Customer Reviews

Fly Fishing the North Platte River: An Angler's Guide

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Having fished the North Platte since the late 1980s, I was curious to finally read this book that I'd smugly overlooked for 16 years or so. What I found was a wealth of information on every section of the river from its start in northern Colorado to its stretches in western Nebraska. I truly wish I had read this book when it first came out, since there's a lot to be learned from Rod Walinchus and his experience on the Platte. It's always weird to read about places one knows well in a book. There's a somewhat unsettling feeling, as if a secret has been let out. Rod Walinchus captures the essence of the North Platte River to a tee and with his book, you'll be well-prepared to fish the river in any season, with the appropriate selection of flies and tactics. In the years since he wrote this book, the Gray Reef area has ballooned in popularity, but otherwise, the river is much the same as he described in 1994. Maps are provided at the start of each section, as is a list of suggested fly patterns on a season-by-season basis. Illustrations were done by the author and capture the simplicity and charm of this part of the world in a way that makes one nostalgic for the time before fly fishing became the "in" thing to do with yuppies and the golf croud. Buy it, read it, enjoy it, and then apply what you have learned. And if you catch some nice trout, take a photo or two, quietly release them, and enjoy the serenity of the North Platte River as so many locals have for the past 150 years or so.

Walinchus does a good job of breaking this incredible river down into its smaller components. However, his synopsis lacks detail; for example he does list the dominate hatches and compatible flies but does not suggest sizes for all. He includes a few small maps for each section, but they too lack in detail. All in all this is a good guide book for a first timer to the area and will definitely help you catch more fish.

Walinchus does a good job of breaking this incredible river down into its smaller components. However, his synopsis lacks detail; for example he does list the dominate hatches and compatible flies but does not suggest sizes for all. He includes a few small maps for each section, but they too lack in detail. All in all this is a good guide book for a first timer to the area and will definitely help you catch more fish.

Walinchus does a good job of breaking this incredible river down into its smaller components. However, his synopsis lacks detail; for example he does list the dominate hatches and compatible flies but does not suggest sizes for all. He includes a few small maps for each section, but they too lack in detail. All in all this is a good guide book for a first timer to the area and will definitely help you catch more fish.