Tapply's Classic New England Flies

August 5, 2006 By: Marshall Cutchin

With more than two dozen books to his name — from titles on upland game and bass bug fishing to his Brady Coyne mystery series — William Tapply is one of the most prolific fly fishing authors alive. He is also one of the few fishing writers with the ability to weave technical detail into storytelling. As he once said about writing, “The aim is simple. You’re always writing to be understood.”
This week on MidCurrent Tapply tracks the development of ten flies that are regional classics in the U.S. northeast. “New England Natives” combines fly pattern history with some predictable New England snobbery that Tapply manages to vindicate in the details. It’s also an excellent intro to brook trout and landlocked salmon patterns that prove themselves again and again.