Flyfishing for Coarse Fish

Very enjoyable

As an experienced fly-fisherman whose efforts have been concentrated so far on game fish I have found this an excellent 'cross-over' book. It tells you in a very unfussy way what flies, equipment (i.e. weight of rod and line and other items), locations, and tactics to use for coarse fish and how to deal with varying conditions. It has already helped me catch a few pike on the fly which I might otherwise have missed, and I would feel comfortable trying for other coarse fish using this book. It gives a real leg up to 'reading' unfamiliar water in search of unfamiliar fish and how to fish a fly to them to give you the best chance of catching them.The other joy is that the book demystifies a form of fishing that is really very simple at heart - there's far less to master than with most types of coarse fishing in terms of equipment and techniques. The equipment needed is limited, simple, and highly portable. Learning to cast a fly requires an element of timing, skill, and technique, and introduces an immediate barrier to enjoyment for true beginners, but with a well-balanced outfit it's not difficult to learn to cast adequately very quickly; there are plenty of good videos on youtube, and a 30 minute casting lesson would work wonders for most people at a bearable cost. The book quite rightly concentrates on what really catches a fish - what lure/imitation to use and how to fish it in the water. No fish awards marks for casting, they are interested in how you fish the fly - the book understands this well.The book is not a comprehensive catalogue of every sort of fly that could be used or every sort of technique of fishing a fly, nor is it an instruction manual for casting - it could be all of those things, and therefore longer. However, I don't agree at all with the reviewer who says that someone who has fished for a couple of seasons could produce a more informative guide - they could produce a longer guide for sure, but that's not the same thing.When I read this book it occurred to me that the writer had learned many hard lessons over several years of making mistakes and trying to catch fish in many different sorts of water, he does not wear that learning heavily, he gets to the nub of his subject, and there is very little unnecessary material in this book. It is easy to read and is deceptively light, but it conveys a substantial amount of information and gets you into an unfussy and unintimidated way of thinking about what you are really trying to achieve and why, which is what you need if you are to work out things for yourself on the water's edge. That is far more enjoyable and useful than following or trying to remember dryly written detailed instructions.Highly recommended.

This is a superbly well written, well researched book, you know that this young man has been, done it and got the tea shirt. He covers all of the usual suspects, and then more, and then goes on to give a few of those that you've not thought about.We all know about fly fishing for rudd, chub, carp and dace but how about trying for eels and big bream (what sort of mind thinks about fly fishing for eels). He does and what he says is well thought out and his suggestions are brilliant. I think that this is a book that I will come back to time and time again. If I want a new fly fishing challenge then this the book I am going to get off the shelf first.

If you've become a bit jaded with your regular venue, species and strategy then this is a refreshing plunge into something a bit different. It's certainly fuelled enthusiasm for my mission to catch a coarse fish on a fly set-up which seems like the sort of folly that only an angler or an obsessive might understand. Loved the sense of possibility.

As a traditional coarse angler I was interested in the idea of fly fishing for coarse fish but had no idea how to start. This book is the perfect introduction. It is clearly written and provides an excellent coverage of the tackle, flies and techniques to fly fish for all types of coarse fish. The book itself is on high quality paper and the photographs are superb and make you just want to get out with the rod. Highly recommended

This is great book! Well worth the money! Will help to change the low opinions of coarse fish amongst fly fishers generally!

Great book for an introduction to flyfishing for coarse species, important as a reference book too. Get down the canal with a fly rod and see what you can get!

A top book a lot of information for fly fishing for coarse fish .

A lovely read.

I have recently switched from game to coarse fly fishing.Reading this book has increased my catch rate ten fold.

Whatever the occasional naysayer might write, this is an entertaining and informative sourcebook for anybody thinking of getting into this burgeoning branch of flyfishing. Yes, it is a bit basic in places if you already flyfish for trout but it's no less readable for all that.

Very informative

Arrived quickly and all good

If you are a fly game fisherman looking to try something different then this is the book. Found this book easy to read, informative with good photographs and is all about fishing in British waters.

a very good informative book,I really enjoyed reading it,

Excellent book. Lots of well presented and worded information. Covers all the bases from tackle for each specie to the where and how of retrieval. As well as a solid overview of each species particular traits and habits. Definately recommend.