Offseason: 2 Reads & 2 Flies

February 2025

Sure you can fish almost any day of the year, but there's also something special about taking time off to restock the boxes, reflect, even gain some knowledge for the coming season. For me, if I don't draw up a plan for the next year, I'm susceptible to any shiny fishing distraction that comes into my field of view, leaving me with a heap of unexplored ideas collecting dust.

In this year's offseason efforts, several standouts have risen through the ranks. In the spirit of recharging the batteries and honoring vise season, here's a snippet from this winter's reading list, and a pair of fly tying call ups.

Reads

The Insect Crisis: Oliver Milman (2022)

The Insect Crisis

A devastating examination of how collapsing insect populations worldwide threaten everything from wild birds to the food on our plate.From ants scurrying under leaf litter to bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are everywhere. Three out of every four of our planet’s known animal species are insects. In The Insect Crisis, acclaimed journalist Oliver Milman dives into the torrent of recent evidence that suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential crisis in its remarkable 400-million-year history. What is causing the collapse of the insect world? Why does this alarming decline pose such a threat to us? And what can be done to stem the loss of the miniature empires that hold aloft life as we know it? With urgency and great clarity, Milman explores this hidden emergency, arguing that its consequences could even rival climate change. He joins the scientists tracking the decline of insect populations across the globe, including the soaring mountains of Mexico that host an epic, yet dwindling, migration of monarch butterflies; the verdant countryside of England that has been emptied of insect life; the gargantuan fields of U.S. agriculture that have proved a killing ground for bees; and an offbeat experiment in Denmark that shows there aren’t that many bugs splattering into your car windshield these days. These losses not only further tear at the tapestry of life on our degraded planet; they imperil everything we hold dear, from the food on our supermarket shelves to the medicines in our cabinets to the riot of nature that thrills and enlivens us. Even insects we may dread, including the hated cockroach, or the stinging wasp, play crucial ecological roles, and their decline would profoundly shape our own story. By connecting butterfly and bee, moth and beetle from across the globe, the full scope of loss renders a portrait of a crisis that threatens to upend the workings of our collective history. Part warning, part celebration of the incredible variety of insects, The Insect Crisis is a wake-up call for us all.

Google Books

Milman takes around 200 pages to completely erode your comforts about the current status of global agriculture and insect populations. Impacted by warming temperatures, loss of habitat, overuse of pesticides, the picture is clearly presented that humanity needs insects more than we might realize. Except, where are they?

Anglers interested in stream insects… and the greater world of ecology, should find this an eye opening read, albeit sobering. Thorough and well cited.

Fly Fishing With Barry Reynolds: From Bass to Walleye (2008)

Flyfishing with Barry Reynolds

Barry includes chapters on taking northern pike, large and smallmouth bass, Tiger Muskies, Walleye, lake trout, and carp on the fly, just to name a few. Although many of these species may be in ponds and streams close to your home, he couldn’t resist adding chapters on two of his favorite target species, peacock bass and sheefish, which require considerable travel. For each species, Barry covers tactics, tackle requirements, and the best fly patterns. He also covers the basics of life cycle, feeding preferences, habitat requirements, and seasonal movements. Through his stories and the knowledge he’s gained from years of experience, Barry will motivate you to get out there and flyfish more often, wherever you can and for whatever species you find. That’s the point.--Amazon.com.

Google Books

On a lighter note, here Barry concisely distills the core strategies in fishing for largemouth, smallmouth, wiper, carp, pike, muskie, walleye, lake trout, peacock bass, and sheefish. I wasn't even aware of sheefish before reading this. The best part is a de-emphasis on gear, his "low-overhead" approach (if you don't count boats) reads well for anyone looking to expand their fishing world. He covers how to approach unfamiliar lakes, and highlights the specific structure, seasons, and temperatures to target for each species. This book will never broadly appeal as it falls outside the “holy archives“ of trout writing, but still offers sage advice for those open to broadening their horizons.

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Flies

Both patterns relate to Barry’s book with applications in many fisheries. Freshwater and salt. I was drawn to both patterns due to their ability to be sized up or scaled down, featuring common materials that equate to cheaper ties than buys. I’ve seen each priced around $10, yikes. With buck tail on hand, these flies are easy enough to spin up.

Jigged Flashtail Minnow

Flashtail Whistler

We were lucky enough to stop in at An Angler's Bookcase in South Fork, CO recently, spending time amongst their shelves of fish specific literature. If you're looking for a book, check out their online selection. So many good choices.