Published Jun 16. 2008 - 16 years ago
Updated or edited Dec 15. 2022

Small Fry, intro

A treatise on small fish and small waters; an eclectic collection of classic fly pattern variations; a survey of some of the better literature on the art and sport of fly fishing; a portrait of the angler as a young man... All of these descriptions apply to "Small Fry: The Lure of the Little" brought to you by ron P. swegman.

Books
Fiction and biographies
ron P. swegman

Catch BIGGER Fish . . .
Like you, I have lost count of the times I have read this alluring phrase in fishing magazines, catalogues, and advertisements, although I can count the number of BIGGER fish I have actually caught. These trophies, tallied up, leave my left hand free to hold my fly rod.
    Yes, I have always delighted in the adrenaline rush of the sudden, athletic grab, the awesome sight of the huge silhouette, leading a taut line, making a great wake across a pool, the large amount of pride felt in being able to happily release a giant back to its water; I cannot dispute that. What I am willing and ready to debate is the sport’s obsession with sheer, or may I submit mere, size. The personal highs of my own fly fishing life, the moments I am most compelled to tell, have always involved a little finesse and, ultimately, MORE fish. These angling game highlights have occurred almost exclusively along small streams, glacial lakes, or farm ponds where the fish have been sized to scale. This little book celebrates these waters and these fish, and I hope these lines will help you, the reader --

Catch MORE Fish . . .

-- ron P. swegman

Start reading the story here.

Related articles

Article

Small Fry, 1

Perfection is as illusory in fishing as it is in any other aspect of life, yet practice brings with it certain plateaus of near-perfection. Such stages in a fly fisher’s practice provide a good time and opportunity to branch out.

Article

Small Fry, 2

The smallmouth bass is the headliner of small coolwater venues and that fact is understandable. Micropterus dolomieui bends fly rods and performs top water acrobatics throughout the course of the fishing season, even during the hottest dog days, as long as the human on the other end of the line knows his or her art and craft.

Article

Small Fry, 3

Lepomis auritus, the redbreast sunfish, does not receive the front-page press of its cousins the bluegill, the crappie, and the black bass. This species deserves increased specific attention, though, especially from fly anglers who prefer to fish flowing water, because the redbreast is the stream sunfish.

Article

Small Fry, 4

I have been an amateur musician for many years, comfortable on both keys and strings, and to use an analogy from that facet of my life I will state that, to me, the rock bass is akin to a punk rock song — It hits you hard, is pugnacious and tough up front, and though it doesn’t last too long, it is undeniably a strong, clever, and classic rocker.

Article

Small Fry, 5

The white perch is actually an anadromous silver bass in the fish family Moronidae. This game panfish is the little cousin of the striped bass and shares much of the same habitat: the brackish tidal estuaries and adjacent rivers of the mid-Atlantic and New England states.

Article

Small Fry, 6

The father of English fishing literature, Izaak Walton, devotes two chapters of The Compleat Angler to chubs (or “cheven” in the archaic plural), and in one scene his Piscator takes pleasure in catching the largest one of a school of twenty to the amazement of his companions, Venator and Auceps.

Article

Small Fry, 7

More than a sport fish, the brook trout has, throughout its range, become a barometer for the environmental health of North American rivers and streams. It seems fitting in this context that a little fish plays such a big role.

Article

Small Fry, 8

Light gear is best for little fish for two big reasons: first, light or ultralight outfits provide the most sport by giving these fish their best fighting chance; second, lighter outfits make fly fishing possible in unforgiving casting situations that leave little room for human error.

Article

Small Fry, 9

Knots have challenged author ron P. swegman all his life. When he was a preschool boy, he demanded his mom buy him “buckle shoes” because he just could not get the hang of shoestrings.He reflects further over knots in this latest chapter of the online novel "Small Fry".

Article

Small Fry, 10

"Did you get a brownie?" The voice the author heard was young; a girl’s voice that floated gracefully over the soft, almost melodic, water tumble of the creek. He was releasing a small brown trout that had patiently watched his patterns float by for close to half an hour.

Article

Small Fry, 11

Author ron P. swegman writes: "When thinking about reading and writing, I am also drawn to the home of the book: the library. This institution has been a constant throughout my life." and ends his story with a list of further reading. 

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Writings

Comments

Submitted by Sandra Swegman on Fri, 2008-07-04 15:43
great story as usual...

great story as usual. keep up the writings, I love to read them
Mom

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