Tying Flies for Trophy Trout

A.J. Pell is rector of Christ Church in Hope, B.C., and a lecturer in
the Anglican Studies Programme at Regent College in Vancouver.

Jack Shaw, who died in 2000 at the age of 84, is one of the two genuine
legends in Canadian fly-fishing circles. Yet unlike Roderick Haig-Brown,
Shaw produced only two books, Fly Fish the Trout Lakes (1976; revised
1998) and Tying Flies For Trophy Trout (1992; revised 1999).

The latter title is a practical book intended not just for novices but
for long-time fly-tyers as well. When Shaw writes about materials and
tools, he tells us not only about relatively expensive products
available in fly shops but also about inexpensive and durable
alternatives available in almost any community at drug stores or general
merchandise shops. When he writes about specific techniques, he helps us
anticipate and overcome problems, some of which we may have struggled
for years to correct. In discussing a particular fly pattern, he not
only tells us in some detail how to tie it but also gives a clear
description of what it is meant to mimic.

Shaw’s greatest contribution is to teach his readers how to analyze
and solve fly-tying and fly-fishing difficulties. Chapter 9, entitled
“A Detective Story,” is an extended example of his practical
problem-solving methodology from which we can learn to move back and
forth from boat to tying-bench in a logical manner until the difficulty
is solved.

This revised edition includes a section on chironomids, the family of
insects that provide year-round fly-fishing opportunities in the
mountain lakes of British Columbia. In three short chapters, Shaw shares
his pioneering knowledge, from gear to fly patterns to fishing
techniques. It is a fitting memorial for the man who made chironomids
famous in his home province.