(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best fishing books

Most of these types of posts contain mass-market gear from the 1950s or 1960s (lots of automatic reels). Your grandpa's stash was a cut above the norm.

From a valuation standpoint, the Hardy Perfect is a post-WWII model, after they dumped the environmentally unfriendly but very desirable lead-based coating system they used for over fifty years. It is in about C+ condition. Because that reel was made forever and because you have probably the most common size, it is not ridiculously valuable. It would probably sell on eBay for about $300-400 right now.

It is, however, a complete classic and a beautiful piece of kit. You should absolutely fish it. It looks like your Grandpa had a fairly modern line on it if that is a loop to loop connection I am seeing, meaning it was made within the least 15 years. I would simply go fishing with that.

The bamboo rods are collectors' pieces and are most likely of intermediate value, especially the Kingfisher. Mid-hundred dollar range. The Brunner I am not sure about; it could have legitimate four-figure value depending on the reputation of the maker. Either way, stash those until you know what you are doing.

The Fenwick is a basic fiberglass rod of little value and damn near indestructibility. If you don't want to go spring for a new rod right away, I would fish that. The advantage of fiberglass for a new angler is that it bends so much, which will help you feel and understand loading the rod quickly. That rod is super serviceable and there is a big retro community that is into fiberglass rods right now. Check out Cameron Mortensen's www.fiberglassmanifesto.com. You will find real enthusiasts there.

To get started I'd recommend picking up a book called Fly Casting Fundamentals by Lefty Kreh. You can get it for $15 on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Casting-Fundamentals-Distance-Accuracy-Hauling/dp/081170565X/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_74_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=TG5W464EY4P229H4VC0Z

Lefty is one of the least hidebound casting instructors in the country and was way ahead of his time in terms of understanding what a fly rod really does and how to make that as easy as possible biomechanically. His techniques -- mostly involving sidearm or "Belgian" casting -- were criticized for many years by "10 and 2" traditionalists. In the late 2000s machinery was developed that actually tracked what a fly rod did in the cast with precision, and Lefty's methods were completely vindicated. I believe his technique is the easiest to get started with and it's what I teach my casting students first.

Good luck!

/u/Independent is on the right track, as usual - that site is a goldmine. Be sure to check out not only the patterns, but also his blog posts. He's been less active in recent years, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the information in the older posts in the least.

Which book did you buy? If you don't already have it, snag a copy of The Best Flies for Carp by Jay Zimmerman - it's full of great stuff. And although I'm not much of an Orvis fan in general, I have to admit that the Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing for Carp is really good. Kirk Deeter is the real deal. If you're looking for tying instructions for those, it's easy enough to find most of them - but InTheRiffle has a nice playlist of excellent patterns. FlyGeek and a few other custom tiers also have carp-specific patterns.

Finally, if you want to kick it old-school and read about where fly fishing for carp really got started, track down an old copy of Carp on the Fly by Barry Reynolds and Brad Befus. It's still relevant!

If you haven't rage quit at least a dozen times on the first half-dozen trips, you aren't trying hard enough. Occasionally they'll be easy, but very rarely. Most of the time they're really hard to fool, and often harder yet to land.

Good luck! Come back and post your fish, K?

Observation is your best friend. Learn to recognize what's on/in/under the water. Check out Handbook of Hatches by Dave Hughes for a good basic guide to what trout eat and flies to match them. The Mayfly Guide by Al Caucci (PA fishing legend) is more specific but a beautiful little book. Trout Streams of Pennsylvania by Greg Landis is a great guide to our wonderful state's streams and often gives specific advice regarding what hatches may be found on a particular one. Edit: No Hatch to Match by Rich Ostoff is a great guide for all those times that there aren't bugs on the water.

I'm also in SE PA (Philly) and would be happy to meet up and wet a line. Drop me a PM if interested.

If you haven't fished with a fly rod before then going with a guide is a good idea, especially if you've got a buddy who wants to go and you can split the cost. It is not cheap but the guide will save you the headache of trying to find a place to get in and out of the water, can give you enough ideas to make your next few trips, and will save you the frustration of going out hoping to have a good time and not having any idea what the hell you are doing.

Especially fishing these little spring creeks you may wind up having to roll cast a lot (otherwise you will spend a lot of time trying to get your precious new flies out of the tree branches behind you), and that is one of those things that is a lot easier to do when you can watch somebody who knows what he or she is doing.

