Book Report: Shotguns and Shooting by Michael McIntosh

My good buddy DJ, shoved this book into my hand and told me quite sternly that I had to read it. The thought of reading a book on shooting didn’t really appeal to me, as I thought it would be a bit too academic and rigid for my taste. I was wrong.

Shotguns and Shooting is divided into two different sections. In the first section,Michael McIntosh takes the reader through a flowing historical description of the art gunmaking and the milestone achievements of shotgun history. The book then moves into the second section and focuses on the art and discipline of shotgun shooting. By the time I finished the 280 page book, there was no doubt in my mind that Michael McIntosh knows what he’s talking about and I truly enjoyed the flow of the book. Bottom line, this book is a great read, and if you’re jonesing for shotguns and quail season, it’ll will help a little bit.

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A couple months back, someone recommended that I read the book Holy Ghost Creek written by Frank D. Weissbarth. My good friend Mike was kind enough to let me borrow his copy. Between work, family, and fall hunting, the book sat on the shelf for longer than it should have until recently. Once I started reading, it was extremely difficult to put down. Holy Ghost Creek is a collection of stories from Weissbarth’s exploration of New Mexico’s small streams. I truly enjoyed the writing. It was an intimate and raw account of Frank D. Weissbarth’s love of small streams. It is so easy to read fly fishing and hunting stories that are loaded with the same cliches, but this book was different. I certainly won’t do it any justice by trying to describe it, so grab a copy and read it.

Here is one of my favorite passages from his book:

“There are things beneath the surface of the river that I will never know. There is not time enough to learn them and the river is always changing. But sometimes, on a rare day, for a few moments or hours, the barrier between water and land vanishes, and I see the trout in their watery world and hear the sound of the stream and the wind in the trees and watch as insects hover over the water and a mink slips silently along the bank. It is an intimacy born of long hours on the water, of study and of love. It is why I fish.”—from Holy Ghost Creek

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I was a little bit slow on the uptake. Reading on an iPhone or a tablet never really appealed to me. Even though I spend a good amount of time reading on the computer, there is nothing I like more than a good book in my hands. That all changed when I took the plunge, downloaded a kindle app for my iPhone and ordered Pulp Fly: Volume One. In a word: Fantastic There were several writers I was familiar with like Matt Smythe, Bruce Smithhammer, Matt Dunn, and Alex Landeen, paired with several new authors that were not in my regular reading repository. Each short tale revolved around the theme of fly fishing although they all had their own unique story line. The only problem with the first Pulp Fly was that I ended up reading it too fast.

I reread through the collection several more times before the world was blessed with Volume Two and  some time later Volume Three. The second and third installments of Pulp Fly certainly did not disappoint. Delivered to the palm of my hand with a couple clicks, I was reading the next collections of stories from familiar writers like Erin Block, Jay Zimmerman, and Tom Reed along with a sprinkling of new names that were instantly added to my must read/follow list.

As if things couldn’t get any better, the Pulp Fly team put together an all-star lineup of upland hunters/writers for the first (and hopefully not last) installment of Mouthful of Feathers: Upland in the West. Between flushing birds, hunting dogs, and dirt roads, I couldn’t get enough. It truly is an excellent collection of writers and stories. The team behind Pulp Fly has set the bar extremely high and laid the ground work for what I can only hope will be a future filled with more volumes of fly fishing and upland hunting collections. If you haven’t been blessed with reading one of these collections, you owe it to yourself to spend the measly five dollars and download the first one. They are all well worth the price of admission.

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I’m always looking for something interesting to read. Most of my bookshelves are a laden with a heavy dose of fly fishing and hunting with a spattering of history and philosophy left over from college, and I don’t have much in the way fiction in my collection. I recently had the chance to get my hands on a couple of books by Keith McCafferty. McCafferty who daylights as the Survival and Outdoor Skills Editor for Field and Stream, has written several novels that center around the main character, Sean Stranahan.

The novels follow this part fly fisherman, part artist, part private eye on his exploits in rural Montana. I really enjoyed reading through the stories that are full of fly fishing and outdoor references and the pages really fly by. If you’re looking for something to fill a day in the hammock, a Sean Stranahan mystery might be right up your alley.

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Fish never cease to amaze me.  When The New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision by Reed F. Curry first came out, I was immediately intrigued. As the title suggests the book focuses on the what trout see and how we as fly fisherman  can do to make our flies more attracting to fish. As you can see from the chapter titles, Curry goes to great lengths to talk about what ultraviolet light is and how it fits into nature.

Now, by no means am I a biologist or have any scientific background, but I found the whole discussion of trout vision and ultraviolet reflection fascinating. Curry goes through great length to photograph and document his findings while applying its impact on fly tying materials and fly fishing. Much of what I read here in The New Scientific Angling – Trout and Ultraviolet Vision was reminiscent of what Lafontaine investigated in his book The Dry Fly: New Angles. Both authors strive to understand what triggers fish to take our flies, and ultimately, why some flies seem to have such great success.

