Taking trout: Good, solid, practical advice for fly fishing streams and stillwaters

The sheer variety of fly-fishing environments and experience covered in "Taking Trout" make it a worthy addition to a fishing library. Fishing a canyon stream with midges, Hughes teaches the basics of presentation. Fishing stair steps, Hughes covers strategies to prevent drag. Fishing bank water, Hughes teaches how to cast upstream near the bank for the trout there. Fishing slicks, deciphering whether trout are feeding on the surface of the water or subsurface, the benefits of spike camping away from the base camp in order to fish less congested waters-all are covered in the book. Readers will learn from an experienced fisherman and talented fly-fishing author, who himself admits he is still learning how to take trout. EXCERPT: "We packed a small tent, sleeping bags, and pads, some light food and cooking gear, and headed out with all the others. We lazed along, dropped our packs, and fished while everybody else rushed ahead. .. . . We'd had an excellent day, spent fishing rather than racing."

Dave Hughes is the editor of "Flyfishing and Tying Journal" and has written more than 25 fishing books, including "Essential Trout Flies" (0811727483), "Handbook of Hatches" (081172087X), and "Wet Flies: Tying and Fishing Soft-Hackles, Winged and Wingless Wets, and Fuzzy Nymphs" (0811718689).