John Gierach was a highly trusted and trustable opinion-maker in fly-fishing. People take what he said to the bank. While most of Gierach's writing is essay-style and reflective, here he gets down to the nitty-gritty: how he tied his favorite flies and why he thought they worked so well for him. There is, thus, an instant reader connection: "Gierach's patterns are good enough for me."bFew anglers will skip knowing what a master angler and thinker preferred for his fly box. This title covers a gamut of patterns essential to trout fishing in a variety of circumstances: dry flies, wet flies and nymphs, and streamers.