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Essential Flies For Great Lakes -- Jerry Darkes (Hardcover)
$39.95
Original price
Original price
$39.95
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Original price
$39.95
Original price
$39.95
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$39.95
Current price
$39.95
The Great Lakes sport fisheries (both in the lakes and the streams that flow into them) are extremely popular and key recreational outlets for anglers around the country who want premier fishing for trout, steelhead, salmon, bass, and other species on the fly fishing frontier such as drum and carp. Jerry Darkes, in his successful book, Fly Fishing the Inland Oceans, only scratched the surface of the innovative fly patterns coming out of the Great Lakes region. Now, working with professional photographer Jimmy Chang, Darkes goes beyond that to compile in this book the first ever collection of GL patterns (steelhead, salmon, brown trout, musky) by contemporary tiers of the region.
Over 600 patterns and recipes cover the historically important patterns from well-known tiers such as Schweibert and George Griffith and Swisher and Richards as well as flies that are on the cutting edge from tiers such as Kevin Feenstra, Walt Grau, Jon Kluesing, Rick Kustich, Jeff Liskay, Dave Pinczkowski, Ray Schmidt, Greg Senyo, and Matt Supinski.
From the Introduction
The Great Lakes have over 11,000 miles of shoreline with hundreds of tributaries. North to south, the region encompasses several climatic zones. The lakes border wilderness as well as highly developed industrial areas. An amazing diversity of plant and wildlife species and ecosystems are found here. The overall importance of this region is almost beyond comprehension. From an angling standpoint, this can be considered one of the premier sportfishing areas anywhere. Anglers have the lakes themselves, plus countless inland creeks, streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes at their doorstep. Both coldwater and warmwater opportunities abound, all found in a relatively small geographic area. An angler can fish smallmouth in the morning and then catch a hatch for trout in the afternoon and evening. Fly fishing itself is defined by the flies we use—those accumulations of feathers, hair, fur, and synthetic materials attached to a hook and cast in hopes of attracting a fish to strike.
Great Lakes Originals
Migratory smallmouth bass are an interesting Great Lakes phenomenon. There are a number of locations where runs of bass ascend tributaries to spawn and then drop back to the big water. The smallmouth generally come in as the steelhead are dropping back. This makes for a unique species overlap in the spring. Several flies presented here are effective for these fish, as well as trout. [The Emulator] is one of the earliest Great Lakes patterns designed to be swung on sinking-tip lines. Kevin Feenstra’s home base, Michigan’s Muskegon River, is loaded with sculpin, and both resident and migratory trout eat them with gusto. This pattern has proven itself in other areas for an assortment of species… Now considered an old-school pattern, the Emulator still catches plenty of fish. It can be swung or cast for several different species including steelhead, brown trout, and smallmouth.
About the Author
Jerry Darkes is a fly tackle sales rep, instructor/guide, and writer based in northern Ohio. He has over four decades of fly fishing experience in both fresh and saltwater and is recognized as an expert on Great Lakes steelhead and warm water fly fishing. He is also a member of the Scott Fly Rod and Scientific Anglers Pro Staffs. Jerry was the first "fly fishing only” guide on Ohio’s Lake Erie tributaries and helped to pioneer many of the fly patterns and techniques used today.
He has been featured in several books and video/DVD productions about Great Lakes fly fishing and is a well-known fly tier who created a series of instructional fly tying DVDs focusing on Great Lakes steelhead and other gamefish. Jerry gives many programs and demonstrations throughout the region and has been featured on several television shows including Trout Unlimited TV and Outdoors Ohio.
