By Kirk Deeter

What do you think the three questions I get asked most often about fly fishing are?

Okay, no suspense, I'll tell you.  1.  Where's my favorite place to fish?  2.  What's the best fish I ever caught?  And 3. What's the most important item of gear for a newcomer to the sport?

I'm not copping out on you, but I have no set answers for questions 1 or 2... My favorite place to fish is "wherever I'm fishing right now."  The best fish I ever caught... mmm, yeah, there are many contenders, but in the end, I love them all.

As for 3, on the other hand, I do have a firm answer.  You see, I think the most important weapon in the arsenal of any would-be great angler isn't a rod, or a reel, or a line, or that killer fly... it's what's between his or her ears.  Knowledge trumps all.  Doesn't matter if you're sporting that $700 fly stick if you don't know how, when, where, and why to use it the right way. Thus, the number one gear advice I can give to the newbie is a good book on the basics of fly fishing.

To that end, I'll call your attention to a great new title by Tom Rosenbauer called the Orvis Guide to Beginning Fly Fishing.  It is, after a thorough reading, the best intro tip and technique book on fly fishing I have seen... and I have read Rosenbauer's books on fly fishing (and many others) for about 25 years now.

It's concise.  It's honest.  It's accurate.  And it includes 101 simple how-to tips for anyone who wants to get into fly fishing, written in a way that the novice can understand, and the self-professed expert can appreciate.  Its color-coded sections cover everything from casting, to equipment, from trout fishing, to saltwater.  It is, in effect, a recipe book.  You want to cook up some fly fishing moxie?  Then Rosenbauer has laid it all out for you like Emeril Lagasse... all the "Bam" you need to catch fish on a fly is right here.

Best of all, the price is $12.95. 

Sure, nothing written in a book, nor in a magazine, nor certainly on a blog like this, can ever top the time you actually spend on the water, learning and doing for yourself.  But, you tell me... before you buy that $100 or $200 or $700 for a rod... isn't it worth paying the equivalent of a medium take-out pizza to stuff your brain with some insights also?

Deeter

Comments (15)

from Alex Pernice th... wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Yes. And some of the best guides (books) I ever got were orvis or LL Bean. And some of my favorite guides were orvis licensed, and the Helios rod is a work of art, Its amazing, need to find some spare cash to pick one up.
There a great company, but there expensive.

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from kirkdeeter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

By the way, Alex, you should ask Mr. Baker about the fish he and Mitch caught last weekend...

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from ranger2 wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I have had a lot af great success with gleaning great information off the Orvis website... the book looks great too. Have any of you used the "Curtis Creek Manifesto"? It is probably the all around "best" book for beginning fly anglers- the style is of its own ingenuity.

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from buckhunter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I'll take this story one step further. Reading is good period. A good writer can put twice the information in a 100 page book then you can get in a 2 hour instructional video.

I love to read Rosenbauer but I would recommend John Merwins "The New American Trout Fishing" to anyone.

Alex, I've never been fond of the Orvis blank but I fished a Helios this weekend and I liked it.

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from Koldkut wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Kirk, You're pizza place is ripping you off. $3.99 for a dominos medium one topping right now.....but yeah, at about 13 bones, that much info is a steal. Does it cover reading water? I can't read rivers right, like having dyslexia on reading water or reading every other line in a paragraph.

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from Linda Williams wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Have you written any books about fly fishing, Deeter? I'd like to know more about that.

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from Alex Pernice th... wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Deeter, If you have His E-mail, I would, Mich and I are good friends too, we might end up seeing each other in Lake Geneva later this year.

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from peter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

i wonnder where i can get it, im new to fly fishing and i just bought myself a cheap rod to sart off

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from Salvatore wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

you can order the book off the Orvis website (www.orvis.com) or visit any book store like Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), or Borders (www.borders.com).... If all that fails, try Amazon.com

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from chineau wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I spent a couple off days with the orvis folks in Cour D alene Iadho last years all I can say is top notch. The instructor put things in easy to learn language and work on the casting very well done the video feed back is awsome. I am looking forward to the shooting school.

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from kirkdeeter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

By the way, Linda, yes I have. I co-authored two books on fishing guides (photo-essay format) called Castwork, and Tideline.

I'm really pumped up about my next project, the Little Red Book of Fly Fishing, which I co-wrote with Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post, and, like Rosenbauer's, will be published by Skyhorse Publishing. Release is scheduled for Spring 2010. Trust me, you'll be hearing more on that...

