The Fly-Fisher’s Craft: The Art and History

An illustrated guide to historical and modern flies, hooks, lines, and loop rods.

Whether looking for a back-to-basics approach to fly-tying or a better understanding of its history, The Fly-Fisher's Craft is the perfect volume to educate the curious angler as well as to provide tips of the trade. A detailed history of fly-tying and historical flies are coupled with the author's personal modern fly patterns, satisfying the fisher's desire for the pastoral and practical.

In The Fly-Fisher's Craft, experienced outdoors writer Darrel Martin provides thoroughly researched history and careful instruction accompanied by color photographs throughout. Chapters cover a wide variety of topics, such as:

Tying in antiquity
Fly design
Personal patterns
Hooks and lines
Loop-rods
And much more

In a newly augmented edition, new readers will have the chance to discover the roots of fly fishing and fly tying from antiquity up through the modern era. With forewords by Ted Leeson and by John Betts, both respected angling authors, this book is a complete source for the fly-tier.

Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Darrel Martin is a retired professor of Old and Middle English as well as a devoted angler who has fished in over twenty countries across the globe. He has written several books on the subject, including The Fly-Fisher’s Companion, The Fly Fisher’s Illustrated Dictionary, Micropatterns, and Fly-Tying Methods, and has led educational programs on tying and casting all over the world. He resides in Tacoma, Washington.