Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die

by Chris Santella, Mike Fitzgerald, R. Valentine Atkinson (Photographer)

Amateur or expert, every angler dreams of landing "the big one," but that's only part of the appeal of fly fishing. Because even when hours pass without a bite, nothing beats the rugged beauty of the surroundings. For both armchair travelers and avid outdoorsmen who may have already started a checklist of their own, Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die maps out the meccas of the fly-fishing world. Through in-depth interviews with the sport's acknowledged gurus, author Chris Santella goes beyond standard guides to convey the very essence of the recommended locations. Readers can vicariously cast mouse pattners to fifty-pound taimen in the wilds of Mongolia, wrangle with wily permit off the Florida Keys, and match the hatch on Montana's Armstrong's Spring Creek. Jardines de la Reina, Cuba (tarpon), the Zhupanova River, Kamchatka (rainbow trout), and the Rio Negro, Brazil (peacock bass) are also included. The essays include a cultural and natural history of each site, along with colorful anecdotes based on the author's and authorities' experiences. With breath-takingly-beautiful photos of the spots, many by celebrated fly-fishing photographer R. Valentine Atkinson, the book also provides adventurous anglers with enough travel-and-tackle information so that they, too, can start planning excursions to go fish around the globe.

Genres: Reference, Outdoors, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Nick Slighting · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 out of 5

A seriously great read with detailed photos. Though I am not likely to visit many of these 50 locations, I still loved reading about each of them.

I really enjoyed the personal stories provided by a greatly varied set of authors. Each of the locations in the book were described with great detail by someone who had been there. I felt like I was along for the adventure in many of the descriptions.

This book made me reminisce about my own adventures fly-fishing. Many of them were along side my dad in Utah. I could have provided a few additions to this book from my personal fishing experiences. Oddly enough, I bought this book for my dad a few years before he passed away. I am proud to say he had fished a few of these locations throughout his life.

Overall, very likely to re-read at some point.

[John Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the ultimate "Fly Fishing Bucket List." A list of the 50 "where would you fly fish if money were no object." Bristol Bay, Ak. Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina. Fall and Pit Rivers, Northern California. Yucatán, Mexico.. Madison River, MT. South Island, New Zealand. Recommended by some of the luminaries of the sport: Ernest Schwiebert, Billy Pate, Lani Waller, Craig Matthews, Barry and Cathy Beck. Photographs by R. Valentine Atkinson. My portfolio won't afford Argentina, Iceland, Spain or Zambia, but there is plenty of domestic choice to put in my bucket. Look for me standing in the water waving a stick.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do you rate a wish book? I remember my kids waiting for the Sears catalog to start circling what they wanted for Christmas. I am really a lousy fly fisherman but I try. I have become decent on a small farm pond. When I was a child I fished for trout in Colorado using worms, I caught my limit and I can remember the fly fishermen catching little. Well, now that I am older, it's not about numbers, but about the experience. This is an adult Sears catalog. Nice pictures and descriptions as to how these wishes can become realities.

[Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soke good recommendations although none are the author's own and they are heavily biased towards North America.

[Yin]

MY FISH!

[Brett Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goal would be to get to half of these!