Last week I received a book in the mail called “50 Best Tailwaters to Fly Fish” by Terry and Wendy Gunn. Right away I was impressed with the weight of the book. If it sucked, it’d be great for dropping on bugs or leveling a table. The good thing is that this book most definitely does not suck. I’m a big fan of quality and you can tell when a publisher doesn’t cut corners. The weight translates to a lot of content, photos, and the best part, maps.
If you’re looking to fish a tailwater across the US and in Canada and you’re thinking about doing it as DIY as you can, this book might be your best friend. It’s got it all. Each of the 56 tailwaters highlighted has closest fly shops, closest outfitters/guides, closest lodges, best hotels, campgrounds, restaurant, best place to get a stiff drink, closest emergency medical help, and cell phone service. Each section also covers hatches, tackle, regulations, and much more. Seriously they did not skimp when it came to information. Having cell signal information with every spot is invaluable in this day and age.
Maybe I’m weird, but besides the wealth of information covered about each tailwater, my favorite parts of the book were the author highlights. It was really cool to learn about the person who wrote about that piece of water.
I wanted to randomly check and make sure the info was legit. I flipped to the section about the Chattahoochee near Atlanta. I’ve fished it a few times and wanted to know who’d be mentioned. Sure enough, River Through Atlanta was mentioned. The local shops were correct. Everything was spot on. That’s awesome.
If you’re looking for something to add to your holiday wishlist, toss this on there. I swear you won’t be disappointed.
Here’s a link to Stonefly Press where you can purchase your own copy: http://stoneflypress.com/shop/fly-fishing-books/50-best-tailwaters-to-fly-fish