Ed Engle’s book Tying Small Flies
Reading these past two months had to take a back seat to my fly tying to replenish my fly boxes prior to spring fishing so a short review this edition.
Countrysport Press, Camden, Maine has just released an upland bird dog hunting book entitled A Comfortable Range authored by Jim McDermott.
I found this book to be a great read especially if you own or have owned an upland bird dog. The author examines and expands on the age old problems of just how far ahead do you allow your dogs to hunt, how to control that range and the ever present thought of loosing your dog because he has ranged too far. Then there is that ever-present mental struggle of how does this new dog stack up to past dogs?
The author, like most who train and hunt their own dogs, must face that critical question of “how far is too far” and what is overreacting to a dogs hunting ability. The author takes you through the trials and tribulations of the first hunting season with a new dog. A dog that has replaced in the author’s mind his former super dog who did no wrong. Mr. McDernott takes the reader along on his personal struggle to train his new dog to stay close at a comfortable range he prefers but a range that isn’t always what his new setter prefers.
This book, in many ways, is about you and me, about your dog and my dog, a story we who own or have owned bird dogs has experienced. The fear of loosing a bird dog is ever present in the book as it is in real life. The owner finally realizes that every now and then that he must let his dog run in the wind full and wild knowing full well that a mutual bond has developed and the dog will return when the run is finished. They have established a bond that is so important in a good upland dog that of faith and trust of each other and for each other. During dog training dog and trainer train each other until that comfortable level is reached. This is a book that takes you through and gets you to that comfortable level that all upland dog owners want to experience.
A Comfortable Range was released in April. It is a hard-covered, 154 paged, 5 ½ x 8 ¼ inch book that lists for $23.95 at bookstores or direct from the publishers Countrysport Press, PO Box 679, Camden, Maine 04803
If you are a fly-tier or a dedicated trout angler I strongly suggest you do as I did and purchase a copy of Ed Engle’s book Tying Small Flies. It is published by Stackpole Books. Like any good book on the subject of fly-tying this book is somewhat of a fly-tiers textbook and a do-it-yourself fly-tying guide.
I have found out somewhat too late in my long fly-fishing addicted life that small fly-fishing is the way to go. I only wish I had realized this when my eyes were stronger, my fingers not so arthritic and my arms were longer.. At least long enough to tie on a small fly without great difficulty. Small flies do and will take big fish when others won’t. Flies of size 20 to 26 or even smaller if your eyes are young and you can tie them on will take fish. One only has to imagine how many 6 to 10 size flies a trout looks at its lifetime. I find tying and fishing a tiny fly creates a greater challenge but can also produce great fishing when the action is slow.
A look at Ed Engel’s book will tell you how to tie these small flies without a lot of difficulty. If you feel it is time for a change other than just in leader size you should read this book Tying Small Flies. This is a hard-covered, 231 glossy page book, highly illustrated throughout with great color photographs. This book retails for $34.95 at bookstores or from the publisher Stockpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17005 or from this web site www.stackpolebooks.com
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