This full and brilliant book is the classic on fly fishing for steelhead trout. It is the culmination of a lifetime of study by the world's finest writer on the species. Steelhead Fly Fishing offers practical advice on all aspects of the sport. There are exceptional chapters on the fish itself, the tackle and techniques used to pursue it under diverse circumstances, and such great steelhead rivers as the Deschutes, the Dean, the North Umpqua, the Bulkley, the Rogue, and the Babine. Also included are memorable profiles of the modern masters and the fly patterns they developed. The color insert, black-and-white photographs, and fine line drawings by Loren D. Smith help make this a must for all steelhead flyfishers. (81/2 X 11, 512 pages, color photos, b&w photos, illustrations, tables) Fly fishing has an immense literature devoted not only to tackle and technique but to individuals, specific waters, and particular fish. After over 25 years of fly fishing for steelhead, Combs is keenly aware that without this long tradition, his experience would be "little more than exercise without recreation, a sport without mystique." With considerable research, the help of many great anglers, plus striking photos and illustrations, he combines history, conservation, science, and fly tying with delightful anecdotes of anglers from Zane Grey to Lani Waller. This big book has sections on tackle and technique, great rivers of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia, traditional and new steelhead fly patterns, and extensive profiles of 16 contemporary anglers. This should be the book in its field for many years and belongs in public libraries throughout the Western states and provinces. - Roland Person, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.