Resources




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Flies for Bass and Panfish by Dick Stewart and Farrow Allen

Published by Northand Press, Inc. P.O. Box 280 Intervale, NH 03845

This book should be in every warmwater tiers library. It is beautifully illustrated with photos and recipies for over two hundred flies.

Fly pattern catagorieis include: Floating Bugs, Mice, Frogs, Crayfish, Leeches, Eels and Snakes, Divers, Jigs, Baitfish, Insects, Nymphs, Panfish Flies, and Poppers.


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Bass Flies by Dick Stewart

Published by Northland Press, Inc -- P.O. Box 280 -- Intervale, NH 03845

This is another "must have" book for your library. Included are tying instructions for different styles of bass flies plus chapters on deer hair techniques and basic tying procedures including spinning deer hair, and bass fly nomenclature.


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The Art of Tying The Bass Fly by Skip Morris

Published by Frank Amoto Publications, Inc. -- P.O. Box 82112 -- Portland, OR 97282

Skip covers Essential Techniques, Weed Guards, Flaring and Shaping Deer Hair, Tools, and Materials.

The book also features step-by-step photo enhanced instructions for tying Floating Flies, Sinking Flies, Divers, Insects and Crayfish, and Panfish Flies.


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Fly Tying and Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon

Published by Barnes and Company -- Cranbury, NJ -- 08512

If you can find this book in the used and rare book market you should by it. The edition pictured in the photo is the 1971 edition. The book was first published in 1968 and has long been out of print.

In so far as I know, this book was the first book ever published that was devoted to tying bass and panfish flies.


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Fly Tying and Fly Fishing for Bass and Panfish by Tom Nixon

Published by Wise Publications -- 809 East Nepoleon -- Sulphur, Louisiana 70663

This is the third edition of Tom Nixon's book published in 1999 shortly before he passed on. It's in a larger format than the first and second editions published in 1968 and 1971 and the fly plates which show hundreds of flies for both bass and panfish are much better.


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Fly Tying and Fishing for Panfish and Bass by Tom Keith

Published by Frank Amato Publications -- P.O. Box 82112 -- Portland, OR 97282

I highly recommend this book as an essential book in your library. The book was first published in 1989.

The book is divided into three parts: Fishing Equipment, Fly Fishing Techniques, and tying flies.

The part of the book devoted to fly tying provides step-by-step photo enhanced instructions for Bluegills, Crappie, Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass.


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Tying Warmwater Flies by C. Boyd Pfeiffer

Published by Krause Publications -- 700 East State Street -- Iola, WI 54990

Boyd Pfeiffer is one of only a few authors who earns his living soley by writing about fly fishing. He has written articles for more than eighty magazines and has published twenty books.

This book is certainly worth the money and you should have it in your warmwater library.

In addition to the chapter on Tools and accessories, other chapters are devoted to Tying Materials, Tying Methods, and Fly Patterns.

The fly pattern chapter contains an excellent photo of Boyd's top one-hundred warmwater flies. Each is accompanied by very specific step-by-step tying insructions. Unfortunately the tying steps are not supported by photos.

A highlight in the pattern chapter is instruction for tying the "Henshall Hair Bass Bug" which many consider to be the genisis of modern deer hair bugs.


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Bug Making by C. Boyd Pfeiffer

Published by Lyons & Burford, Publishers --31 West 21st Street -- New York, NY 10010

This is a "must have" book for all of you fly tiers who like to build flies and bugs out of balsa, foam, and cork.

Here are the chapters: Tools and Materials, Terrestrials--Designs and Tying Styles, Tying Hair-Bodies Bugs, Cork Bug Construction, Balsa and Wood Bug Construction, Molded Bug Construction, Soft-Foam Bug Construction, Tying and Finishing Methods for Hard-Bodied Bugs, Hard-Bug Design and Styles, Painting and Finishing Bugs, and much more.

Enough Said! Buy it if you're a bug builder.


