Customer Reviews

An Angler's Guide to Aquatic Insects and Their Imitations

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This guide allows an observant non-biologist to classify many nymphs, emergers and adult acquatic insects.

Besides the book you will need a good pocket loup, a small net, a collection bottle and a complete lack of squeemishness.

This book does much of the work of Schweibert's excellent Matching The Hatch in a far more basic and compact package. If you are a trout / steelhead fly-fisher and you want to expand your knowledge of the dinner faire of our favorite salmonids -- this is an excellent place to start.

Although this will not ensure the identification of a collected specimen it will let you know what type it is, for the most common found, and it's basic behavour. A great book for the beginner,

I had beem looking for a book that shows the basics about bugs (in fly fishing context), and what flies are used to imitate which bug, etc. The title of this book is what made me buy it, since it sounded like what I was looking for. Even the description states: "Best of all, no prior knowledge of entomology is required to use this guide."
So I figured that it wouldn't delve too deeply into entomology, and just give the basics.

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nor prior knowledge of entomology is required because IT'S ALL IN THIS BOOK!

This book gets down to minute detail, even to how many cerci are present, & the directions of veins in the wings, and ALL KINDS OF ENTOMOLOGY stuff. There is very little of, "Here's a [certain insect] and here are some different patterns used to imitate that." There are a few tables that list that information, but the bulk of this book is looking at bugs under a microscope and counting the segments of the lingual protuberance and hairs on the dorsal thoracic anterior kanuter.

I'm guessing this book is written well, and there IS a lot of detail and many drawings. But it's just not what I was looking for. I don't want to know about bees knees and mosquito knuckles in extreme detail. I want to know what bugs I'm likely to find around here, when I should find them, how they act, and some drawings and recipies for fly patterns. I did not see one fly pattern recipe, and the sketches of the flies are very generic. Basically a gold ribbed hare's ear and pheasant tail are about all I saw.

If anyone wants to buy my (barely used) copy, let me know. Comment on the review and I'll get in touch.

Thisa book is short and to the point aout the different genre of aquadic insects in most waters. Since the author does promote himself to Fishermen, especially Fly Fishermen, the work is not so much of a scientific study -even thought it reads like one- this book does the trick when you want to know the basic info about microinvertibrates and aquatic insects.
This book does belong on every Fly Fisherman's book shelf especially if they tie their own flies.