Getting Started in Fly Fishing

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1: Getting Out There

1. The Start-Up Kit

Rod, Reel, and Line

Leader and Tippet

Flies

Tools: Fly Boxes, Nippers, Hemostats, Fly Floatant, Landing Net, and Sunscreen

Waders

Clothing and Sunglasses

Vests

2. Before You Wet Your Line

Knots: Attaching the Leader to the Fly Line, the Tippet to the Leader, and the Fly to the Tippet

Casting the Line

Wading In

Deciding Where to Fish

Knowing How Flies Should Look to Fish

3. Your First Day on the Stream

Gearing Up: Planning When and Where to Go, Assembling the Fly Rod, Choosing and Attaching the Fly, Donning Waders and Vest

Your First Cast onto the Water

Your First Cast to a Rising Trout

Hooking, Playing, and Landing Your First Fish

Checking Your Leader, Tippet, and Fly Before Casting to Your Next Fish

Fishing Varieties of Trout Water

Quitting Time

4. Your Second Day on the Stream

Watching the Water

Tying on the Right Dry Fly

When and How to Fish a Nymph

When and How to Fish a Wet Fly

When and How to Fish a Streamer

Mending Line

5. More About Trout and How to Catch Them

More About Trout

More About Trout Streams

Fishing in Lakes and Ponds

Part 2: The Art and Science of Fly Fishing

6. Casting Problems and Solutions

The Line Doesn't Straighten Out on the Backcast or the Forecast

The Line Cracks Like a Whip

Unwanted Knots in the Leader: The Tailing Loop

There's No Room for a Backcast

Casting Sinking Line and Heavier Flies

Casting in the Wind

7. More on Understanding and Imitating What Trout Eat

The Foods Trout Eat

Mayflies

Caddisflies

Stoneflies

Terrestrials

Still-Water Foods

Forage Fish

8. Presenting Flies to Trout

Dry Fly Strategies

Nymph Strategies

Strategies for Wet Flies and Streamers

Still-Water Strategies

9. Trout Waters and Stream Safety

Groundwater

Rising Water to High Water

Falling Water to Low Water

Stream Safety—Again

10. The Future of Fly Fishing

Stream Etiquette

Local Conservation

Regional Conservation Groups

National Groups

Part 3: Going Farther and Further

11. Beyond Trout

Salmon and Steelhead

Other Freshwater Quarry

Saltwater Fly Fishing

12. Flies and Fly Tying

Attractor Flies

All-Purpose Flies

Imitator Flies

Dry Flies

Wet Flies

Nymphs

Streamers

Saltwater Flies

Fly Tying

Tom's Terrific Twenty-Four for Trout

Bibliography

Resources

Index