The Dry Fly: New Angles [Hardcover]

Gary Lafontaine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990

A brilliant and innovative book by the author of Caddisflies.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The author of Caddisflies and Trout Flies: Proven Patterns presents his vast knowledge about catching trout on dry flies in The Dry Fly: New Angles, an advanced resource for the serious fly-fisher. Combining years of fishing and tying experience with keen observation and lucid prose, LaFontaine organizes his information into several theories about trout behavioral patterns and fishing strategy. He starts with three basic schools of dry fly-fishing: empiricism, generalism, and naturalism. The empiricist relies on remembering which flies worked on certain rivers, regardless of the hatch; the generalist relies on presentation of a few favorite flies, also regardless of the hatch; and the naturalist tries above all to match the hatch with exact imitations. LaFontaine shows why each of these schools is flawed. Basing his ideas on close laboratory study and underwater diving, he argues that a knowledge of primary and secondary strike-triggering characteristics is paramount to catching fish--a school of thought that, in certain conditions, will exaggerate an imitative trait on a fly to attractor-like effect. Beneath all this is the science of when to use imitators and when to use attractors, when to float a fly high on the surface and when to float it low, like an emerger.

If you're tired of reaching for the same flies time after time, despite obviously different river conditions or feeding behavior, read The Dry Fly.

Review

"Massive, brilliant, beautiful--it's a book for every serious fly fisherman." --Paul Dodds

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Greycliff Pub Co; First Edition, edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962666300
• ISBN-13: 978-0962666308
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,299,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars About fly fishing, not just dry fly fishing, January 22, 2001

By 

jeffnc "jeffnc" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dry Fly: New Angles (Hardcover)

Yes, the focus of the book is the dry fly, but Gary swirls around this focal point with so much general trout information and thought provoking analysis that it's almost a misnomer. To explain why the color of a dry fly might be important, he explains why it might be less so on a nymph. He describes why a fish might feed and why it might simply strike. He describes why a fish might be selective, and why it might be willing to try anything.

Yes, I think Caddisflies was a good book, but I really have more respect for LaFontaine as a writer, fisherman, and scientist after reading this. This is a more widereaching effort. He gives credit where credit is due, but this is no simple rehash of basic techniques. There is real innovation and some new theory here. When Gary et al invent a new fly, it's not just the same old design with a new color or material. It a new design that attempts to accomplish something unique. When he says the trout react in a certain way to it, it's because he watched them underwater scubadiving.

This is not a book full of little anecdotes about fishing in exotic locales and noble battles with mighty fish (although there are some anecdotes.) If you want a book based on research and experimentation resulting in innovative ideas, this is the one.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first fly fishing book to advance a Theory of Attraction, June 30, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dry Fly: New Angles (Hardcover)

The Dry Fly has been listed by Robert Berls in his update of the greatest fly fishing books as an overwhelming classic -- one of those works that changes the course of fly fishing. My opinion? Total agreement. This is the first book to come up with a Theory of Imitation, but other authors have at least hinted at the need for one. The Dry Fly is the only book to even think about a Theory of Attraction. The author tells you how to pick the right fly for any situation. Imitation and attraction -- the Ying and Yang of fly fishing. As a result, this book is an incredible tool for catching more trout. It gives a fly fishermen more than random experiences -- it gives him a complete system for dry fly fishing. It is a fascinating read for the thinking angler. --Patrick Ellison

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enormously valuable book destined to become a CLASSIC!, November 10, 1998

By 

Kenneth J. Austin (Cherry Hill, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dry Fly: New Angles (Hardcover)

If you have every stood in a stream and puzzled what fly to choose ... than read The Dry Fly.

If you have ever thought why a fly that worked so well yesterday, or last week or last year now draws a blank ... read The Dry Fly.

This is a wonderfully entertaining book as well as an exciting learning experience. The Dry Fly, New Angles provides a blueprint for success and is a book that you will read more than once ... not only for the insight and information Gary LaFontaine shares with us but for his entertaining and irreverent style. This masterpiece is destined to become a CLASSIC and a book that will be referenced for years to come!