Books: "The Freshman Fly Fisher" by Rick Passek

I was first introduced to Rick Passek via his Vancouver, BC RP3 Fishing Adventures website and the FlyFish Fanatic blog. Rick is an avid angler and fishing guide who has devoted his career to showing others the enjoyment of the sport of fly fishing.

Rick's new book, "The Freshman Fly Fisher - A Beginners Guide for a New Generation," arrived at the FlyFishMagazine.com HQ via international post and immediately found its place in our reading room. Digging into the text of this book it quickly became clear that the book's small size was no indication of the massive amount of excellent information Rick had put into this guide for the novice angler.

The book contains plenty of information to get the new fly angler quickly on the correct path to a sport that they can enjoy for a lifetime. "The Freshman Fly Fisher" has chapters that cover everything from equipment such as rods, reels, and even boats to fishing etiquette and techniques. I found his tips to be a common sense approach to getting started in the sport. If this book had been around when I started fly fishing, I am certain that I could have saved a lot of money and caught many more fish earlier in my career.

If a picture is worth a thousand words then, at least when it comes to teaching about fly fishing, a video is worth a thousand paragraphs. The Freshman Fly Fisher is innovative in that Rick has included links to special instructional videos in the text of the book. Purchasers of the book get access to special sections of the RP3 Fishing Adventures website. At least for us this is a new wrinkle in the world of fly fishing texts.

The Freshman Fly Fisher has a definite focus on anglers who will be fishing the rivers and lakes of British Columbia, Alberta, and the Pacific Northwest. However, the techniques and tips that the book presents would easily carry over to similar waters around the world. I especially enjoyed Rick's excellent primer on the fishing of Chironomids in still water. I was not particularly knowledgeable about these techniques but after reading Rick's descriptions and watching the videos I am excited to try them out.

"The Freshman Fly Fisher - A Beginners Guide for a New Generation" ISBN 978-0-9783292-1-1 is available via the RP3 Fishing Adventures website for $19.95 Canadian. While the book is certainly marketed to the angler new to the long rod, even the most seasoned fly fisher can learn something beneficial from Rick's fly fishing expertise.