Must-Reads in Classic Fly-Fishing Literature, with Michael Checchio

I get frequent questions from listeners on what I would recommend they read in fly-fishing literature, as there is so much out there it's tough to sort through it to find what's worth reading.  Michael Checchio [38:10] is a retired journalist and investigative reporter and a student of fly-fishing books, so we spend some time discussing what he feels are must-reads (or maybe just interesting reads) in the vast river of what has been written about fly fishing.

Here is Michael's list:

 

Fiction

• A River Runs through It by Norman Maclean
• "Big Two-Hearted River" by Ernest Hemingway (short story)
• Ninety-Two in the Shade by Thomas McGuane
• The River Why by David James Duncan

Non-fiction 

• The Longest Silence by Thomas McGuane
• The Angler's Coast and Dark Waters by Russell Chatham
• The Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson
• "Hat Creek" and "Deeds Among the Steelhead" by Bill Barich (magazine articles; may be tough to find)
• The Spawning Run by William Humphrey
• Trout Bum by John Gierach
• "The Same River Twice" by David Quammen (published in Outside Magazine)
• "A Sporting Life" by Jim Harrison (magazine article, may be tough to find)
• My Story as Told by Water by David James Duncan

In the Fly Box this week, we have lots of questions and tips, including:

• How do I know when to strip strike and when to trout strike?
• Do I really need to go barbless on small dry-fly hooks?
• How do I know what size material to use if I want to lengthen my leader?
• A great tip from a listener on learning to cast with your "off" hand
• A tip from a listener on wetting new tying materials befor you use them to see what color they will be
• Why do I only see larger wild brown trout in one section of a river I fish?
• How do I see my sighter in difficult lighting conditions?
• If I am fishing for stocked rainbows and grayling, where should I place my grayling fly—on the bottom or on the dropper?
• Should I use my 10-foot 7-weight Recon that I use for steelhead for streamer fishing from a boat for trout?
• What is the main difference between a Helios D and Helios F rod when fishing for bonefish?
• My bamboo ferrule only fits ¾ of the way to full engagement.  Is that OK?
• Why do I see steelhead smolt in my river but never chinook salmon smolt?
• Is there any way to get the bad smell off a bucktail?
• Why don't people fish bucktails much these days?
• Is there a way to tell a northern strain from a southern strain brook trout visually?