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Tying Bass Flies - 12 of the Best by Deke Meyer

Published by Frank Amato Publications -- P.O. Box 82112 -- Portland, OR 97282

Step-by-step photo enhancned instructions for tying the twelve flies shown on the book's cover.

Hard to find instructions for tying the "Wiggle Bug." A great top water bass fly!


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Hot Bass Flies by Deke Meyer

Published Frank Amato Publications -- P.O. Box 82112 -- Portland, OR -- 97282

This is a well written and illustrated book that contains great photos of a ton of bass flies along with their recipes. Unfortunately the step-by-step instructions for tying the flies are missing.

On the other hand, if you are an accomplished fly tyer, you shouldn't have much trouble figuring out how to tie the flies that are featured.


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Bass Bug Basics by John M. Likakis

Published by The Countryman Press -- P.O. Box 748 -- Woodstock, VT 05091

John Likakis is the former editor of the short lived but much appreciated and sorley missed Warmwater Fly Fishing magazine. Bass Bug Basics is his first book.

This book has something for both the beginning hair bug tier as well as well as the folks who have been spinning and trimming for a while. But, it will be especially useful to those of you who have difficulty spinning, stacking, and trimming deer hair.

Even though the photos are black and white they amply illustrate the critical steps in building deer hair bass bugs.

And, their are plenty of photo enhanced step-by-step instructions for tying eight of John's favorite deer hair chuggers, sliders, divers, and poppers.

You can order this book directly from John at his website and I'm sure that he will autograph it for you as well. His Web Address is:


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Tying Bugs and Flies for Bass by A.D. Livingston

Published by J.B. Lippincott Company - Philadelphia and New York

A.D. Livingston is a pioneer author of books on warmwater fly fishing. Over the years he has published several books inlcuding Fishing for Bass and Fly Rodding for Bass.

Tying Bugs and Flies for Bass was published in 1977 and has been out of print for several years but it still is available in the used book market. If I remember correctly, I purchased my copy through Amazon.Com.

I would assume that the book is of most interest to those of us who are intreagued with the history of warmwater fly fishing and fly tying. On the other hand, it should be of interest to those who are interested in tying some uncommon bass flies that were popular more than thirty years ago.

The book provides step-by-step photo enhanced instrustions for tying Cork, Balsa, and Plastic Bugs as well as hair bugs, streamers and bucktails.

If you can find this book in the ten to twenty dollar range you should by it.


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Fly Patterns of Umpqua Feather Merchants by Randall Kaufmann

Published by Umpqua Feather Merchants - P.O. Box 700 - Glide, Oregon - 97443 - Phone (800) 322-3218

Umpqua Feather Mercahants is the leading producer of commercially tied flies in the world and this book provides beautiful photos accompanied by recipes for the 1.500 plus flies that they supply to fly shops here and abroad.

Chapters include Materials, Dry Flies, Nymphs, Streamers, Steelhead, Salmon, Saltwater, and Bass Flies.

The Bass Flies chapter contains twenty pages of all of the most popular flies that warmwater anglers use today. One hundred fourty-one flies in all.

As is the case with "Flies for Bass and Panfish" by Stewart and Allen, this book should also be in every warmwater fly tiers library.


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Flies - The Best One Thousand by Randle Scott Stetzer

Published by Frank Amato Publications - P.O. Box 82112 - Portland, Oregon - 97282

This book, published in 1992, contains color photos and recipes for all of the major flies that were popular at the time. The book is beautifully illustrated.

The section on Bass, Panfish, and Shad flies contains fourty fly patterns with recipes and the name of each pattern's originator.


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The Fly-Tyer's Almanac by Robert H. Boyle and Dave Whitlock

Published by Crown Publishers, Inc. - New York

If you admire Dave Whitlock as I do, then this book is for you. Published in 1975, it has long been out of print so you will have to look for it at used book dealers.

I believe that this was the first volume. If I'm right, a second volume was published in 1976, and that was it. It's to bad because it's one of the few books where you will see photo enhanced step-by-step tying instructions by Dave for his Hair Gerbubble Bug, Dave's Eelworm Lure, Dave's Wiggle-Legs Frog, Dave's Matuka Streamer, and his Wiggle Damsel Nymph.

