Reviews

Books/Booklets

  • Fly Fishing Afoot in the Surf Zone

    Ken Hanley, Amato Publications, 1999, 45 pages.

    Booklet, not comprehensive but entertaining, with nice fly pictures.

  • Fly Fishing the Pacific Inshore

    Ken Hanley.

    Book with small section on surf fly fishing, good biological and physical information.

  • Baja on the Fly

    Nick Curcione, Amato Publications, 1997, 72 pages.

    Baja techniques work in SoCal; nice treatment of knots and flies.

  • Bonefish Fly Patterns

    Dick Brown, Lyons Press, 1996, 276 pages.

    Extensive collection of bonefish fly recipes with interesting comments and superb photos; bonefish flies are interchangeable with SoCal surf flies so this book supplies oodles of ideas.

  • The Fisherman's Ocean

    David A. Ross, 2000, Stackpole, 299 pages.

    Useful and interesting explanations of the ocean environment -- light, tides, waves, etc.

  • Essence of Flycasting

    Mel Krieger, Countryman Press, 2001, 144 pages.

    Very deceptively simple -- truly the "essence" of flycasting.

  • California Coastal Access Guide, 6th Edition

    August 2003.

    With up-to-date maps and details on where to go, how to get there, what facilities and type of environment to expect.

  • Between Pacific Tides, Fifth Edition

    Ed Ricketts, Jack Calvin and Joel Hedgpeth, Stanford University Press, 1992.

    Classic guide to beach animals and plants with interesting anecdotes.

  • Common Intertidal Invertebrates of Southern California

    , Richard Allen, Peek Publications, 1977 (out of print but available from Amazon).

    Very useful guide focussed on SoCal shore animals.

  • Tidelog 2005 for Southern California

    Journal-like book with detailed graphics for tides.

  • Tides pamphlet by Tidesonline

    ($1.50 at flyshops)

    Useful easy-to-read tide graphs, not just tables of numbers; don't start a surf session without checking what the tides are doing. The calendar version of this is very helpful for seeing tides for the month at a glance.

Videos/DVDs

  • Essence of Flycasting

    Mel Krieger

    Very well done - see my notes on the book of the same title.

  • Casting for Distance and Power

    George V. Roberts

    Concentrates on the basics of a cast as a solid foundation needed for making casts of any length; focuses due attention on the backcast, good "stops", and tight loops; addresses issue of casting in the wind.