I get frequent questions from listeners on what I would recommend they read in fly-fishing literature, as there is so much out there it's tough to sort through it to find what's worth reading. Michael Checchio [38:10] is a retired journalist and investigative reporter and a student of fly-fishing books, so we spend some time discussing what he feels are must-reads (or maybe just interesting reads) in the vast river of what has been written about fly fishing.
Here is Michael's list:
Fiction
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A River Runs through It by Norman Maclean
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"Big Two-Hearted River" by Ernest Hemingway (short story)
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Ninety-Two in the Shade by Thomas McGuane
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The River Why by David James Duncan
Non-fiction
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The Longest Silence by Thomas McGuane
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The Angler's Coast and Dark Waters by Russell Chatham
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The Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson
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"Hat Creek" and "Deeds Among the Steelhead" by Bill Barich (magazine articles; may be tough to find)
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The Spawning Run by William Humphrey
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Trout Bum by John Gierach
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"The Same River Twice" by David Quammen (published in Outside Magazine)
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"A Sporting Life" by Jim Harrison (magazine article, may be tough to find)
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My Story as Told by Water by David James Duncan
In the Fly Box this week, we have lots of questions and tips, including:
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How do I know when to strip strike and when to trout strike?
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Do I really need to go barbless on small dry-fly hooks?
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How do I know what size material to use if I want to lengthen my leader?
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A great tip from a listener on learning to cast with your "off" hand
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A tip from a listener on wetting new tying materials befor you use them to see what color they will be
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Why do I only see larger wild brown trout in one section of a river I fish?
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How do I see my sighter in difficult lighting conditions?
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If I am fishing for stocked rainbows and grayling, where should I place my grayling fly—on the bottom or on the dropper?
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Should I use my 10-foot 7-weight Recon that I use for steelhead for streamer fishing from a boat for trout?
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What is the main difference between a Helios D and Helios F rod when fishing for bonefish?
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My bamboo ferrule only fits ¾ of the way to full engagement. Is that OK?
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Why do I see steelhead smolt in my river but never chinook salmon smolt?
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Is there any way to get the bad smell off a bucktail?
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Why don't people fish bucktails much these days?
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Is there a way to tell a northern strain from a southern strain brook trout visually?
