Simple Fly Fishing: Techniques for Tenkara and Rod and Reel by Yvon Chouinard

Simple Fly Fishing: Techniques for Tenkara and Rod and Reel Reviews

• 
  Rocky Manzer

  The more I read fly fishing books the more I convinced you cannot learn to fly fish through books. A tip here or there maybe useful but you really need someone to show you the basics in person and you need to spend time on the water. This book I assume is geared to someone trying to get started fly fishing simply and if it is it fails. Firstly, the book is confusing because it really isn't a tenkara book or straight rod and reel book they keep switching between the two methods. The authors, of which there are three, should have just picked horse and rode it as they say. Secondly, if you want to write a book about how to start fly fishing it shouldn't be intimidating-- you may want to tamp down the Italian mountain stream fly fishing stories or the time you fished with the captain of Czech national fly fishing team or the time you fished the rivers in Bhutan stories. Eye roll. Third as beginner fly fisher there is a lot of not so helpful information that fills up the book for example there are roughly 15 pages of examples of flies with recipes. Look when you start fly fishing you aren't tying flies--you could give people a nice list of flies with a few nice pictures so you can go down to your local fly shop and tell them what you want.
  
  So my advice is if you are learning to fly fish you probably shouldn't buy this book. I suggest if you are going to learn Western Fly Fishing you should buy the Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson take a lesson or go out with somebody the knows what they are doing. Also you should find a local spot where the fish are abundant and easy to catch--blue gill pond or small mountain streams with brook trout--and learn there. Trust me not all fly fishing happens in exotic locations. It really helps to be successful at first. I don't know much about tenkara but I am sure there are better beginners books out there than this.
• 
  Jared Cook

  I would not approach this as a comprehensive how to book. More like a book to become inspired to go fish more and to be more efficient and minimalist about it, and pick up a few techniques that could be useful. It's a decent introduction to the basics of Tenkara fishing, and there's some info on regular fly rod fishing, but the best parts are the interspersed little days and stories that are more about why we fish than how. Stories that would be at home in an outdoor or travel magazine. The pictures are also beautiful.
• 
  Austin

  A beautiful book with a lot of great photos and wonderful fishing stories. It indeed gives simple techniques but if you want to employ them you’ll need to know a lot more about fly fishing than is in this book. The book promotes Tenkara fishing, which I have done in Utah and think is excellent. If you are an avid fly fisher you’d probably really enjoy getting this book as a gift.
  
  However, I was hoping to learn how to START fly fishing in my own in a simple way, which this book doesn’t really do. It also focuses solely on trout (but in all kinds of water) and I live where I can fish for many things but not trout. So I had hoped it would cover more.
• 
  Tony Plante

  Simple(r) Fly Fishing
  
  Writing is accessible, and communicates the authors’ love of fishing and Tenkara as a simpler form of fly fishing. Book seems a bit choppy, where is shifts from voice to voice, but I liked the stories and description of the technique, even though it still got way more detailed and occasionally too technical for a newbie like me. Still, it made me want to learn more, so it was worth it. I’d recommend reading this after a more beginner-oriented book and a little time on the water.
• 
  Chad

  While this book contains tons of great information, especially if you’re learning Tenkara fly fishing, it’s definitely geared towards the seasoned angler. Never having fly fished in my life, there was a lot of things in here that seemed like jargon and required reading and rereading followed by a quick google search followed by a rerereading. As I get to spend more time fishing, I’ll definitely reference this book as it contains a wealth of knowledge.
• 
  Dwayne Mchottie

  Love the concept
  
  I love the concept this book presents, making fly fishing what it should be, a simple and fun adventure. Glad I gave this book a try.
• 
  Brian Glenn

  Winner of the 2014 Guidebooks category of the Banff Book Awards.
• 
  Joe Stinnett

  Hadn’t fly fished for many years. Excellent refresher. Much has changed. Wonderful photos.
• 
  Craig

  A book that articulates some of my views about the spirit of fly fishing. The book is not so much about how to catch fish -- though it does address that -- but more about why we fish, or at least, why we should. A good read for those who have been overcome by all the gear, expenses, and techno minutiae that have stuck to simple fly fishing like parasites to the felt soles of wading boots!
• 
  Bridget

  What a beautiful gem of a book, filled with useful information on fly fishing and wonderful anecdotes from the authors. I've read this book several times, and continue to find nuggets that bring me closer to understanding fishing, rivers and life. Essential reading.
• 
  Paul Batcheller

  True to its title, this books seeks to explain fly fishing in a simple, accessible manner. A good place to start for anyone who has ever been interested in fly fishing but didn't know where to start.
  
• 
  Bob Peru

  there's not much in english on tenkara. this is fine. reads like the copy editor of the patagonia catalogs wrote it. probably did. nice read though if you're so inclined to this type of fishing.