Entomology for Flyfishers

Apologies to anyone in the USA, Canada and a host of other countries for I have decided to focus principally on books relevant to the UK and Ireland.  For anglers living in the USA there are excellent books by Leiser, Schwiebert, Swisher, Richards, Whitlock et al.

Goddard, J., Trout Fly Recognition, A & C Black, 1966 (third edition 1976); Trout Flies of Stillwater, A & C Black, 1969 (fourth edition 1979); Trout Flies of Britain and Europe.  I have found that John Goddard’s books are an invaluable source of information on the bugs trout feed on and without his books I simply would not have managed to identify more than a handful of pretty common flies.  For those who require a little less detail than the above books provide, indeed a book that slips into a pocket or fishing bag, John has written a Waterside Guide (Unwin Hyman, 1988).  This book is aptly described as ‘The angler’s pocket reference to the insects of rivers and lakes – how to identify them and choose the matching artificial’.

Harris, J.R., An Angler’s Entomology, Collins, 1952 (1970 re-print).  The first book on entomology that I obtained and still a very useful guide.

Ronalds, A., The Fly-Fisher’s Entomology, London, 1836 (available via FFCL).  In spite of its publication date Alfred Ronalds’ book is still of interest to the modern angler.  I still use a few of Ronalds’ original patterns including his Cowdung which makes a cracking sedge emerger pattern!  Did trout feed more readily on cowdung flies in 1836?  Perhaps there was more dung around then!

Walker, C.F., Lake Flies and Their Imitation, 1960 (re-published in paperback by Andre Deutsch in 1983).  A pretty useful book on entomology for lake and river anglers.  When Walker wrote the work he had already given up fishing though I have no idea why.

The more scientifically minded among us may wish to delve into greater detail and would be advised to chase up identification handbooks produced by the Royal Entomological Society of London.  I have copies published in the 1950s and bought cheaply when a local library was getting rid of old books.  I felt like a bit of a nerd.  Identification guides as detailed as these will enable the more obsessed to peer lovingly at the claspers of a male ephemerid or to spot a tiny hind wing and cry ‘Centropilum luteolum!’  Those are the kind of guys who really impress girls at dinner parties.