Best-known soft-hackled fly expert, Sylvester Nemes gleans the most useful tips and advice from the history of writings on the soft-hackled fly Alfred Ronalds, George C. Bainbridge, T. C. Hofland, James R. Leisenring, William H. Lawrie, G. E. M. Skues Black Spider, March Brown Nymph, Bradshaw's Fancy, Greensleeves, Lunn's Yellow Boy
Drawing from nearly three dozen sources, Nemes follows the development of the soft-hackled fly through 220 years, starting with the first mention of the red spinner mayfly pattern in Richard and Charles Bowlker's 1747 "Art of Angling" and ending with John Reid's 1971 "Clyde-Style Flies," which covers some of the most radical trout fly designs from Scotland's Clyde River. Nemes shares 162 patterns and the best fishing advice from famous anglers from the past.