Reel in some Steelhead Books at the Library

Every good fisherman knows there's more to just tying the fly or baiting the hook.  With about one more week left of finding steelhead in our local rivers, many people are searching the library shelves for ideas, insights, and techniques to help them bring home the big ones.


Flyfishing doesn't have to be complicated and with a few simple egg patterns being an effective choice for Lake Erie waterways even a novice can have a successful day on the water.  In Steelhead Guide: Fly FIshing Techniques and Strategies for Lake Erie Steelhead by John Nagy, you'll find lots of information about everything from flies to steelhead behaviors.  Many of the photos were taken in Pennsylvannia but resemble shorelines in Mill Hollow as well as other spots along the Vermilion River.

Fishing Ohio by Tom Cross gets specific, listing more than 200 fishing spots around Ohio.  You'll find a map in the front with numbered icons that direct you to more in detailed descriptions.  The map makes it easy to locate your area or even plan a trip.  Number 41 is the Vermilion River, with notes that it is one of the more recent additions to the state's list of steelhead sites.For each spot a brief overview is listed along with headings for Special Regulations, Driving Directions, and Camping Facilities. If you're headed to Van Buren Lake, Number 40, the author gives you a tip about a great little local ice cream spot located in the center of town. Hey, it's not just about fishing.

Best Streams for Great Lakes Steelhead by Bob Linsenman notes that several world-record fish have been caught in the Great Lakes Basin.  This comprehensive guide includes maps of all the Great Lakes. Rivers in Chapter 8 include the Rocky RIver, Grand RIver, and Elk Creek.  A brief history of Great Lakes fishing is also included.  Check page 58 where a section called "Fly Recipes" begins.  Here you'll find everything to put together the perfect combination of hook, thread, and everything else to put together the fly that will get the job done.


An index and resource guide make this book a good starting point for beginning anglers.

For another perspective try A Good Life Wasted or Twenty Years as a Fishing Guide by Dave Ames.  If you've ever daydreamed about what it would be like to not have a real job, but just fish every day for a living then this book is for you.  Written by a man who spends more than 150 days a year fly fishing, this collection of insights and stories will have you looking at that desk job in a whole different way.  Anyone who spends that same amount of time in a cubicle will want to tag along as Dave Ames takes you down river to abandoned copper mines to the tune of distant fiddles.  A perfect campfire or lounge chair adventure.


Whatever you're looking to hook, be it fish or just a solemn interlude spent contemplating the fishing lifestyle, the library has the book for you.  Cast off, but stop at your library first.