Flies for Bass and Panfish (Paperback)

~ (Author, Photographer), Farrow Allen (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Two hundred and forty popular and effective fly patterns for fishing everywhere in North America.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

Flies for Bass & Panfish is far and away the most comprehensive guide to the bass and panfish flies currently being used on North American waters. Many experienced fly fishermen and guides from all parts of the United States have contributed to this large, contemporary reference.
Large, bright photographs depict each fly individually, and they are accompanied by a complete and accurate description of the fly’s components, making this an indispensable guide for fly tyers who are interested in constructing their own flies.
Additional history and comments about the origins and use of each fly serve as a selection guide for the curious fly fisherman. Included are flies covering everything from realistic nymphs used in northern smallmouth bass waters to big, plug-type flies used for largemouth bass in the south. Frogs, crayfish, snakes, leeches, mice, insects, and baitfish - all are represented by expert fly tyers from throughout the nation.
Anyone interested in warm water fishing will find Flies for Bass & Panfish a useful and interesting addition to their library.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Mountain Pond Publishing Corporation (July 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936644117
• ISBN-13: 978-0936644110
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,799,128 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a very good pattern book., October 8, 1998

By A Customer

If you want a recipe book for lots of flies, this is a very good one. What is missing is tying instructions and any of the author's thoughts on effectiveness or what a well-stocked box should hold.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warmwater Fly Fisher's Bible, February 5, 2009

By	Bill P. "Fly Fishin' Fool" (Nebraska, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flies for Bass & Panfish (Paperback)

This book deserves ONLY 5 star ratings. The 'Customer' who left the 3 star rating is right: this book does not give you tying instructions. It is not a How-to book, it is a recipe book. The author simply put together a collection of the best warm water flies from around the world. You wouldn't buy a book of Beethoven Piano Sonatas and then expect it to teach you how to play the piano would you? You buy other books for that, and maybe take lessons. If the author taught you how to tie every fly in the book, it would be two inches thick and cost a hundred dollars or more. The recipes are listed in the order they are tied (First the tail, then the body, then the head). This is how ALL fly recipes are supposed to be listed.

The flies in this book were designed by well known fly fishers, many of them are WORLD FAMOUS. Most of the flies pictured in the book were TIED BY THE MASTERS THEMSELVES. As for which flies are effective, THEY ARE ALL EFFECTIVE. That's the whole point of the book. It's a collection of the best of the best, by the best. Once you learn how to tie flies all you need is the recipe. As for which flies should be in your box, choose ones that match the fish you're after.

For instance, I chose the 'Marabou Miss' on pg. 75, because I like to catch Crappie on my fly rod. Tom Lentz calls it 'his number one Crappie fly'. It was magical! I fished it from the bank of a cove in a reservoir during the spawn, and out-fished two guys in a boat who gave me funny looks for using a fly rod. After a couple hours, a 15 inch bass, and a stringer full of crappie, they stopped looking and me funny and started asking if it was hard to learn to fly fish. That fly caught another 50 fish two days later. (I only kept 25 fish for both days total) I have since tied many of the flies in this book with similar results.

If you want a decent book that will show you how to tie flies from a recipe, I recommend 'L.L. Bean Fly-Tying Handbook'. It starts out with simple flies, like the famous Woolly Worm, and Woolly Bugger (both are listed in 'Flies for Bass & Panfish' because they work everywhere on everything). Once you learn those, the following chapters continue to show you how to tie more and more complex flies. This is the book I learned from (in late 2005) and I have given it to friends to get them started. I think the new edition has a chapter on Bass flies. If not I recommend 'Bass Bug Basics' by John M. Likakis. This one taught me how to tie flies with Deer hair. (At the time of this writing, these two books are available USED on Amazon for a few bucks or less.)

Once you learn, you won't want every book teaching you how to do something you already know. It would be a waste of money.

Some of the flies are harder than others. Some are ideal for beginning tiers, such as the 'Chenille Bug' on page 74. (The Marabou Miss is also very easy too.) That's another good thing about this book. Since all the flies are great, you can tie the easy ones when you're just starting out, and still catch fish. Then as your skills improve, you can tie the harder ones, if you want. Hard or easy, they all work. If fly tying is hard for you, you can stick with the easy ones and still have a great time enjoying the satisfaction of catching fish on flies you made yourself. You can also try to make the hard ones easier by leaving out ingredients you don't know how to tie, or don't have the materials for. Or you can substitute easy materials for harder ones. I have done this, and the fish don't know that you cheated. You will even come up with your own variations that you may like better!

BOTTOM LINE: If you want to tie your own flies, get a book or video that shows you. And/or go to your local fly shop or fly fishing club and watch others tie flies.

THEN GET THIS BOOK. You will love it. You will use it for years. You will catch lots of fish. I certainly have.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for the experienced tyer., September 11, 2009

By	Gerald J. Brown (houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Flies for Bass & Panfish (Paperback)

A previous review said that the pictures were black and white. They are not. My copy contains excellent color photographs. This is a book for someone who wants lots of good patterns with no actual instructions on how to tie them. Most experienced tyers should have no trouble working from the pictures and lists of ingredients. This one will keep you occupied for a long time.