Orvis From Lure to Fly

“Dave Karczynski could write about a puddle of mud drying out and make it interesting. When his work crosses my desk, I read it right now. And it’s always a treat.”– Greg Thomas, former Editor, Fly Rod & Reel“No matter how old you are, coming to fly fishing from conventional fishing is, in my opinion, the best education you can have for fly fishing. (In fact, some of the very best saltwater fly anglers I know started as commercial fishermen). You are already more than halfway there. Fly fishing is not some arcane black art. It’s just another way of sticking a hook in a fish’s mouth.You are about to join someone I think you’ll come to feel is your fishing buddy. Dave will take you on a journey without condescension, and will explain all the silly fly-fishing jargon. He’ll reference similarities and differences to conventional fishing. He speaks your language. And I totally agree with Dave’s philosophy of starting with panfish. Everybody associates fly fishing with trout, but if you begin fly fishing by chasing trout you will quickly become discouraged and frustrated. Trout are hard to catch, unless you find wilderness brook trout or cutthroats that have seen minimal fishing pressure.So take fly-rod fishing in the order he presents it here. Don’t be impatient. You have the rest of your life to enjoy fly fishing alongside all the other methods of fishing you enjoy.”– Tom Rosenbauer, author of The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide and a marketing manager with the Orvis Company in Manchester, Vermont, from the Foreword – Tom Rosenbauer, Author and Orvis Marketing Director, from the Foreword

Dave Karczynski is a writer and photographer specializing in sporting culture and narrative. Whether it’s the glacial rivers of the Himalayan outback or the high country lakes of the Polish Carpathians, deep wild country is where Dave feels most at home. A former Zell Fellow at the University of Michigan and recipient of the 2012 Robert Traver Award for outdoor writing, he is a regular contributor to Outdoor Life, Fly Rod & Reel, The Drake, and many other magazines. In addition to Orvis From Lure to Fly, Dave is also the co-author of Modern Smallmouth: Modern Tactics, Tips and Techniques. When not on the water or in the woods, Dave teaches creative writing and photography at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.