The first in a new Stackpole Books series featuring 50 important flies from a particular region, tied by anglers with close ties and local knowledge of the place. This volume, by Catskills expert Mike Valla, showcases flies that work well on the water there and pays tribute to the region he knows so well. Though not a tying manual, each fly is featured in a spread that includes a large, easy-to-see image, recipe, and tying notes. An essential reference for all serious flyfishers from a noted Catskill angling historian and author. -- Ed Ostapczuk, winner of the 2018 Catskill Fly Fishing Museum "Catskill Legends" award "Mike Valla’s books are not only artistic gems but he is a true historian of the angling sport. His research into an interesting array of flies such as the Quill Gordon to bizarre contemporary flies such as the Fluffy Nymphy Emerger Thingy make this book a must read.”—Adriano Manocchia, award winning sporting artist “New York’s Catskill rivers are the cradle of American fly fishing, and today, what works to catch fish there still is likely to catch fish anywhere. From classic Catskill trout patterns such as the Quill Gordon, to innovative flies such as Pat Cohen’s Spaghetti Cat salamander imitation, to West Coast patterns such as Ralph Cutter’s E/C Caddis, Mike Valla’s collection, Favorite Flies for the Catskills, brings together classic and contemporary Catskill fish-getters that belong in anyone’s fly box. Valla, a Catskill fly tier and angler since his teens, is a traditionalist with an open mind, and the contributors here are accomplished tiers and anglers whose patterns you can fish with confidence.”—Bud Bynack, publisher, Theodore Gordon Flyfishers Gordon’s Quill and the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild Gazette and contributing editor, California Fly Fisher. Mike Valla is the Northeast field editor for Eastern Fly Fishing magazine and a recipient of the Poul Jorgensen Golden Hook Award. He is the author of The Founding Flies, Tying Catskill-Style Dry Flies, and Tying and Fishing Bucktails and Other Hair Wings, and has published articles in Fly Fisherman, Fly Tyer, and American Fly Fisher. He lives in Cambridge, New York.