Well-known fly fishing author and TV presenter Peter Morse packs a wealth of fly fishing knowledge inside this book. It’s much more than a simple fly tying book or fly glossary. Each chapter profiles a certain fly suitable for fishing Australia’s salt and freshwater native species. Trout fishos would no doubt find it useful too. You won’t just learn how to tie a fly, you’ll learn its colourful history, a few stories and most importantly, how to catch fish on that fly. There’s nothing pretentious here – these are everyday fly patterns most people carry in their fly box. Flies like Clousers, Lefty’s Deceiver, Fat Boys and many others are profiled. It’s interesting to read the origins of how each fly was developed – and it’s particularly useful to find out Morsie’s methods of fishing each one.
Technical chapters include: Line Management, Retrieving The Fly, Fly Line Selection, and Fishing Deep.
A Few Great Flies is written in a laid-back style with plenty of yarns from a lifetime of fishing. Vivid descriptions of fishing New York city, Christmas Island, WA and the Top End will make you want to visit these places. Similarly, closer to home, there’s plenty of good information on fishing bread & butter species along the populated East Coast and natives in the fresh.
Tying sequences are included with each pattern if you tie your own. If you’re not a fly tyer, the technical content on retrieving and fly depth is worth reading alone. Beginner and experts alike will learn something from A Few Great Flies and, importantly, enjoy a great book at the same time.
By Scott Thomas
