So I figured during the down time of the spring thaw I would go ahead and highlight a couple books I have bought and read that have been helpful to me in hopes that maybe those who read will this will find these books helpful whether you are new or a veteran looking to hone your skills.
If you have kept up with any of my post you will know that I am in my 3rd season of fishing with the long rod so most of the books I will begin reviewing are more entry level books, but like I said these books should be helpful to both new and old fly fishermen.. Also as a side note may I suggest if you find any of these books of interest check out Amazon and Ebay before committing to buy else where; more often than not you can find these books used in good if not great condition for half the cover price, if not cheaper. Personally some of the books I will mention I have found on Amazon for under $4. So keep an eye out and keep your wallets fat.
First on the list...
The Orvis Pocket Guide to Nymphing Techniques is a nice and simple introductory read into nymph fishing. Which is an essential technique if you plan on fishing for trout in the Driftless Area. The book is only a 132 pages. But not normal pages, more like 1/4 pages since its about a 1/4 the size of a normal book. Print is easy on the eyes nothing too small to read. Very nice full color photos that are clear and not fuzzed up like some other books or websites I have seen trying to describe this information. Tom Rosenbauer really knows how to write a book and make it easy to understand even to someone who could not tell the difference between a fly rod and a casting rod. Lets not forget that Orvis is one of the leaders in the fly fishing industry and unlike in other realms of reading where the brand name may sell the book but hold no content, The Orvis Pocket Guide to Nymphing Techniques has plenty of content packed into its little package.
The book starts out comparing different imitations to the actual nymph which you would be trying to imitate. First off it breaks Mayflies into 4 different catagoies(burrowers, swimmers, crawlers, flattened crawlers) and goes into a little detail as to what kind of mayflies each category is specific to, where in the stream system each of them are found and how to fish these types of nymphs as some may move while in the water and others may make little to no movement while drifting. Then the chapter continues on explaining Caddisflies and a nice little chunk of Midge, finishing off with terrestrials and other insects and crustaceans found in trout habitats. The end of chapter 1 finishes of with a nice little color diagram of basic nymph patterns and what they are used to imitate and what sizes to use. This is very helpful for the beginner fly fisherman. The book continues to go into detail explaining the basics of proper nymphing tackle. Starts out with explaining different sized rods, reels, fly lines, leaders, tippet, sinker options, and different types of indicators and when to use them(which can be all the time if you're nymphing and not comfortable relying on being able to see the tip of your fly line moving). It goes into some detail about weighted, non-weighted and tungsten beadhead nymphs.
Then we get into nymphing techniques. It explains things such as different fly presentations(upstream drift, swing, high sticking, how to get your fly deeper, etc), how to mend, the use and proper setup of a tandem fly rig and different ways to use an indicator and how to fish without one and how to use a dry fly as your indicator. revolves around nymphing water or types of water in which you would use a nymph(which can technically be any part of a stream, but as you will find out there are more popular/higher strike rate areas)It also gives you techniques for different variables that will change fishing conditions such as weather, seasons, water levels, clarity, hatches. The last chapter is only about 4-6 pages so you can imagine how little it touches on these variables but give you enough information to understand how each factor works and even has a small temperature chart on how trout typically act in different temperature ranges.
Overall I liked this book it was clearly written and straight to the point making sure that the reader actually learned something. And with it being only a 132 pages you will fly through it in no time and be on your way to being a nymphing guru.
After looking at many different options... MSR.. .Katadyn... Aquamira... I decided to go with the Sawyer 3-way Inline Water Filter.. I chose it based on reviews I found on-line.. And unlike the different pump systems out there that could(and have from reviews) break down.. I went with what seemed simple enough... Connect to hydration pack and sip.. I also liked the idea that this water filter could be used in many different ways.. From a simple straw system where you connect the tubes and dip directly into the water source and sip.. Or gravity system where you can fill up your hydration bladder with water.. and allow it to drip down into another container.. ie: water jug/dish tub/nalgene.. Or it can even be connected to a water faucet if you are in an area where you should not drink tap water..
