The Little Black Book of Fly Fishing - Kirk Deeter

An Advanced Course in Fly Fishing The mission of The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing was to demystify and un-complicate the tricks and tips that make a great trout fisher. There are no complicated physics lessons in that book. Rather, The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing offered a simple, digestible primer on the basic elements of fly fishing: the cast, presentation, reading water, and selecting flies. In this, The Little Black Book of Fly Fishing, authors Kirk Deeter and Chris Hunt take you to the next level, building upon what Deeter and Charlie Meyers did in The Little Red Book. The Little Black Book will helps fly fishers build upon what they learned in the Little Red Book. Read this valuable, thought-provoking guidebook, and you'll be at the point where you'll be catching fish when no one else is, and you'll know exactly why you are. Advanced casting, presentation, reading the water, fly selection, and much more, including proper gear selection, are all covered. The table of contents, below, explains it all. The Little Black Book of Fly Fishing Acknowledgments Foreword Introduction Part 1: CASTING A double-haul is really important, and not just in the saltTeaching someone new? Start with TenkaraEverybody needs a casting lesson. Everybody.Casting longer leaders‘Casting’ nymphs under indicatorsGet a practice rodHow to cast a 15-foot leader (and why you should)Casting at taillightsThe cast killerYour casting stroke follow joints by sizeChallenge your castGreat casts are the ones that get bitScore your casts like golf strokes; fewer is betterThe sand-save castA reach cast is worth a thousand mends Five feet short on purpose (the linear false cast)Be Lefty in the salt, and Rajeff in the freshGive yourself a “D”Beating windDon’t out-kick your coverage Part 2: PRESENTATION Fast strip for saltwater predatorsA swirl, not a riseCasting streamers upstreamCarp: Not just for city kidsStep out of your comfort zoneWhat are the birds after?The potato chip fakeoutWhy natives matterBut I still love brown trout bestMicro-drag: where you stand mattersYou’ll never beat a fish into submissionTake it to the lakeFloat tubes and garbage cansFood never attacks fishA case for the dry-fly snobGo Deep in the name of fish researchRoll fish for funThey’re in skinny water for a reasonThe cafeteria lineThe escape hatch Part 3: READING WATER (AND FISH) The stripsetCovering waterSkate and twitch big flies in low lightRod tip down for streamersWeight an unweighted fly with fly-tying beads instead of split-shotUrban anglingGet in shape. Stay in shape.Dry your fly first, apply floatant secondMost fish (and some bugs) face upstream—present accordinglyHead up, game overStep when you streamerBabysit your fliesID the “player” and get after itGin clear waterFlat calm waterDeveloping “TSP” (trout sensory perception)A fish doesn’t see like humans doWalk onThe 10 second ruleLike a dog on a leashTip up or tip down?The keys to spotting fishThe full-court press usually failsUse the whole spice cabinetRiver personalities and handshakesWhat the cloud layers tell youKnowing what they are not doing is equally important as knowing what they areUpwelling v. the straight seamThe speed of the strike is proportionate to the depth of the water (in rivers)See this, do that Part 4: FLIES UV resin in home-tied fliesNymphs on the swingMulti-purpose fliesSparse for saltwaterUV parachute postsTip the fly for tying parachute postsCaddis: the most dishonest fly everWire or tinsel for dry fliesThe “pellet fly” you can feel good aboutPractice, practice, practicePeacock herl … and why it worksThe mystery of the Purple Prince NymphProfile is everythingThe Adams familyLethal miceThe Mole Fly miracleBob Behnke on colorsTerrestrials are opportunity bugsThe end of the duckColors change with depthUn-matching the hatchThe monkey poo fly Part 5: MISC. (Everything from gear, to fighting fish and angler ethics) Fly reels for trout are just line holdersFly reels matter for saltwater fishFaster rods aren’t always betterYou get what you pay forPride cometh before the fallSheet-metal screwsWire for predatorsQuick-dry attire for the flatsABC. Anything But CottonSnip your tippet at an angleRod weight depends on fly typesThe best loop knot… perfection7X tippet is BSColors and camo above the surfaceGuitars and fly rodsBucket list placesTiger snakes and long hemostatsIt’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n rollScore fishing like cricketIt’s okay to failI cheer for the fish