Handbook Of Hatches: Introductory Guide to the Foods Trout Eat & the Most Effective Flies to Match Them [Paperback]

Dave Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2004

"Excellent ... invaluable." -- The New York Times, on Dave Hughes

Popular reference work updated with full-color photos of the insects

An understandable approach and useful guide to fishing hatches

Covers mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, midges, dragonflies, boatmen, alderflies, and hellgrammites

Fishing success comes from making wise observations on stream and acting on them right away. In Handbook of Hatches, Hughes teaches how to match the hatch and not worry about identifying the insect until later, if at all, and to fish better, focus on shape, size, and color to choose the best fly for the situation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dave Hughes is a highly respected fly-fishing writer with over two dozen books in print. He writes regularly for the popular fishing magazines and currently is a columnist for fly rod & Reel. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Stackpole Books; 2 edition (December 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811731820
• ISBN-13: 978-0811731829
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Hunting & Fishing > Fishing

More About the Author

Dave Hughes is author of more than 20 books about fly fishing. They include the classic Western Hatches with Rick Hafele, American Fly Tying Manual, Handbook of Hatches, Reading Trout Water, Dry Fly Fishing, Nymph Fishing, and the massive referenceTrout Flies. His latest book, published in 2009, is Nymphs for Streams and Stillwaters. His next book is Pocketguide to Western Hatches, due out in fall of 2011.

Dave was founding president of Oregon Trout in 1983, and was awarded life membership in the Federation of Flyfishers in 1985. He was awarded the Pete Hidy honorary life membership in the Flyfishers Club of Oregon in 1992 for his literary accomplishments. Dave received the prestigious Letcher Lambuth Angler Craftsman Award in 2008 from the Washington Fly Fishing Club. He is also a life member of his home club, the Rainland Flycasters in Astoria, Oregon.

Born in Astoria, Oregon on the 4th of July, 1945, Dave worked his way through college at jobs specializing in the Three Ds--Dirty, Difficult, and Dangerous: mink ranches, tuna canneries, and shrimp boats. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1967, from Army Infantry Officer Candidate School in 1968. Dave served one-and-a-half years in Viet Nam, 6 months as a communications site commander in the Mekong Delta, and one year as liaison officer to the Commanding General of communications in the Southeast Asia theater.

Dave is an accomplished amateur aquatic entomologist. His hobbies include collecting, identifying, and photographing the aquatic insects that are fed upon by trout, as well as tying and fishing the flies that match those insects and fool those trout. His articles on fly fishing have appeared in Field & Stream, Gray's Sporting Journal, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, Fly Fisherman magazine, American Angler, and Fly Tyer. Dave served as editor of Flyfishing & Tying Journal for eight years, and is currently Elements of Success columnist for Fly Rod & Reel, essayist for Northwest, Southwest, and Eastern Flyfishing, and Minor Notes columnist for Flyfishing & Tying Journal.

Dave lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, Japanese fly fishing writer Masako Tani, and their daughter Kosumo.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reference for Simplicity, February 20, 2006

By 

D. Lewis "dlewis10" (Cross Plains, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handbook Of Hatches: Introductory Guide to the Foods Trout Eat & the Most Effective Flies to Match Them (Paperback)

The strength of this book is its approach at SIMPLIFYING your selection of trout patterns. Hughes' basic contribution is to make the point that bugs of specific families (e.g. mayflies, caddisflies, etc.) can all be matched by the same fly style. All that needs to be changed to match the natural is color and size. For example, a parachute style fly can be used to match BWOs, PMDs, Hendricksons, and any other mayfly. What needs to vary is just the color and size.

The other helpful point from this book is the idea that basic pattern designs should be chosen to match water conditions, not specific hatches. For example, Catskill flies for rough water, Comparadun style for smooth water, Parachute style for water in between. This is in contrast to selecting pattern designs for specific bugs (e.g. comparadun for a BWO).

The true value of this book is the focused clarity on selecting and tying patterns for a simplified fly box. I think this book will be useful for beginners confused by the vast array of available patterns, and for more advanced anglers looking for clarity and simplicity in their pattern selections.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For the Novice and for the Experienced Fly Fisher, May 12, 2007

By 

C. Rich "trout1942" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handbook Of Hatches: Introductory Guide to the Foods Trout Eat & the Most Effective Flies to Match Them (Paperback)

This is far more than an introduction to the entymology, the context, and the how-to instruction to identifying, tying and fishing with flies that match the hatches. Clearly written and well illustrated with color photography, Handbook of Hatches is a pleasure to read and reread. Food here for the novice and for the experienced fly fisher.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love the book!, January 10, 2007

By 

Gaylene J. Cranford - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handbook Of Hatches: Introductory Guide to the Foods Trout Eat & the Most Effective Flies to Match Them (Paperback)

Very well written, gave me (a novice) a lot of good information about what trout eat and where to find them. I especially liked the comparison with a real fly and then a picture of a tied fly. Great, I would recommend this to anyone novice or very experienced.