Collins Fishing Flies
‘A Guide to Flies from Around the World’
By Malcolm Greenhalgh and Jason Smalley
Published 3rd September 2009
Published by Collins (www.harpercollins.co.uk)
Hardback
ISBN: 978-0-00-728845-8
RRP: £30
Publisher:
The most complete guide to fishing flies describes every type of fly – freshwater and saltwater and covers flies from around the world. Every fly is illustrated with a specially taken photograph and flies are tied by some of the world’s most famous fly-tiers.
Collins Fishing Flies is the encyclopaedic guide to the huge range of flies now being used by the modern fly-fisherman, whether they are fishing for the traditional quarry of salmon and trout, chasing bonefish on the tropical flats of the Caribbean, or stalking pike in the cold fens of East Anglia, and everything in between.
Collins Fishing Flies not only describes every type of fly used to catch all types of fresh- and saltwater fish, it also describes every type from every country that is currently used.
This unique combination allows the fisherman to select flies that may have never been used in their area, or never used to catch that species of fish, or perhaps both, and thus allow the fish to be offered something different.
Collins Fishing Flies is divided into fourteen sections:
EARLY FLIES NORTH COUNTRY SPIDER
LARVAE & PUPA
DRY FLIES AND FLOATING FLIES
CUT- OR BURNT-FEATHER WINGS
UPWINGED FLY SPINNER
FANCY WET FLIES OR LOCH/SEA TROUT FLIES
STREAMERS AND BUCKTAILS
FLIES FOR SALMON, SEA TROUT AND STEELHEAD
SHRIMPS AND PRAWNS
SALMON DRY FLIES
FLIES FOR SEA-RUN TROUT: SEA TROUT, STEELHEAD, CUTTHROAT AND CHAR
FLIES FOR FRESHWATER PREDATORS
SALTWATER FLIES
For each fly the exact recipe is given, with hints on how to tie the perfect fly, plus a specially commissioned photograph of that fly. In all over 1300 flies are covered in detail.
About the Authors
Malcolm Greenhalgh is a fly-fisher, fly-tyer, conservationist and writer. He has fly-fished in rivers, lakes and the sea throughout Europe and North America, sought bonefish, permit and tarpon on many a tropical ‘flat’ and searched for toothy predators in remote Amazonian tributaries. He is author of about fifteen books on fish and fly-fishing. He has demonstrated fly-tying at many fairs, shows and conclaves and on many videos/DVDs
Jason Smalley has been a professional photographer for over 20 years, specialising on wildlife, countryside and gardens. His photographs appear in a wide range of magazines and journals, including The Field, Country Life, BBC Wildlife and Reader’s Digest. He also photographs all the flies appearing in the magazine Fly-Fishing & Fly-Tying.
Reviewer:
Curiously this book has three titles. On the cover it is simply ‘Fishing Flies’. On the inside cover it’s ‘Collins Fishing Flies’ and inside it’s ‘An Encyclopedia of Fishing Flies’ just as though they couldn’t make their minds up what to call it so went with all three.
No matter, it is a very comprehensive book about fishing flies from all around the world, clearly described and illustrated and divided into sections as described above. Each fly has detailed tying instructions and advice on how and where to fish them.
More than that though, this is a book that the keen fly-tyer will treasure, no matter if he merely dabbles for rainbows on his local pool or ventures onto the tropical flats for bonefish. It’s a book that you can sit and browse through in the late evening while you sip a nice malt whisky, marvelling at the wealth of fly patterns from around the world, noting one or two that you can tie and try the next time you venture out.
One thing I’m sure of; if you tie flies you’ll enjoy this book.
