WRITING ON THE FLY,
By GEORGE LISET
The snow is falling, and the rivers are freezing over.
As I gaze out the window, the realization that winter is probably here for a while finally hits me. I look at the stack of books that I have been saving for such an occasion, and the chair by the fire seems to be calling my name, so I make myself comfortable for the duration.
I am old enough to be right on the cusp of the “Plugged In Generation” and the “Unplugged Gen.” I can appreciate YouTube, as well as sitting down to a good book.
With fewer bookstores, it makes it harder to find a good book. So, I am always on the lookout for a good book for my personal collection. Any time I can pick up a good fly fishing book and support local authors it is a win- win situation.
I am a member of The Great Bay Trout Unlimited group that meets the first Monday night of the month at the Roundabout Diner in Portsmouth. Part of the agenda is having local speakers. Two of our speakers over the last year have written some exceptional books that should be part of every fly fishers’ library. Lou Zambello and David A. Van Wie have written some very practical, useful and entertaining books.
Lou Zambello is a Registered Maine Guide who has fished the Rangeley, Maine, region extensively over the last 30 years. Lou has also travelled to Canada, Russia and across the U.S. He has written a couple of books that are tremendous resources for fishing New England. “Fly Fisher’s Guide to New England” provides information about fishing rivers and ponds in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts. The book has some beautiful maps with GPS information which also details access points to all the waters.
I have found this book very handy when fishing a river I haven’t fished before. We all know that “lost feeling” when scouting out new rivers and trying to figure out where to go and how to access the water. You spend most of your day driving around and not a lot of time fishing. Not fun.
Lou’s other book, “Fly Fishing Northern New England’s Seasons,” is just as informative. Lou uses his experience as a guide to share with the reader how to fish during the different seasons and what flies and tactics to use. Each season has its own unique challenge. He gives the reader his personal insight as to what has worked for him over the years. Even though I have fished for a number of years, I have found that even an experienced angler will glean some great info from both these books.
David A. Van Wie’s book “Storied Waters” is a book that I waited a year to read. When David first spoke to our Great Bay Trout Unlimited group about writing this book I was envious. As a fly fisher I enjoy the history of the sport. David took the good part of six weeks to travel and fish some of the most famous trout rivers and streams in the Northern United States.
Walden Pond in Massachusetts,The Battenkill in Vermont, the Delaware River, The Beaverkill in the Catskills, the Chalk Streams of Pennsylvania, The Driftless Region in Wisconsin, the Fox River in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Adirondacks and back to his home rivers in Maine are just some of the places David fished.
“Storied Waters” shares with the reader David’s journey, the people he met and fished with as well as providing the reader with helpful facts about river access, flies and area info for those who would follow his journey.
David shares with the reader other great and classic reads as well.
So, as you gaze out the window watching the snowfall and pining for the spring, pick up one of these indispensable books and start planning a trip or pick up some helpful information to help make your next trip a successful one.
A writer from Dover, George Liset writes about all things Fly Fishing. George has worked as a lobsterman, lifeguard, wrangler, boat captain, fishing instructor, and has traveled in most of the lower 48 states. Upon graduation from Wheaton College, Illinois, George began his teaching career in Dover and has coached Track and Field most recently at UNH. Liset has been published nationally and internationally in the area of track and field and coaching.