Fishing Tandem Flies

Reviewed by Marc G. Williamson

Fishing Tandem Flies, subtitled Tactics, Techniques, and Rigs to Catch More Fish. Written by Charles Meck. Published by Headwater Books. 122 pages in an 5.5 x 8.25 inch format. Fifty black-and-white illustrations by Dave Hall, and numerous black-and-white photos. $16.95 retail. Available in flyshops and some trade bookstores, or online (google title and author).

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his book by angling legend Charles Meck is devoted to fishing more than one fly at a time. Meck covers tandem riggings from top to bottom, and illustrates his points with his favorite hatch-matching flies. He also shares some tried and true patterns for drumming up fish during summer dog days and other tough fishing conditions.

Meck discusses what he considers to be seven of the most effective rigs and the best times to use them. He includes detailed steps for the looped-leader series of flies. He also presents tying notes, recipes, and fishing information for more than twenty of his most dependable flies.

During hatches, Meck likes to fish two flies, a dry (adult or dun) and a wetfly pattern (nymph or emerger). He calls this a bi-cycle because it imitates two stages of the insect.

An important part of Meck's technique is to take into consideration where the fish are in the water column. For example, when you are determining how deep to set your dropper, consider the time of year you are fishing, where you are fishing, and what you're fishing for, and what insects are hatching (or not hatching).

The book's illustrations of appropriate knots, as well as the manner in which the different tandem rigs are tied, are well illustrated and easy to understand.

I particularly enjoyed his discussion of using a dry fly for an indicator.

In the chapter "Tackle and Techniques" he covers some specific tactics for different fishing conditions, as well as weather. He also discusses some casts that will be very important to you if you are casting tandem rigs.

While this book does not have any earth shaking information, it does provide readers with some useful ideas that should enhance their fishing (and catching!). Whether stalking and casting to spooky trout from the bank of a spring creek, or floating rivers in a driftboat, you will learn some new things that will help you catch more trout.

Bottom Line: Good presentation of effective strategy. Reviewer Rating: 3

Uploaded 06/02/2008.

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