Fly Fishing in Saltwater (Paperback)

by Lefty Kreh (Author) "Why would a man want to fly fish in salt water?..." (more)
Key Phrases: nonslip loop, whipped loop, threadfin salmon, Clouser Minnow, Lefty's Deceiver, Florida Keys (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
For the subspecies of saltwater angler who insists on doing his fishing with flies, Kreh is the guru and this is the holy book. Now in its third revised edition, Fly Fishing in Salt Water first surfaced in the late '60s when the idea of fishing the seas with a fly for bluefish, stripers, bonito, and bigger game like tarpon and tuna was not only novel, it was sneered at. Fly-fishing in saltwater is still a relatively new frontier, but time has proven Kreh a visionary and the virtual father of the sport, and this how-to remains an essential part of a saltwater fly-angler's tackle.

Why fish salt water with a fly? Because, says Kreh, it combines the best physical and cerebral aspects of fishing and hunting, with the added complication that "no stocked fish roam the seas." Unlike trout fishing ("Trout fishing writers have always tended to complicate a rather simple sport," carps Kreh), where the angler must understand from the start that trout in a pool are relatively stationary creatures that exist only on the food available in that pool, saltwater species are fish in transit, constantly on the move, often in schools, and they gulp down anything they run into. Kreh's bible begins by engraving that difference in stone. Then it patiently introduces you to the sport's basics step by step: the necessary tackle and how to care for it; technique; fly patterns; fish behavior; the long cast; understanding tides and where fish are likely located; and specifics of deepwater fishing, inshore fishing, and fishing at sea from boats.

"The sea has always been a fascination to me, and the creatures in it offer the greatest challenge a fly rodder will ever know," writes Kreh. His unparalleled infectious enthusiasm--just look at the cover photo of the author: a happy man if ever there was one--and expertise make that challenge as reachable as it is alluring. --Jeff Silverman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
For the subspecies of saltwater angler who insists on doing his fishing with flies, Kreh is the guru and this is the holy book. Now in its third revised edition, Fly Fishing in Salt Water first surfaced in the late '60s when the idea of fishing the seas with a fly for bluefish, stripers, bonito, and bigger game like tarpon and tuna was not only novel, it was sneered at. Fly-fishing in saltwater is still a relatively new frontier, but time has proven Kreh a visionary and the virtual father of the sport, and this how-to remains an essential part of a saltwater fly-angler's tackle. Why fish salt water with a fly? Because, says Kreh, it combines the best physical and cerebral aspects of fishing and hunting, with the added complication that "no stocked fish roam the seas." Unlike trout fishing ("Trout fishing writers have always tended to complicate a rather simple sport," carps Kreh), where the angler must understand from the start that trout in a pool are relatively stationary creatures that exist only on the food available in that pool, saltwater species are fish in transit, constantly on the move, often in schools, and they gulp down anything they run into. Kreh's bible begins by engraving that difference in stone. Then it patiently introduces you to the sport's basics step by step: the necessary tackle and how to care for it; technique; fly patterns; fish behavior; the long cast; understanding tides and where fish are likely located; and specifics of deepwater fishing, inshore fishing, and fishing at sea from boats. "The sea has always been a fascination to me, and the creatures in it offer the greatest challenge a fly rodder will ever know," writes Kreh. His unparalleled infectious enthusiasm--just look at the cover photo of the author: a happy man if ever there was one--and expertise make that challenge as reachable as it is alluring.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592280781
• ISBN-13: 978-1592280780
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #162,694 in Books (See Bestsellers 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 Definitively the best book about salt water fly fishing!, May 4, 2000

By	Ferrero Patrice (Grenoble, France, Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fly Fishing in Salt Water (Revised Edition) (Hardcover)

I really discovered salt water fly fishing with this book,even if I had notions about it before.Lefty has the knowledges to make you learn the how to of that phantastic kind of fishing,from how to cast longer or tye a fly to how to approach a blue water fish with your boat.Plus the enthusiasm always relating us many and many stories and anecdotes of fishing around the world.And all the techniques and tricks he explains in his book also work very well for fly fishing in Europe,as I tried it.I highly encourage you discovering this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tons of useful information, July 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fly Fishing in Salt Water: Third Revised Edition (Hardcover)

I am a beginner in the sport of saltwater fly fishing. Lefty covers all the bases with the book. He explains choices of equipment. I was ready to hit the water after finishing this book in a few days.

5.0 out of 5 stars The bible for salt water flyfishing, December 10, 2007

By	Jeffrey Leaver (Saint Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What Lefty Kreh did with saltwater fly fishing was nothing short of revolutionary. It's easy enough to walk to the nearest store and buy saltwater gear and flies now, but Lefty helped pioneer the genre and many of the flies we now enjoy - including the Lefty's Deceiver. Lefty writes the way he speaks in public; generous, affable and full of infectious energy. No serious angler's library is complete without this book.

I first read this book in college in South Florida in the early 90s. Unable to afford bait, I took an old fiberglass fly rod out and following this book's advice, caught snook, reds, trout and even juvenile tarpon and hammerheads.

If you like this book, (and you will) you should also pick up Lefty's DVDs on tying.