Book review: Modern Streamers for Trophy Trout

The authors are two of the best fly fishing guides in the state of Michigan. That is saying a lot in a state where fly fishing guides have been creating legends for over a century. What the authors have done, in this book, is provide the fly-fishing public with a working handbook for catching the largest trout in a stream on streamers. The methods and fly patterns have been developed during years of pursuing and catching the largest trout on some of Michigan's, and fly-fishing's, most famous, and difficult, waters.

This is not pabulum from some big name selling yet another poor quality book based on nothing more than a desire to make money. This is a work based on years of experimentation and time on the water. This book gets straight to the matter at hand, in workmanlike fashion, providing the fly fisherman with the tools he requires to be successful at catching very large trout. Broken into six chapters the book provides the reader with a logical progression from beginnings of streamer fly-fishing to effective fly patterns and equipment. In-between, the reader is given instruction on the behavior of large trout, how to read the water to locate large trout, and a solid course in the techniques of fishing the streamer to attract the attention of large trout.

The patterns advocated by the authors are all illustrated in two color plates and the complete recipes for each pattern are also included. The line drawings of casting techniques, and river structure and how it relates to large trout, are excellent. The black and white photographs are well composed and excellently reproduced. They maintain their clarity and sharpness showing great attention to detail by both photographer and printer. The writing style is straightforward. The grammar is excellent and the editing is top notch, making this an easily read book. Overall, the authors and the publishers have every right to be very proud of this work. This work should be on every trout fisherman's bookshelf right next to the classic Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing, by Joseph Bates, Jr.