Behind the Counter: Fly-Fishing Tips, Techniques, and Shortcuts.

A.J. Pell is editor of the Canadian Evangelical Review and an instructor
of Liturgy, Anglican Studies Program, Regent College, Vancouver.

For a flyfisher, the local fly-fishing shop, with its staff of knowledgeable fellow fishers, is a very important source of information about the sport. The staff can be expected to know local conditions and regulations on a day-to-day basis, and to be able to recommend the right flies, gear, and tactics for those conditions. Neil Jennings is the experienced fisher behind the counter, having fly-fished for 35 years and been a fly-shop owner-operator in Calgary for 21 years. This book is the advice he learned and shared during his years behind his shop counter.

Jennings divides his material into four sections. The first deals with the basic gear of the sport—the rods, reels, and lines, as well as the hats, vests, and waders—that makes fishing possible. The second section deals with how to properly prepare and use one’s gear on a fishing jaunt. Section three gives practical advice and honest recommendations on the many gadgets marketed to flyfishers to make various tasks easier or to protect one’s gear. The final section gives advice on planning and gearing up for fishing adventures around the world. In each of these sections are buried practical tips seldom, if ever, mentioned in fishing books. Two postscripts conclude the book: a five-page explanation of fly-fishing etiquette and a seven-page glossary of fishing terms.

A novice flyfisher will get a better understanding of the fundamentals of rods, reels, lines, and on-stream activity here than in the many pages of jargon in more technical books. The experienced fisher will want to keep this book handy to learn from the many easy-to-comprehend tips on techniques and maintenance. All this makes Behind the Counter a book to turn to again and again, and will always reward the reader eager to become a better flyfisher.