Good books for newbie

[tally]

So I finally made the plunge and acquired some fly gear. I live in San Francisco and wanted to know if there are any good books to locate good fishing streams not too far away. Or any good books i should read in general. I do backpack and spend a lot of time in Desolation Wilderness but with cold weather upon us backpacking may be out. A fried is going to take me to Stampede Reservoir area in about two weeks. I also go to the Casting Ponds in Golden Gate Park to learn. I hope to learn a lot from this forum. Any help would be great. Thanks.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

'L.L. Bean Fly-Fishing Handbook' by Dave Whitlock is the standard but there are thousands of books written on fly fishing.

[flyfisher7]

Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson - simple, clear, and fun

[Larry S]

tally,
A great resource is a "StreamTime" map. Click on the "online shop" and then "books." These show holes, riffles,
access points, etc for many of our streams.
Best,
Larry S

[Brendo]

ill second the Curtis creek manifesto. very well written and illustrated with subtle humor and philosophical undertones. i bought it last year just for fun and still look through it from time to time. its an excellent beginners book but even if you have been at it for years its worth reading.

[k9mark]

ill second the Curtis creek manifesto. very well written and illustrated with subtle humor and philosophical undertones. i bought it last year just for fun and still look through it from time to time. its an excellent beginners book but even if you have been at it for years its worth reading.

Ditto, get it

[TaylerW]

a detailed map of northern ca. endless fun from looking at all the water all over the state!

[Digger]

just go to Amazon and drop in the subject, there are many

for a starter, 'California Blue Ribbon Trout Streams' - Bill Sunderland
decent, with the usual well known locations, photos, descriptions

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Great advice.......

[gene goss]

I would join a local fly club, a club is a great source of info. and help.

[Dinky Jr]

I second all of the above, plus I really enjoyed all the books by Dave Hughes, and found "Reading Trout Water" to be his best. When I got started I felt like I was fishing a lot of empty water, and this book more than any other explained fish behavior and taught me where in a river I should be concentrating my efforts. He has a casual style that I like a lot and the book has lots of great pictures that explain what he's talking about. It focuses only on moving water.

[KJE]

In terms of learning about our region's larger trout rivers, Seth Norman's Flyfisher's Guide to Northern California is a must-have. Another great one is Stephen Haggard's Fly Fishing the Tahoe Region, which includes more water than you could cover in ten years.

In terms of the history of Northern California angling, Chatham's The Angler's Coast is a stirring description of what we used to have. Seth Norman's (again! what a shame he's moved north...) Meanderings of a Fly Fisherman and Crimes of Passion are both set heavily in Northern California, with tales of some water in your neck of the woods.

In terms of technique... just get on the water! If you have a chance to hook up with Dunsmuir guide Wayne Eng, he'll cut years off of the water-reading learning curve. Wayne is the kindest, most effective teaching (as opposed to head hunting) guide I've encountered and knows his rivers well.

Welcome aboard! All that being said, I still have an impressively ugly cast.

[tcorfey]

Definitely Dave Hughes, Fly Fishing the Sierra Nevada by Bill Sunderlund. great beginner stuff in The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide by Tom Rosenbauer, and for entertainment anything written by John Gierach.

[Bob Loblaw]

Definitely Dave Hughes, Fly Fishing the Sierra Nevada by Bill Sunderlund. great beginner stuff in The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide by Tom Rosenbauer, and for entertainment anything written by John Gierach.

Fly Fishing the Sierra Nevada by Bill Sunderland is out of print for some reason and impossible to get. I lost mine recently when I moved house and can't find a replacement anywhere.

Second the Orvis books. Good soup to nuts fishing basics. Curtis Creek is funny, and is a good small creek resource. Fly fishing Northern California by Seth Norman. Reading Trout Water by Dave Hughes.

[JTrick]

9911
Charles McDermand - Waters of Golden Trout Country
and Yosemite and Kings Canyon Trout
Defiantly John Gierach
High Sierra Fly Fishing - Billy Van Loek

For the Surf-
Orvis Guide to Saltwater Fly Fishing - Nick Curcione
Fly Fishing Afoot in the Surf Zone - Ken Hanley

[Dan LeCount]

Here's a few different ones that are good for different reasons

The Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson -great for beginners and over all theory
Hatch guide for western streams by Jim Schollmeyer - simple, yet effective bug book
Fly Fishing the Tahoe Region by Stephen Rider Haggard - great book on locations for small stream enthusiasts
Sierra Trout Guide by Ralph Cutter - Overall theory and good bug book
Fly Fishing the Sierra Nevada by Bill Sunderland - good for locating places to fish
Fly Fishing Northern California by Seth Norman - good for locating places to fish

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

tally---You have received some great advise on books. I am and have always been a fan of Dave Hughes. Other good advice is to join a local fly fishing group and join their "fishouts". There is always a lot of really experienced fly anglers who are willing to dispense with sage advice if you show a sincere interest. In your case, hang-out at the angling ponds in SF. There is always someone there to assist with your casting. I'm in the Golden Gating Angling Club's video library on a presentation I gave on the Truckee area...eons ago.

Dan suggests three regional books; I concur. I wrote the chapter on the Truckee River in Seth Norman's Fly Fisher's Guide To Northern California, and am mentioned and quoted in both Fly Fishing The Sierra Nevada in its Tahoe Area and Haggard's Fly Fishing the Tahoe Region.

Please feel free to contact me if you need info on the Truckee area.

Frank R. Pisciotta

www.cyberfly.com
www.flyfishingcalifornia.blogspot.com