If, in an age of sound bites and capsulated wisdom, the main point of Ed Engle’s new book, “Trout Lessons: Freewheeling Tactics and Alternative Techniques for the Difficult Days,” had to be summarized in a mere four words, they well might be “Keep an open mind.”
In the new book (Stackpole Books, 192 pages, $29.95), Engle, a regular speaker at fly-fishing shows, magazine writer and author of five previous books, among them “Fishing Small Flies,” “Tying Small Flies” and “Fly Fishing the Tailwaters,” set out to give fly-fishermen some ideas for days when the usual approaches weren’t producing.
Along the way, Engle, a Manitou Springs resident and a veteran guide on the South Platte River, also began carefully re-examining the ways that he fishes. He determined that no single path leads to fly-fishing success and that some of the most deeply held fly-fishing beliefs may be affected by cyclical trends.
The result is a book that in its eight chapters presents a wealth of to-the-point technical information about nymphing, attractor flies, tight-line tactics, catching difficult trout and oddities, among other topics, along with some tweaks to fly-fishing’s conventional wisdom.
While that in itself will be useful to fly-fishers of all experience levels, the reader almost unwittingly will be led to take another look at one’s own approach, to be observant, to think, to apply the lessons learned and to realize that the greatest fishing lesson of them all is that the learning never ends.
Easements.
The Colorado Wildlife Commission at its October workshop meeting last week approved acquisition of three conservation easements on important wildlife habitat totaling more than 10,000 acres. The easements are in Kit Carson, Yuma and Routt counties.
Providing incentives for private landowners who want to protect wildlife is an important part of the state Division of Wildlife’s mission, said commission chairman Tim Glenn. The conservation easements mean wildlife will be welcome there in perpetuity.
Two of the easements will provide hunter access to 5,700 acres of habitat for big game, quail and turkeys on the state’s Eastern Slope while protecting riparian habitat that is important for numerous native species.
The 4,200-acre Routt County easement will ensure that sagebrush and mountain shrub habitat important for elk, deer, pronghorns, Columbian sharp-tailed grouse and greater sage grouse is protected from development.
Funding will come from Great Outdoors Colorado and Habitat Stamp fees generated by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses.
Testimonials.
Got a good hunting story to tell? The Colorado Division of Wildlife wants to hear from you. Go to Hunting/BigGame/Huntertestimonials/.
