Rare and Valuable Fly Fishing Books Hiding in Used Book Shops

Spend some time in used book stores and you may find yourself an out-of-print, first edition classic.

Two great finds from a used bookstore. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Fly fishing is more than just a hobby that begins and ends at the water's edge. —it's a unique culture with its own traditions, community, and language.

A Fly Fishing Life

I'll stop short of saying fly fishing defines me, but it has become woven into all parts of my living. It is not the only thing in my life, but it is a big thing.

More Than a Hobby

If I'm not casting a fly rod or writing about it, I'm reading about it. I'm a big fan of fly fishing books, especially the older out-of-print titles.

A great book that will entertain you and give you information about the striped bass. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

The Hunt For Good Books

Finding and collecting old fly fishing books can become a hobby in itself. I look at it as treasure hunting. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

I'm not a collector in the sense that I'm hunting for extremely old and rare books. I look for books that I want to read, or have a creativity about them that I'm attracted to.

"Bass Bug Fishing" is not an old book, but it was very popular in its time, and worth a read. And a Sports Illustrated fly fishing book from the 60s! How could I pass on that? | Photo by Ken Baldwin

How I Collect

Looking for treasure. | Photo by Mona Balooch

I wish I had an elaborate story to tell on how I find my books, but I don't. It's as easy as walking into any "Used Books" shop, going up to the front desk, and asking if they have a fishing section. Sometimes I'm in the shop for an hour, sometimes a few minutes. Finding a good book is never guaranteed; it's always a treasure hunt.

Prized Finds

The Best "How To" Fly Fishing For Trout Book I've Ever Read

A classic read and the best "How to" book in my library. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

Presentation is not an old book; it was first printed in 1995. It is out of print, and that's a shame. I have not read a book that goes deeper into the details of trout behaviour and trout fishing as thoroughly as Presentation. I thought I knew about fish and their behaviour until I read this book.

A Hard To Put Down True Story of an Adventure in the Arctic

Written in 1910, but an excellent read today. I'd put this book against any modern-day adventure story. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

The title is dated but the story is both fascinating and exciting. It was printed in 1910 of an adventure that took place in 1908. It chronicles a full year where professional hunter Harry Whitney lived with the Inughuits of Northern Greenland. He lived as they lived, within a small tribe of indigenous people that were hunter-gatherers and survived through the bleakest time of year.

Art in Old Fly Fishing Books

On a road trip in Vermont, I found an original copy of Report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1902. I thumbed through it and found it had beautiful, multi-colored images of fish throughout the pages. I didn't know what I had, but I knew I had something. In touching the prints, I could feel the ink as if it were a painting.

I scored big with this book. | Photo by Ken Baldwin

For the Win

I did a little research and found I had scored myself a book with chromolithograph fish prints. Perfect for framing and hanging in my man cave.

Chromolithograph Fish Prints

• Making a chromolithograph print involved using a series of limestone or zinc plates, one for each color in the image. A print could use up to twenty plates.

Smallmouth Bass. If you can find a book from the pre-1920s era that features multi-colored images, there is a good chance that they are chromolithograph prints. | Chromolithograph by Sherman F. Denton, 1902, - Report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1902

• One Plate One Color: The artist had to hand-draw the image on each stone. Then the stone plate was used to print one color of the final image. If the image had twelve colors, the artist had to draw the image on twelve plates.

A "Calico Bass", or crappie as I grew up calling them. | Chromolithograph by Sherman F. Denton, 1902, Report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1902

• Each plate was pressed onto a single sheet of paper, and it had to be exact so the finished image looked as one.

A Pike Perch? A Susquehanna Salmon!!!? Come on! That's a walleye if I've ever seen one. | Chromolithograph by Sherman F. Denton, 1902, - Report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1902

• Creating the plates was a manual and highly skilled process, especially for natural history subjects like fish, birds, and plants.

A chromolithograph print of a striped bass. | Chromolithograph by Sherman F. Denton, 1902, - Report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1902

• Many of these prints were hand-touched or hand-finished after printing, especially around the eyes, fins, and scale textures. This gave them an almost painting-like quality.

A chromolithograph of a rainbow trout. | Chromolithograph by Sherman F. Denton, 1902, - Report of the Fish Commissioners of the State of Pennsylvania for the Year 1902

Bourbon and Books

There is something about an old fishing book: The act of stopping, sitting under a lamp, a glass of bourbon on a side table, book in hand, and no background noise. Old fly fishing books will deepen your connection to fly fishing traditions. There is a lot of knowledge and wisdom to be gained from those anglers who came before us. KB

"The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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