Every angler I know who fishes with a fly has a library. Some are extensive with hundreds of volumes, covering complete walls. Others, like mine, are relatively small with just a few shelves dedicated to the sport. 

Those folks who have researched it will know that more has been written about fly fishing than any other sport. 

They may also know that Dame Juliana Berners, an English prioress, is credited with the first book about fly fishing. That book, titled “A Treatyse of Fysshynge with an Angle,” was published in 1496. 

So with all of this literature available and Christmas just a couple of weeks away, I thought it might be good to list a few of the classics that you might add to your collection or give to a fellow angler as a gift. 

What better way to spend a winter evening than in front of a fire with two fingers of your favorite spirits, reading about fly fishing?

Here is a listing of some of the classics—books you might enjoy and that just might add to your knowledge about the sport.

Art Flick’s “Streamside Guide”: When I taught trout stream entomology at the Wulff School and later at the Frost Valley YMCA, Art’s book was always the first volume I recommended that students purchase. “The Streamside Guide” is a small book that fits in a recloseable bag, so it can easily be kept in your fishing vest for reference. There is no better and more concise book on the market that captures the essence of Catskill fly hatches than this little gem. 

“Matching the Hatch” by Ernie Schwiebert is more technical than the “Streamside Guide.” So it is a step up in detail, with more species, and includes western hatches, fly dressings and hatching charts too. It’s the first book I purchased about fly fishing. The inside cover is inscribed “1958”!

“Trout Fishing in the Catskills” by Ed VanPut is without question the most comprehensive book about trout fishing in the Catskills ever written. It covers everything from the first anglers who came to the region to exploit the brook trout fisheries, the impacts of the tanning industry on the rivers, the water releases legislation and much, much more. 

When John Atherton wrote  “The Fly and the Fish,” he provided a different perspective on how flies were tied. John leaned more towards Impressionism so that one pattern could be used to represent more than one species of mayfly. He also describes several of his outings along the Neversink River with Edward Hewitt, before the reservoir was in place. 

“Trout on a Fly” by Lee Wulff provides a complete and practical overview of Lee’s many years of experience as a fly fisherman. It covers all the basics of fly fishing from trout behavior to habit preference and feeding. As a writer, Lee had the ability to simplify all the various aspects of fly fishing.

“My Side of the River” by Roger Menard brings back a lot of memories, reminding me of all the days we spent fishing together. This little book is not a how-to book. Instead, it is an accounting of Roger’s love of the sport and of his fishing adventures on headwater brook trout streams, which he dearly loved. Not to mention fishing the Hendrickson hatch on the East Branch of the Delaware. “My Side of the River” is a must-read for anyone who loves brook trout, the Esopus Creek and the Hendrickson hatch. 

“Golden Days,” by Romilly Feddon, is a little-known classic. My copy has a publication date of 1919. “Golden Days” is a story of a soldier/painter who returns from the first great war to Brittany, in France, where he seeks solitude and peace from the horrendous bloodshed of the battlefield through fly fishing. It’s a compelling read about fly fishing in another time and on another continent.

“A River Runs Through It” is Norman Maclean’s story about a family that lived in western Montana, ultimately along the Big Blackfoot River. The father is a Presbyterian minister who ties his own flies. The book is called autobiographical fiction. 

“A River Runs Through It” may be the most significant book ever written about fly fishing, in that the movie of the same name changed fly fishing in America. It certainly changed the demographics of the state of Montana. 

All these books have their own stories to tell. Some were written to help anglers learn about fly hatches and which flies work best to imitate those hatches. Others provide a historical overview of the evolution of trout fishing. Still others are compassionate accountings of the impact that fly fishing has on people’s lives and the sport itself. 

Each is an important addition to the very large library of books associated with the sport of fly fishing. And each in its own way will enhance your breadth of knowledge about the sport. If you don’t have any of these books, I urge that you find copies.