Finally, when I first started fishing with flies, I made the mistake of setting out on my own seeking out beautiful pristine new england creeks and ponds with native brook trout, and I didn't catch a god damned thing. Later I made a few outings with my uncle on a little pond full of bluegill. On the still water I could actually see what my casts were doing, and I was fishing little dries like red quills, so I got to have the whole experience of presenting the fly and seeing the fish come up and take it on top. I think it is much more gratifying to bring in a few really dopey fish with hapless technique than to go out and fail to catch any trout. Also a 1/2lb bluegill on a 3wt fly rod feels about like catching a 10lb striper.

After a few of those trips I was having fun again, I made some guided trips out west and didn't make an ass of myself.

Here are my two books I like:

http://www.amazon.com/Flyfishers-Guide-Virginia-Including-Virginias/dp/1932098399/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334973191&sr=8-1


and

http://www.amazon.com/Simplified-Fly-Fishing-S-Slaymaker/dp/0811722791/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334973229&sr=1-2

good luck and report back!

Itinerary and duration for Budapest in June looks fine to me. It doesn't sound like you're ill-prepared at all. Meeting your mates for the football is also a great psychological 'goal' (haha) on your journey to keep you moving. My other thoughts:

• I find having a Lonely Planet really helpful. I'd recommend getting their 'SE Asia on a Shoestring' guide.
  
• I pack as light possible. First time I went travelling I threw/gave away half my clothes/stuff cause I wasn't using them.
  
• For hostels, if you want to stay flexible with dates and locations, I'd say book the night before otherwise you may potentially be tied to a date/location that is not your preference (if you had booked well in advance). Also consider Couchsurfing where kind locals accommodate you for free. A great way to meet people and save money.
  
• I made a video guide for the Trans-Siberian railway, which provides info on costs, tickets, internerary, mistakes, etc. Vladivostok to St Petersburg can be done for just £200.
  
  Good luck. Your trip sounds awesome. Within a week, I'm sure you'll be super confident about it all! : )

generally, i dont keep track of anything to be honest. I don't mean to divert here but it just sounds like you're looking for something to do. Sounds like you have a bit of cabin fever sir!

How about take a good look at your tackle and try to decypher exactly why or how a lure works. The next step is start making your own tackle! That's what I do. I've started tying flies and taking those characteristics i've learned from lures I love fishing with and applying it to new lures.

I picked up a book recently at a fishing flea market in town here. One thing that always bothered me in the summertime was that I always saw bass and such snapping at the surface for dragon flies. Taking a look through that book gave me ideas at making some dragon fly lures. If you're into panfish this book is great too. Don't underestimate jigs or spinner jigs. You can tie them up with fly tools too and they are fun. I'm about to head out to work now but if you want I'll post some pics of some things I made this winter.

Sounds like you're into bass fishing and if you're looking for more "hard lures" you can check out making them too. I shop at janns netcraft for a lot of my lure making stuff but you can find a lot of good deals at ebay stores. I usually get jigs and such off ebay in bulk packages, because i can use them with soft lures too. Always useful.

Effing right on, dude! That's 23 inches of more catfish than I've caught since moving to Idaho 8 years ago. I've read your post, and it's interesting that the channel took your live bluegill. I don't mean that to say that they don't like live bait, but I don't think they are the prolific hunters like flathead are. It's entirely possible your bait could have been dead like you said, my experience being if you catch them out of the same body of water and hook above the lateral line they stay lively for a good long time. That's how we would bait our trotlines as well. But what do I know! Congrats on the fish is what's really important!

Do yourself a favor and check out this book and video if you have not seen them before.

In-Fisherman Catfish Fever Book -

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0929384040/ref=ox_sc_mini_detail?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

This is a book my dad bought new and I read I don't know how many times as a kid. It covers the BASICS and FUNDAMENTALS of catfishing. Some stuff I'm sure you already know, but it's a great, fast read, nonetheless.

In-Fisherman Catfish Fever Video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNJrMr4PcsY&list=PLVUyyZUmtqDBtDWs7GsRUs1dPYd6SDrVU

This is the VHS video that was released alongside the book that somebody was cool enough to break up into 6 episodes and upload to the YouTubes... If you don't want to read the book then at least watch these, it's only an hour of your time. Otis 'Toad' Smith is dead now, but he probably shit out more catfish knowledge every morning than most of these folks have total these days. Doug for that matter, too.

Sorry for rambling, but nobody has ever taken my fishing advice before... Good luck, man! I hope those other resources can help you too!

Check out this book: Complete Angler's Guide to Oregon

There is some seriously great information in there about forgotten/locals-only fishing spots throughout the state that you might not be able to find any information on from the internet. There is a sizable chunk of the book available for free from google books, but it's definitely worth the purchase.

