The best fly-fishing books ever written

There are two main kinds of fly-fishing books I read gravitate: technical, and lore. Technical books will give you new methods and ideas to try out, or tell you about places to fish. Fishing lore will give you inspiration, tell stories, and transport you to the places where the magic happens.

The best books combine the two. They detail the methods and techniques, but at the same time, tell the romantic tales of angling life.

I've tried to divide things up a little bit better here. If you're new to fly-fishing, or looking to support a beginning angler, start with the Beginners' shelf, and follow your heart from there.

Despite my bluster up top, this is an incredibly incomplete and work-in-progress list. Got any suggestions? Leave a comment!

Interested in my 2024 Read on the river favorite book list? Check it out here.

Fly-fishing books, by type:

Beginners' shelf
Lore and storytelling
Fiction
Technical fly-fishing methods
Fish behavior
Bugs
Nymphing
Places and conservation
Montana
Michigan
Oregon

Beginners' shelf

If you're new to fly-fishing, or want to support a beginning angler, these are the very first books you should buy.

• Curtis Creek Manifesto: A Fully Illustrated Guide to the Strategy, Finesse, Tactics, and Paraphernalia of Fly Fishing, Sheridan Anderson
• Simple Fly Fishing, Yvon Chouinard, Craig Mathews, Mauro Mazzo

Lore and storytelling

• Trout Bum, John Gierach
• Traver on Fishing, Robert Traver

Fiction

• A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Norman Maclean
• The River Why, David James Duncan

Technical fly-fishing methods

• Fly Fishing Evolution, George Daniel
• Western Fly-Fishing Strategies, Craig Mathews

Fish behavior

• In the Ring of the Rise, Vincent Marinaro

Bugs

• Caddisflies, Gary Lafontaine
• The Complete Book of Western Hatches: An Angler's Entomology and Fly Pattern Field Guide, Rick Hafele and Dave Hughes

Nymphing

• Dynamic Nymphing, George Daniel
  Read our conversation with George Daniel on the publication of Dynamic Nymphing.

Places and conservation

Montana

• Inventing Montana, Ted Leeson
• The Yellowstone Fly-Fishing Guide, New and Revised, Craig Mathews and Clayton Molinero
• Fly Fishing Yellowstone National Park: An Insider's Guide to the 50 Best Places, Nate Schweber
• Fly Fishing the Madison, Craig Mathews and Gary LaFontaine

Michigan

• Rivers of Sand: Fly Fishing Michigan And The Great Lakes Region, Josh Greenberg
• Trout Water: A Year on the Au Sable, Josh Greenberg

Oregon

• Fly Fishing in Oregon, Madelynne Sheehan