If you are interested in the nitty-gritty of fly tying and fly fishing, I think Curry’s book is worth the read. As an angler, I found the discussion of what trout see to be extremely interesting and enlightening.

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Terry and Wendy Gunn are household names here in Arizona. The Gunns own and operate Lees Ferry Anglers Fly Shop and Guide Service in Marble Canyon, Arizona. In conjunction with their extensive personal knowledge, Terry and Wendy have worked diligently with local experts and guides from around the country, to put together an amazing lineup of rivers to fish called 50 Best Tailwater to Fly Fish.

This 250 page anthology is broken down into four categories – East, West, South, and the Rockies. Each section highlights multiple tailwaters in that region and details the nitty gritty on each river. Important information such as access, hatches, regulations, gear/tackle, fly shops, guide services, and even where to wet your whistle are organized for quick reference. Each page is complimented with quality, high resolution photos and maps to be sure to whet your appetite for slipping into a pair of waders and getting to the water.

I’ve really enjoyed thumbing through the pages of the 50 Best Tailwater to Fly Fish, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had fished several of these well known waters. Rest assured though, I marked several pages for reference, and it is my intention to try and steer a family vacation to a couple of new areas in order to try my luck on one of these beautiful tailwaters.

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I follow and read a good number of blogs from around the country. I typically follow these blogs for the photography, tying tutorials, fishing reports or a good story. Arguably one of the most well fly fishing written sites on the web right now is Mysteries Internal by Erin Block. So when Erin put together a book that chronicled her journey through making a bamboo rod, I pre-ordered without a second thought.

The View from Coal Creek did not disappoint. Erin’s voice came through the pages crisp and clear as she described not only the beauty of the bamboo fly rod, but also the journey that she took to get there. It is not enough to say that Erin is a talented writer. It goes far beyond that. She is a magnificent storyteller and I look forward to many more to come.

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I recently obtained a new book written by Randall Babb titled An Introduction to Hunting Arizona’s Small Game. This book is a comprehensive look at the many small game species that we have in Arizona and includes detailed information about habitat, hunting opportunities, tactics, field care, and recipes. Mr. Babb has done a wonderful job putting together a great resource for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of small game in Arizona and increase their success in the field. This 198 page, color photo book is well worth the price and is an excellent addition to any Arizona outdoorsman’s library

Arizona truly is a wonderful state with some of the most sought after big game in the country. Often, our small game species are over looked and under utilized. Truth be told, hunting small game is a great way to get a young or new hunter into the field and an excellent excuse to get out in the desert and woods.

To get your copy, stop by a Game and Fish office or download the order form here

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Now that I am done learning about “what is marketing automation” thanks to the indexsy seo company, I am about to finish up one of the best fly fishing related books that I’ve read to date, The Dry Fly: New Angles, by Gary LaFontaine. I first heard about Gary LaFontaine’s book from Quinn Grover, who writes for one of my favorite fly fishing sites, Chi Wulff. The book is remarkably well written and takes a look at the wide world of dry fly fishing from a scientific perspective. Gary LaFontaine pours years of streamside data as well as hours of scuba/snorkel observations to put together a comprehensive explanation of fish feeding behavior and reaction to flies.   LaFontaine addresses everything from fishermen errors to what color flies you should use.  Although you would think a scientific perspective would be on the dull side, LaFontaine’s humor and straightforwardness is very refreshing and kept me engrossed from chapter to chapter.

From the pages, some of my own observations and personal tactics on the water were vindicated and affirmed, but I also gleaned a wealth information from the pages that already has helped me to become a more knowledgeable angler. If you are looking for a more intricate understanding of fish feeding habits and, more importantly, their reaction to man-made flies, you are definitely going to want to check out The Dry Fly: New Angles, by Gary LaFontaine.

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One of the best purchases that I made when I began fly fishing in Arizona was Will Jordan’s Fly Fisher’s Guide to Arizona. Living just outside of Phoenix, it was difficult to believe that there was any water in this state, let alone, ice cold waters teaming with wild trout. The Fly Fisher’s Guide to Arizona is a wealth of knowledge about the many lakes, streams, and rivers throughout the state, with detailed hatch charts, tactics, and access information.

Now, as with many of my books, there are notes scrawled in the margins and hand drawn paper maps tucked into the pages of this book. I have read this book so many times, the cover is literally falling off. My edition of the Fly Fisher’s Guide to Arizona is from 2008, but Will Jordan has released a new edition to keep up with the ever changing and challenging water conditions that plague Arizona fly fishermen.

Wether a new or season Arizona fly fisherman, I think that this book is useful tool that can expand your fly fishing opportunities in Arizona. Check out the Fly Fisher’s Guide to Arizona.

Will Jordan currently lives and guides in Montana. You can check out his blog and excellent photos at 111º West .

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