I've also found that so long as you're willing to put a little hike in, all the rivers or lakes in Oregon are pretty easy to find solitude on. Pretty amazing how easy it is to get away from the crowds, as long as you're ready to walk.

I don't live in Portland but I spent a month there in August and fished as much as I could. My impression was mostly "wow there is a ton of water here!" I especially enjoyed the Santiam River (both North Santiam and Little North Fork) about 1.5 hours from Portland. The Clackamas and its tribs like the Collowash also offer some great fishing quite close to Portland. My best advice would be get a book on the area (this one seemed to be the most thorough when i was researching: http://www.amazon.com/Fishing-Eleventh-Edition-Madelynne-Sheehan/dp/0916473163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382722585&sr=8-1&keywords=fishing+oregon), and just start trying places.

Neversink river, about 2 hours from you. It's at the base of the Catskills. Can be beautiful in the right spots. The Delaware system starting in Roscoe NY. 4 pretty famous rivers up there. You can also head to jersey as well. The Ramapo go runs through upper NJ. You will need a jersey license to fish it. Actually you will need a NY license to fish in NY. The croton system is in upper Westchester it's a great place. There are some sweet spots that you can fish that are really nice if you search them out. I suggest you grab this book it is a great start and will give you a good idea of places to fish. It is supposed to be read like a reference book not a cover to cover read. PM me if you want some more detailed info

Welcome to the fellowship! Just as a note, this sub is pretty quiet lately, so if you don't get what you need here, head over to /r/Fishing and ask again. I throw plugs rather than bait, but let me recommend a couple of books: Fly Rodding Estuaries, by Ed Mitchell, and Fly Fishing the Striper Surf, by Frank Daignault. Yeah, they're fly books, but I think they do a better job of explaining shore fishing tactics than any other sources I've found. Also, StripersOnline is an excellent resource, and can help you connect with people down in your area. Have fun!

Edit: Also, check out this pdf.. You may not be as far from the fish as you think.

You can salt water fish off most piers in LA - Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Santa Monica, Redondo. Or just pull off the side of the road and cast off any sea wall. You are mostly looking at perch, maybe an occasional halibut or sand bass. Not the hottest action. I'd assume the same for San Diego, but I do not know the pier names. The action for LA and SD is on the offshore boats - highly recommend doing a 3/4 day trip on a boat. You may still be able to get in on the yellowtail action in October, but that is where the bass are too. In California, you can buy one fishing license that covers both saltwater and freshwater - make sure it covers both.

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Fishing#758845-items--fees

Seattle has water everywhere. I do not know about their salt water fishing, but check to see if salmon season is still open.

Finally, Yosemite itself is somewhat lacking in fishing due to the heavy crowds. You can do alright on the outskirts of the park. But the Sierra Nevadas in general have great fishing. North of Yosemite is the Walker River, which has some fun fly fishing. There is also lots of water and guide shops around Mammoth Lakes, south of Yosemite. Trout season should still be open, but check to be safe, you're close to the end.

This book is the Bible:

https://www.amazon.com/Moon-California-Fishing-Complete-Outdoors/dp/1612381669/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473778180&sr=8-1&keywords=california+fishing

Wow. One of my dirty little secrets is shared by a fellow fisherman. I have never caught anything with a wooly bugger. Tbh, I never fish them, so there is that..

So I've established that I am not a proficient streamer fisherman, and will also say I haven't read this, but you may want to check Strip-Set out. GD is a very accomplished fisherman, the book has gotten very good reviews in many circles, and I can speak for the absolute amazingness of Dynamic Nymphing and how filled w great advice that book is. If this is even half filled with technique/suggestions/pointers, it will be well worth your buy and time. Let us know!!

My favorites, in this order:

• Flyfisher's Guide to California - This is also the most current of the three, and has great maps in addition to good text and photos.
  
  
• Fly Fishing the Sierra Nevada, Revised Edition - An excellent guidebook, but obviously very focused on the Sierra. May be a good choice based on your dad's location.
  
  
• California's Best Fly Fishing: Premier Streams and Rivers from Northern California to the Eastern Sierra - Another solid choice.

• Basic Fly Fishing: All the Skills and Gear You Need to Get Started
  
  
• The Bug Book: A Fly Fisher's Guide to Trout Stream Insects
  
  
• Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass
  
  
• Fly-Fishing for Smallmouth: in Rivers and Streams
  
  
• Fly Rodding Estuaries: How to Fish Salt Ponds, Coastal Rivers, Tidal Creeks, and Backwaters
  
  
• Fly Fishing the Striper Surf