Choose The Right Fly! A Streamside Guide for New Zealand Anglers

by Keith Draper

Published by Shoal Bay Press Limited, Christchurch, First published 1997,Size: 190mm x 130mm. 80pp total. Excellent colour drawings on almost every page. Soft cover.

For centuries fly fishers have created imitations of insects from feathers, silks and furs in order to catch trout and, if you are like most anglers, you will have a fly box filled with dozens of different patterns, colours and sizes. But which one will you use?

As Keith Draper shows in this fascinating book, choosing the right fly to entice that trout is not just a matter of random selection. The fly that will give you the greatest chance of success is the one that most closely matches what your trout is actually feeding on.

Some anglers fly fish for years without taking much notice of what goes on around them. They use a few selected flies, enjoy a modicum of success and are happy to leave it at that. But the angler who can recognise the insects around him and identify the type and pattern of fly that can be used to imitate them has a great advantage over the one who remains relatively ignorant of natural history.

Without overwhelming the angler with scientific detail, Keith Draper describes and illustrates the types of creatures trout feed on. He suggests the most likely artificials to replicate them at different phases of their life (along with some hints for home fly-tiers) and gives helpful advice on how to present the fly so that it mimics the prey in action as well as appearance. Together with some delightful fishing anecdotes, he shares knowledge gained from years of experience as a successful fly fisherman and tier of flies.

A book to be read for sheer delight, it is also one you will want to tuck in with your fishing tackle. Choose the right fly and you’ll catch more trout!”