Fishy's Favorites
for Bass, Trout, and Salt Water
By Jay "Fishy" Fullum
Description: This is a 68 page paperback containing 25 fly patterns, with black & white illustrations. The book is 8.5" x 11". It has a foreword by David Klausmeyer, editor of Fly Tyer magazine. The publisher is Stackpole Books (2006). The ISBN-13 is : 978-0-8117-3252-9. And it carries a suggested retail of $9.95. You heard right, $9.95.
Review: Jay "Fishy" Fullum is widely-know for his articles and illustrations in Fly Tyer magazine. And I guess then its no surprise that he is a retired graphic artist, with 15 years experience as a commercial fly tier. In the foreword, Klausmeyer- who has called "Fishy" a goodwill ambassador for fly fishing - points out that "Fishy" is an inventive tier not bound by tradition. After reading the book I'm forced to agree. Fishy's inventive use of materials runs from coffee stir sticks, to floss, electrical tape, strips from a Ziploc bag, dry cleaner plastic bags, and fibers from a house duster. One gets the feeling that Fullum could tie flies out of passing clouds if need be.
The 25 patterns offered by Fullum are organized in three categories. There are 7 patterns under the heading Bass Flies. Under Trout Flies there are 11 more to consider. And lastly under Saltwater Flies, you'll find the book's remaining 7 creations. Each pattern has roughly 6 or 7 paragraphs of text, followed by a material list. Next Fullum gives us ample step-by-step illustrations and text, showing the reader exactly how to complete the fly. You'll find it easy to follow along. And the reader need not be an advanced tier to take advantage of this book. Fullum patterns don't rely on complex tying methods, requiring four hands and a dog. Rather, Fishy's patterns are straight forward creations that nevertheless result in very effective looking flies.
In today's world, anglers expect books to be in color. So the fact that Fishy's Favorites lacks any color inside is likely to prove a shortcoming in the marketplace. At the very least, I would one have liked to seen one color photograph of each finished pattern. Yes, color would have jacked up the production cost, but if these color fly pictures were grouped on the front and back covers ( in the way Fly Tyer magazine did years ago, remember those great issues?) the additional cost would have been very minimal. Still, color or not... overall I feel this book is a wonderful bargain. Twenty five effective fly patterns for $9.95? Hell that's 40 cents each! You simply can't go wrong.
The End