Remember, this book was published thirty years ago and if you're interested in warmwater fly tying history, you need to find a copy.

If you would like to obtain a copy, a good place to start would be to contact Dave. He may have one for sale. His web site is:


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Dave Whitlock's Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods

Published by the Lions&Burford, Publishers - 31West 21st - Street -New York, NY 10010

Trout and warmwater species eat many of the same acquatic foods and this book helps you understand the importance of imitating those natural food forms.

This book, copyrighted in 1982, is still being published today because it is so useful to both fly anglers and fly designers.

This book, more than any other, has helped me better understand the importance of the underwater bugs and their attraction to game fish.

If for no other reason, this book should be in your library because of the beautiful illustrations, drawn by Dave, of acquatic creatures, the artifical lures that resemble them, and the fish that eat them.

I believe that you can purchase this book directly from Dave at his Web Site:


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American Fly Tying Manual by Dave Hughes

Published by Frank Amato Publications - P.O. Box 82112 -Portland, Oregon - 97282

This is a handy little book for the beginning fly tyer. The book provides basic fly tying techniques used to learn to tie, wet flies, nymphs, streamers, and bucktails.

There is also a concise but informative discussion of the anatomy of the artifical fly, hooks, threads, body materials, hackles, and fly tying tools.

The book also provides color photos and recipes for nearly 300 flies including some bass and panfish flies.

Best of all this slender little volume sells for around ten bucks.


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Universal Fly Tying Guide by Dick Stewart

Published by Mountain Pond Publishing - P,O, Box 797 - North Conway, NH - 03860

Dick Stewart was a former editor and publisher of American Angler magazine as well as the author of numerous books on fly fishing and fly tying, a number of which are found elsewhere on this page.

For more than fifteen years the Universal Fly Tying Guide has been the best selling instructional book in its field.

Similar in format to The American Fly Tying Manual by Dave Hughes it offers basic instruction for tying different types of flies along with photos and recipes for a variety of popular fly patterns.

This is another good book for the beginning fly tyer and it's moderately priced.


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L.L. Bean Fly-Tying Handbook by Dick Talleur

Published by the Lyons Press - 31 West 21st Street - New York, NY - 10010

Dick Talleur is one of the best known fly tying instructors in the country. In addition to this book, he has authored a number of great fly tying books including The Versatile Fly Tyer, Modern Fly Tying Materials, Talleur's Basic Fly Tying.

In this book Dick gives simple, clear, and practical instruction on how to tie a representative group of the most popular flies including the Woolly Bugger.

The flies Dick has chosen will enable the beginning tyer to learn all the basic skills. I would recommend this book for beginning and intermediate fly tyers.

Chapters include information on the common materials; and detailed instuctions on the best ways to tie nymphs and streamers, soft-hackles and winged wet flies, as well as dry flies.

The book can be purchased from L.L. Bean at (800) 221-4221.


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Fly Tying Made Clear and Simple by Skip Morris

Published by Frank Amato Publications - P.O. Box 82112 - Portland, OR - 97282

This book assumes that you are new to fly tying. The first lesson starts by showing how to thread a bobbin and start the thread on the hook.

Skip takes the tier through a photo enhanced step-by-step process for tying several flies beginning with a simple caddis nymph pattern and ending with a fairly complicated dry fly pattern.

The book is well written and the photo are outstanding. This is a good first book for the beginning fly tier.


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Murray's Fly Shop Exclusive Flies by Harry Murray

This new edition by Smallmouth Bass expert Harry Murray provides color photographs of thirty-two bass and trout patterns, their recipes and tying instructions.

Among the fly patterns in the book are his famous bass flies - Murray's Marauder and Murray's Hellgrammite. Their are also a number of wet and dry flies for trout that are effective on bass and panfish.

You can purchase the book directly from Harry Murray on the web at:

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