Fishing Guides

Great Lakes Steelhead: A Guided Tour for Fly-Anglers
Bob Linsenman & Steve Nevala
Backcountry Publications, $22, paper, ISBN 0-88150-312-6
Forward by Carl Richards

Michigan Trout Streams: A Fly-Angler's Guide
Bob Linsenman & Steve Nevala
Backcountry Publications, $16, paper, ISBN 0-88150-271-5
Forward by Ernest Schwiebert

When I started fishing too many years ago, there was, unfortunately, no Trout Unlimited, no Federation of Fly Fishers, no Fly Rod & Reel, no Fly Fisherman, and very few books. There was almost nothing from which to learn. There were no fly fishing clubs. There were no "schools." There may have been an Orvis somewhere, but it had no presence in the midwest. There was Herter's mail order, Paul Young's fly shop in Southfield, Jack's fly shop in Roscommon near the South Branch, Ray Bergman's unique and seminal Trout, a few other minor books and a couple of major ones (discovered later but out of print, and that's another story), and the three major outdoor magazines: Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield.

If you wanted to learn how to cast a fly line, where to cast it, when to be there to catch fish, and all the other assorted details that might lead to a satisfying fishing trip, you gleaned what you could from all these sources which was precious little (except for the sage advice from Paul Young).

You learned mainly by experience, by exploring the fishing world on your own, through and by your mistakes, minor successes, and whatever you could obtain from other more experienced and congenial anglers on the stream. (There weren't many: I also must admit to a certain hostility for strangers on the stream.)

You did not read books. You did not plan trips in detail; you did not decide to fish the Laughing River at the Burnt Stump pool because you didn't know much, if anything, about the Laughing River, and you didn't know anyone who did, and if the truth be known, there were few who did.

You just went and did it. The more time spent on the rivers the more you learned, and the more you learned the more fish you caught.

And that was the name of the game, wasn't it?

And you know what? It was fun. For me, going to a new river and discovering it by yourself, was, and still is, a pleasant and necessary part of the fishing experience.

As years passed, with fishing time more precious, guide books became more valuable--an indispensable burden when you go to strange waters. Even though we now are inundated with information about every conceivable fishing experience, possibly to the point of overload, if you fish for trout in Michigan or for Great Lakes' steelhead, these two books are an absolute necessity for anyone new to the game, and a valuable accessory for the experienced and self-assured angler.

Michigan Trout Streams features forty-six of our best trout streams in both peninsulas. Eight of these, which includes the Au Sable and the Manistee, are the "crown jewels," as named by the authors. Access sites, hatches, suggested fly patterns, wading conditions, local fly shops, restaurants, motels, and more are included in the text.

The "crown jewels" are discussed in more detail than the other thirty-eight lesser "veiled treasures." The latter are in five chapters by region, from the Northern Highlands to Copper Country.

Three appendices give: hatches and fly patterns; fly shops, outfitters and guides; and angler's and travel information.

I wholeheartedly endorse Ernie Schwiebert's Foreword to this excellent and rewarding book:

Michigan Trout Streams is a painstakingly detailed guide book to these classic Michigan watersheds, describing both their landmarks and their sport. Some fishermen will argue that its authors have revealed too much information about their favorite streams, but few secrets are still secrets, and a fishery desperately needs a regiment of friends when it is threatened by highways and development and dams.

Great Lakes Steelhead is similar to the earlier book, equal in quality, but necessarily different in detail and format since it covers steelhead streams in all the Great Lake states.

The book has three parts: Fundamentals, The Guides, and The Water. The first discusses the fish (history, hatcheries, and wild strains), equipment and safety, essential techniques, and fly patterns. The section on fly patterns appealed to me, and I learned a few things in the discussion on essential techniques.

The second part is the heart of the book. It explores fifteen watersheds, each with a different guide during different seasons under various fishing conditions. There is a great deal to be learned when the narrative is organized in this manner, from the guides' good advice and from the authors' honest, and often divergent reactions to the guides' suggestions when faced with diverse and difficult fishing situations. (Each narrative ends with a summary including recommendations from the guide.)

The third part is a forty-page descriptive summary with maps of the presumed top fly-fishing steelhead rivers draining into the five lakes.

If there is any valid criticism to this book it would be that this description is inadequate. However, any greater detail would give the book a serious weight problem and make it prohibitive in cost. Moreover, the authors are generous in their appendices with further suggested reading, information sources, and listings of fly shops and guides. Additional detailed information about any specific river can therefore be easily obtained.

In the Foreword, Carl Richards observes:

The authors do a magnificent job of exploring and explaining the large and complex Great Lakes system.
. . . This important work has been thoroughly researched and very well written, and is a must-have book for anyone with any interest in the mighty steelhead.

What more can a mere mortal add to this recommendation? Carl does not speak lightly or carelessly. So take him at his word and get this book if you like to chase rainbows in Michigan rivers, or elsewhere in the Great Lakes states.

Both of these guide books have the added bonus of being interesting to read for their own sake; they are enjoyable and pleasing to the eye--Nevala and Linsenman know how to write and Backcountry Publications has produced two very attractive books. RWOL

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