co-operating, or the roads are impassable, or that favorite stream is high and out of shape, there’s almost nothing that helps pass the time like a good book. Whether it be a book on technique like Deke Meyers “Advanced Fly Fishing for Steelhead”, a fly tying manual such as “Flytyers Masterclass”, written by Oliver Edwards, or books with a humorous twist in the vein of John Geirach with his “Standing in a River Waving a stick” or “Death, Taxes, and Leaky Waders”, the fly fishing world is full of reading material.

  If you’re just starting to build a library, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of written material available to the waver of the long rod. A good starting point would be any book by Dave Hughes. From his “Western Streamside Guide” to “Trout Flies; a Tiers Reference”, Mr. Hughes has touched, more or less, on every aspect of fly-fishing. His inventory of the written word includes, “An Anglers’ Astoria”, “Nymph Fishing”, Reading the Water”, “Tactics for Tout”, “Trout From Small Streams, and ”Big Indian Creek”. Take your pick; you won’t be disappointed.

  I would be remiss if I didn’t include Scott Richmond on my list of favorite authors. Scott has written at least eight books on fly-fishing in and around the Pacific Northwest. From “Fishing in Oregon’s Best Flywater” to “The Pocket Gillie”, Scott has done an excellent job of providing the reader with a wealth of information that would take the average angler years to accumulate.

  Jim Schollmeyer is another prolific Northwest writer. I consider his “Pocket Guide to Hatches on the Lower Deschutes River” to be almost as important to fishing as is your rod and reel. He has also teamed with Ted Leeson to produce ”A Fly Tiers Benchside Reference”, a book no dedicated fly tier should be without.

  Well, that should get you started, and if you’re like me, it won’t end there. You can look forward to the likes of Patrick McManus, Lefty Kreh, Gary LaFontaine, and above and beyond all others, Roderick Haig-Brown.

  Enjoy,