Elegant and graceful, Spey flies originated on the River Spey in northeastern Scotland and are well over 150 years old. Author Bob Veverka gives the history and background on classic Spey, Dee, Don, Eagle, and Steelhead Spey patterns, including step-by-step tying instructions.

This is the definitive book on fly-tying, with thousands of fly patterns included for the enthusiast. Expert angler, fly tier, and author Terry Hellekson addresses everything from the history of fly-fishing around the world to the history of fly tying and fly-tying materials. Hellekson shares interviews with fly-tying greats of years past, along with the fascinating history and background of some of the popular individual flies, making this a great read. His colorful recollections of people and events will intrigue and delight even the most serious fly tier. He also shares years of wisdom and knowledge on fly-tying colors; fly patterns; fly-tying tools, hooks, and materials; and fly-fishing and fly-tying methods. Hellekson' depicts hundreds of intricate patterns for dry flies, wet flies, and nymphs. Mayfly, stonefly, and caddisfly species are widely represented with simulations of the phases of their respective life cycles. Detailed patterns for terrestrials, damselflies and dragonflies, leeches and worms, midges, crustaceans, streamers, shad flies, steelhead flies, Atlantic salmon flies, Spey flies, Pacific salmon flies, and salmon and steelhead dry flies round out the book. This encyclopedia is organized into two distinct parts: the first section describes the origins of fly-fishing; the concepts of vision and perception of color; and the tools and materials from which artificial flies are created. It addresses dry flies, wet flies, nymphs, stoneflies, mayflies, and caddisflies. The second section of the book thoroughly attends to the simulation of other insect orders, such as terrestrials and crustaceans, and then delves into the specifics of streamers, shad flies, steelhead flies, and more. Even a fly-fishing novice will be enthralled with illustrations that clarify the patterns in a reader-friendly style. Line illustrations throughout, plus more than 2,950 detailed fly patterns-including 695 flies shown in full color-make this a comprehensive fly-tying encyclopedia beyond compare. Terry Hellekson was born into the world of fly-fishing and spent his early life in Happy Camp, California, where his father had a fly-fishing guide service on the Klamath and Trinity rivers during the 1940s and 1950s. Hellekson not only fly-fished and tied flies as a youth, but he developed many new fly patterns and eventually became immersed in all phases of the fly-fishing and fly-tying businesses. He founded Fly Fishing Specialties, a wholesale and retail business. He continually exchanges information with leading experts in fly-fishing and fly tying. Hellekson has traveled the world discovering sources for fly-tying materials and other products that he sold on the international market. He has also fished many of the great lakes and rivers of the world, traveling to such far off places as Kashmir to test the waters of the Himalayas. Hellekson is one of the founders of the Northern Utah Fly Fishers and the Granite Bay Fly Casters in northern California. Through fly-tying classes and fly-fishing clinics, he has taught countless numbers of fly fishers the fine points of the sporting art. Besides the many articles he has written on fly-fishing and fly tying, he has authored two books, Popular Fly Patterns (1976) and Fish Flies (1995), with this revised edition the culmination of a lifetime of work. He has also made generous contributions to the works of other authors. He now lives and fishes with his wife, Patricia, in Montana, where they have the famous Kootenai River at their doorstep.

The Definitive Book on Spey Flies Within fly tying, and within steelhead and salmon angling, Spey flies occupy a substantial niche. These flies are exceptionally popular in America, not only on the “steelhead coast,” but nationwide among fly tying enthusiasts, and they enjoy a substantial popularity worldwide; their popularity has gained renewed enthusiasm with the latest generation of young tiers and anglers (the private Facebook page “The Spey Tyer” has 3,600 members). The author is the world’s leading authority on the history and tying of Spey flies simply because they caught his fancy in the 1980s and over the years he has conducted more research on the topic by far than anyone else. His vision for this new incarnation of his original Spey Flies (Amato Publications, 2002) includes a tremendous upgrade from the original—an entirely new book, in fact—because he has uncovered so many historical facts, intrigues, people, and flies that have never been compiled in a single volume, or even presented in any form to the interested audience. The original Spey Flies was graphically rich; the new book is far more so.

• The most complete collection of classic salmon fly patterns ever compiled • 1,738 classic patterns from the golden age of tying • Color photos of select flies tied by 86 world-class salmon fly tiers from 17 countries • Patterns from the classic literature published between 1800 and 1941 by authors like Francis Francis, George Kelson, and J. H. Hale

The History of Fly Fishing in Fifty Flies recounts the story of a sport that dates back two thousand years, focusing on milestone flies from the first feathered hook to contemporary patterns using cutting edge materials. From the many thousands of fly patterns developed over the centuries (there are more than 1,700 salmon fly patterns alone) these fifty have been chosen to represent the development not only of the flies themselves, but also the fly fishing techniques - and of rods, lines, and reels. These iconic flies also chart the spread of this addictive sport from its modern origins on the chalk streams of southern England and the rivers of Scotland to the US, Europe, South America and the Antipiodes, and now to every country in the world. Once limited to trout and salmon, fly-fishing techniques today are used to catch every fish species from minnows to marlin, in rivers, lakes and oceans from the Amazon to the Arctic. Filled with profiles of the key characters, tying tips, photographs and illustrations of the flies, and detailed explanations of the techniques used to fish them, The History of Fly Fishing in Fifty Flies charts the exponential growth and diversification of this fascinating sport.

The most popular type of flies used by salmon and steelhead anglers today Over 500 different patterns with origins, distinguishing features, and tying details Catalog of flies with color photos and full dressings for each fly The world's leading fly tiers have contributed their own unique flies and fly-tying advice to this guide to the most widely-used flies for salmon and steelhead. Chris Mann's remarkable computer graphics convey the flies with clinical precision and color accuracy. He has selected over 500 of the best hairwing flies, based on those submitted by leading fly tiers from around the world. This book will inspire fly tiers to try a whole range of exciting new patterns, tying techniques, colors, and materials.

The definitive resource for tiers and anglers interested in the rich tradition of steelhead flies. Learn the histories of these classic flies, as well as how to tie them. • Covers steelhead flies from their origins in the 1890s up through the mid-1970s • Includes flies that remain popular today, as well as forgotten classics that were once popular or that exhibit stylistic merit • Contains 350 beautiful full color photos

The most all-encompassing compendium of truly valuable information on steelhead ever written. —Jack Hemingway There are exceptional chapters on the fish itself; the tackle and techniques used to pursue it under diverse circumstances in such great steelhead rivers as the Deschutes, the Dean, the North Umpqua, the Bulkley, the Rogue and the Babine, and memorable profiles of the modern masters and the fly patterns they developed.

Modern Spey Fishing is a complete guide to contemporary Spey casting and fishing techniques made possible through current advancements in equipment and line designs. The book looks at much more than the traditional approaches for salmon and steelhead, exploring a wider scope of species including inland trout, smallmouth bass, and even saltwater game fish. It thoroughly covers in understandable terms today’s Spey lines and heads while diving in deep to discuss various presentation techniques for both two-handed and single-handed approaches. Modern Spey Fishing provides the basis for enjoying all that Spey has to offer while addressing the current developments in the sport.

In step-by-step tying sequences using today's tools and materials, the author takes the willing tier from basic low-water patterns and simple Dee-strip flies to prawns, grubs, tube flies, and Spey flies.