On the surface, fishing is all about casting, catching and communing with nature, but on a deeper level, the sport is filled with mysteries and contradictions. Why do people fish? How does a desire to return to nature go hand in hand with high-tech gadgetry? How is it possible to see other people's fishing as despoiling nature but not one's own? What does the long and complex history of the sport reveal? Like so much else in life, what fishing says about society and the people in it -- both past and present -- is hidden from view and almost never discussed. This book is a considered foray into the leisure sport of fishing by an avid fisherman who is also a professional anthropologist. Those who enjoy the sport tend to extol its naturalness - fishing enables them to commune with nature at its most primeval. However, if it's called natural, it's probably a great spot to trawl for clues as to how people manage larger cosmic issues. ‘Call it natural,' the author quips, ‘and the anthropologists will come.' Is fishing an uncomplicated activity, or is it deeply meaningful? What does it say about culture? Is the recent resurgence of interest in the sport simply a reflection of more disposable incomes and more leisure time? What is the connection between fishing and Santa Claus? fishing and flamenco? And finally, what is the best way to kiss a trout? Unlike most books on fishing, which focus on the tale or on ‘how-to', this book shows that there is much more lurking beneath the surface than fish.

Lakes are one of the most challenging opportunities available to today's fly fisher. Stillwaters offer a long active season with numerous hatches and presentation challenges. Fish grow big and fat and many fishers find this appeal hard to resist. But the transfer from rivers and streams is often difficult, especially if a prolonged trial-and-error approach is adopted. This book examines the stillwater fly fisher's kit bag, expectations, and offers an introduction to the diverse stillwater food sources. The Orvis Guide to Stillwater Trout Fishing explains everything the aspiring stillwater fly fisher needs to be successful and build a sound foundation that will last through a lifetime plying stillwaters.

This outstanding guide is filled with scores of practical observations on all of the trout foods of importance to fly fishers. The chapters include: * Concepts of Imitation * Water * How Trout Feed * Mayflies * Stoneflies * Caddisflies * Midges and Crane Flies * Dragonflies and Damselflies * Crustaceans * Forage Fish * Leeches, Eels, and Similar Trout Foods Superb black-and-white illustrations throughout reinforce the techniques outlined in this book. A central full-color section includes size and color charts for mayflies, stoneflies, dragonflies, caddisflies, damselflies, crustaceans, and forage fish.

The expanded and updated guide to Michigan's best trout fishing streams

“A third-generation fishing guide on many waters around the world, Boots is one of the foremost experts in trout fishing. The answers are here.” – Jim Hickey, 2008 Orvis Endorsed Guide of the Year Bringing 30+ years’ experience guiding and fishing around the world with some of the best anglers in the sport, Boots Allen shares what it takes to succeed when stalking trout with a fly rod. There are the obvious elements of the fly, the presentation, and reading the water properly. But what about those factors brought on by Mother Nature in the form of weather, climate, and the water itself? Finding Trout in All Conditions: A Guide to Understanding Nature's Forces for Better Production on the Water is a comprehensive examination of those parts of the natural world that impact trout, trout food and forage, and fly fishing. Boots provides valuable insight into how trout and the food they eat are influenced by barometric pressure, precipitation, air and water temperature, wind, sunlight and cloud cover, moon phase, and water-related factors like water levels, pH, dissolved oxygen levels, and specific conductance. Special attention is given to strategies and tactics anglers should employ when specific conditions are predominant. Readers will be left with a greater awareness of how success on the water is impacted by those often-overlooked elements of the natural world.

"Report of the Dominion fishery commission on the fisheries of the province of Ontario, 1893", issued as vol. 26, no. 7, supplement.

Fly fishers are always looking for useful, reliable, and trustworthy tips to improve their fishing. Veteran author and fly fisherman Skip Morris gives a year’s worth of practical tips for taking trout, large and smallmouth bass, and panfish from streams and lakes in a handy, easy-to-read and grasp format. Tips include info on casting, finding fish, rigs and strategies for using them, techniques, the right tackle, knots, hooking, playing and landing fish, releasing, fishing lingo and terms, and staying safe. For further help, the tips are illustrated with instructive line drawings and color photos.