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from Sue Melus wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Ranger2, yes, I love the Curtis Creek Manifesto. The artwork, the humor and the sound advice come together to make a real classic.

On another note, Orvis also has a great book on wing-shooting, The Orvis Wing-Shooting Handbook. It has some excellent advice on mounting a shotgun and swinging on your shots. Check it out if you are a bird hunter.

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from MLH wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Little Red Book? Perhaps an instant classic, along the line of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book.

A sportsman cannot read enough. But I am still gathering the courage to read The Compleat Angler ... worried that, once complete, words like whither, thither, and betwixt will become part of my vocabulary.

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from MLH wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I leafed through this book at Border's today. Have to admit, I like it. Lots of good information in an easy to understand presentation.

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from FloridaHunter1226 wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Seems that you have just answered the FAQ's of many of those new to fly-fishing. Thanks Deeter.

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from Alex Pernice th... wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Yes. And some of the best guides (books) I ever got were orvis or LL Bean. And some of my favorite guides were orvis licensed, and the Helios rod is a work of art, Its amazing, need to find some spare cash to pick one up.
There a great company, but there expensive.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from kirkdeeter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

By the way, Alex, you should ask Mr. Baker about the fish he and Mitch caught last weekend...

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ranger2 wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I have had a lot af great success with gleaning great information off the Orvis website... the book looks great too. Have any of you used the "Curtis Creek Manifesto"? It is probably the all around "best" book for beginning fly anglers- the style is of its own ingenuity.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from buckhunter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I'll take this story one step further. Reading is good period. A good writer can put twice the information in a 100 page book then you can get in a 2 hour instructional video.

I love to read Rosenbauer but I would recommend John Merwins "The New American Trout Fishing" to anyone.

Alex, I've never been fond of the Orvis blank but I fished a Helios this weekend and I liked it.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Koldkut wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Kirk, You're pizza place is ripping you off. $3.99 for a dominos medium one topping right now.....but yeah, at about 13 bones, that much info is a steal. Does it cover reading water? I can't read rivers right, like having dyslexia on reading water or reading every other line in a paragraph.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Linda Williams wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Have you written any books about fly fishing, Deeter? I'd like to know more about that.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Alex Pernice th... wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Deeter, If you have His E-mail, I would, Mich and I are good friends too, we might end up seeing each other in Lake Geneva later this year.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from peter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

i wonnder where i can get it, im new to fly fishing and i just bought myself a cheap rod to sart off

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Salvatore wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

you can order the book off the Orvis website (www.orvis.com) or visit any book store like Barnes and Noble (www.barnesandnoble.com), or Borders (www.borders.com).... If all that fails, try Amazon.com

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from chineau wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I spent a couple off days with the orvis folks in Cour D alene Iadho last years all I can say is top notch. The instructor put things in easy to learn language and work on the casting very well done the video feed back is awsome. I am looking forward to the shooting school.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from kirkdeeter wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

By the way, Linda, yes I have. I co-authored two books on fishing guides (photo-essay format) called Castwork, and Tideline.

I'm really pumped up about my next project, the Little Red Book of Fly Fishing, which I co-wrote with Charlie Meyers of the Denver Post, and, like Rosenbauer's, will be published by Skyhorse Publishing. Release is scheduled for Spring 2010. Trust me, you'll be hearing more on that...

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Sue Melus wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Ranger2, yes, I love the Curtis Creek Manifesto. The artwork, the humor and the sound advice come together to make a real classic.

On another note, Orvis also has a great book on wing-shooting, The Orvis Wing-Shooting Handbook. It has some excellent advice on mounting a shotgun and swinging on your shots. Check it out if you are a bird hunter.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MLH wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

Little Red Book? Perhaps an instant classic, along the line of Harvey Penick's Little Red Book.

A sportsman cannot read enough. But I am still gathering the courage to read The Compleat Angler ... worried that, once complete, words like whither, thither, and betwixt will become part of my vocabulary.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from MLH wrote 2 years 24 weeks ago

I leafed through this book at Border's today. Have to admit, I like it. Lots of good information in an easy to understand presentation.

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from FloridaHunter1226 wrote 2 years 17 weeks ago

Seems that you have just answered the FAQ's of many of those new to fly-fishing. Thanks Deeter.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.