Fly Fishing for Dummies

Fly Fishing for Dummies If you believe what you read, fly fishing requires the touch of a surgeon and the spirit of a Zen master. Forget about what you’ve heard about f ly fishing in the past, if you really want to learn how to fly fish all you need are the right tools, proper technique, and a positive attitude. With these essential elements you can begin to enjoy the sport of fly fishing in no time.

For those of you who have never held a fly rod, you will find enough information here to get you started. You won’t be forced to discover everything all at once. If you’re already a fly rodder, you’ll find plenty of tips and techniques that you can turn to right away without going through the basics all over again. And if you’re a master angler, you will find this book a handy reference for all kinds of questions.

Fly Fishing For Dummies explores the fun and fundamentals of fly fishing—from tying flies to reeling in your catch. Whether you’re a novice or a veteran angler, here you? 8217;ll find all the tips and tricks for choosing the right kind of gear; how and where to catch freshwater and saltwater fish; visual examples of the art of casting; and how to read the water, wade, cast, and (finally) land yourself a whopper. You’ll also find out how to:

• Identify the best fish to fly fish for—from rainbow trout to black marlin
• Improve your catch and release techniques
• Continue your education through recommended references and online resources
• Choose the right rod, reel, and gear to land the fish you are after
• Master all the casting styles you’ll ever need
• Tie your own flies or choose pre-made ones proven to get results

With over 150 illustrations and proven advice, Fly Fishing For Dummies is a great primer on fly fishing’s essential elements.
Customer Review: Falls short for beginners
I’m a big fan of the Dummies series but found this one very disappointing. The author goes into excruciating detail about some peripheral parts of fly fishing, while completely glancing over some of the essentials.

Much of the content is anecdotal at best, to the point that it feels like the author is just trying to fill up pages. For instance, he devotes two entire pages to what kind of vest he thinks you should have, and the section on sunglasses is almost laughable. The chapter on “Great Rivers for Trout” across the US belongs in a niche guide and feels hopelessly out of place in a beginner book.

In the mean time, Kaminsky completely skims over the essentials. While there are plenty of lectures about why you should get a case for your rod, the section on casting feels like an afterthought. I find it difficult to believe that the author has ever tried to teach a beginner to cast, nor could any beginner (like myself) learn to cast from his brief explanation. Other areas that left we with a lot of questions include fly selection, how fly fishing is affected by the seasons, and actual fishing strategies and techniques.
Customer Review: This ‘for Dummies’ book misses the mark for dummies
I liked the book but found it to be a ‘miss’ on illustrations and specifics. For a Dummies book I expected there to be the maximum amount of examples on how to set up a new rod, real and leaders and tippets.

I am brand new to fly fishing. I have a full set up that needs to be rigged and I just did find the book to have a step-by-step area in the book to show you how and where you should tie you flies on your leaders/tippet. I think a section saying “So you bought a new rod, real, lines and flies and now you need to set it up to fish” would be a perfect chapter to add. Then the author can start breaking it down piece by piece and the myriad of options for tying and set up.

Overall it gives you the basic idea but I think the author may have lost the “you know nothing” perspective when writing this book. I do know more after reading it.