Salt Water Fly Fishing, by Joe Brooks

Originally published in 1950, Salt Water Fly Fishing by angling pioneer Joe Brooks was one of the first books ever written on the sport. Brooks' outlined how to fly fish for tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled trout, striper, and a host of other saltwater denizens. What is remarkable about Brook's book is that even today, nearly sixty years later, Salt Water Fly Fishing is still a great guide and resource for fly fisherman.

But, Joe Brooks was not your average angler. With tackle and flies modern anglers would consider primitive, Brooks hooked and landed more big fish than most folks will ever see. Not only was he a gifted angler, but Brooks was a keen observer of the natural world as well. And, he took the time to write about what he learned.

When I began reading Salt Water Fly Fishing, I expected it to be a book of nostalgic stories set in places that have long since been drained and paved sort of a, "How good it used to be," book. To my surprise, I instead found deeply interesting stories about the feeding habits and fighting characteristics of saltwater gamefish and the mysterious places they inhabit. Brook's text is fresh and the angling adventures he writes about are exciting and full of surprises. It's no wonder Salt Water Fly Fishing is considered a classic.

Salt Water Fly Fishing
By Joe Brooks
200 pp. The Derrydale Press $21.95
ISBN: 1-58667-007-7