Complete Book of Fly Tying

Here at last is a book for fly tiers, beginners and experts alike, that provides foolproof directions for tying all types of flies. In this book even the beginner knows where he is during every step in the process, from the moment he ties in the waxed thread until he ties off the fly with the whip finish knot.

But unlike the specialized books on fly tying that describe particular types or styles of flies, this book covers them all -- all types of both freshwater and saltwater flies. Whether you are talking about dry flies for trout, streamers for tarpon, or hair bugs for bass, you will find them here. Eric Leiser teaches the basic methods for tying all basic flies. Standard dries? Yes. Hair dries? Yes. Parachute dries? Yes. Hackleless flies? Again yes. Wets, nymphs, streamers, Jassids and other terrestrials, bucktails and Muddlers, Spuddlers and Matukas? Yes, everything! This book provides all the basics for the different types and styles of flies, and patterns are given for the most important flies in each category.

The drawings are the work of another master fly tier, Dave Whitlock, who knows the processes himself and supplements Leiser's detailed instructions with step-by-step illustrations. In addition, there are clear and useful photographs by Gus Nevros.

In sum, this is truly The Complete Book of Fly Tying. It will clarify the mysteries for the beginner; it will reveal tricks of the trade for the expert who seeks to improve his method or who wants to tie types of flies he has not attempted before. It also covers, of course, the necessary tools and is filled throughout with immensely helpful discussion of materials, and their special uses and characteristic behavior during the process of tying. And there is specific advice on how to master difficult or obstinate materials such as deer hair, which often baffles beginning tiers of the hair-bodied fly. Throughout, Eric Leiser not only describes each step in detail, but shows how to avoid some all-too-common mistakes.

This book is a complete education -- and one that will leave you well prepared to tie any kind of fly for any fish taken on the fly rod.

Eric Leiser, a master fly tier, teacher, and expert on the materials of the craft, is the author of Fly Tying Materials, as well as co-author with Larry Solomon of The Caddis and the Angler, and; with Robert H. Boyle, of Stoneflies for the Angler. He is on the board of United Fly Tiers and an active member of Theodore Gordon Fly Fishers, the Federation of Fly Fishermen, and Trout Unlimited. Born in Brooklyn, he now lives in Wappingers Falls, New York.