Common Nymphs of Eastern North America : A Primer for Flyfishers and Flytiers

Although the concept of “matching the hatch” has been central to flyfishing for 150 years, it has been used almost exclusively for dry flyfishing. With Common Nymphs of Eastern North America: A Primer for Flyfishers and Flytiers , Caleb Tzilkowski and Jay Stauffer Jr. take trout enthusiasts in another hatch-matching direction—to the year-round underwater nymph “hatch,” which, in most cases, constitutes 90 percent of trout diets. Successful flyfishers have at least rudimentary knowledge of the organisms that artificial flies imitate. The relatively few and very best anglers are expert at identifying and imitating nymph appearances and habits. A major hurdle to becoming expert at nymph matching is overcoming two major limitations that make these animals difficult to locate, capture, and identify: first, nymphs live underwater, sometimes burrowed into the stream bottom, and second, many nymphs are nearly microscopic in size. Common Nymphs addresses those challenges by including habitat and life history information regarding the nymphs, tips for their identification, and representative high-resolution photographs of more than thirty types of aquatic organisms and their imitations. In the seemingly saturated flyfishing literature, this book offers something truly groundbreaking. With state-of-the-art microscopy and their years of scientific and practical experience, Tzilkowski and Stauffer provide readers an innovative close-up look at identifying and imitating nymphs that have been historically underrepresented in the flyfishing and flytying literature.

Although the concept of "matching the hatch" has been central toflyfishing for 150 years, it has been used almost exclusively fordry flyfishing. With Common Nymphs of Eastern North America: APrimer for Flyfishers and Flytiers, Caleb Tzilkowski and JayStauffer Jr. take trout enthusiasts in another hatch-matchingdirection-to the year-round underwater nymph "hatch," which, inmost cases, constitutes 90 percent of trout diets.

Successful flyfishers have at least rudimentary knowledge of theorganisms that artificial flies imitate. The relatively few andvery best anglers are expert at identifying and imitating nymphappearances and habits. A major hurdle to becoming expert at nymphmatching is overcoming two major limitations that make theseanimals difficult to locate, capture, and identify: first, nymphslive underwater, sometimes burrowed into the stream bottom, andsecond, many nymphs are nearly microscopic in size. CommonNymphs addresses those challenges by including habitat andlife history information regarding the nymphs, tips for theiridentification, and representative high-resolution photographs ofmore than thirty types of aquatic organisms and theirimitations.

In the seemingly saturated flyfishing literature, this bookoffers something truly groundbreaking. With state-of-the-artmicroscopy and their years of scientific and practical experience,Tzilkowski and Stauffer provide readers an innovative close-up lookat identifying and imitating nymphs that have been historicallyunderrepresented in the flyfishing and flytying literature.