Decoding Biology for Anglers:
The Nature of Fly Fishing
includes Video & Digital Media
↓↓ Click the "Play" button in the centre of the screen for a rapid walk-through ↓↓
136 pages, 5.5" x 8.5" format paperback (black & white)
PLUS Digital Articles, Video & Full Color Photography
The Nature of Fly Fishing: How to Use Biology to Unlock the Fly Fishing "Code"
Viewing rivers through the eyes of a professional freshwater biologist - and lifelong angler - reveals hidden depths of the beauty of nature.
But how can you access the secret lives of fish & what controls their reactions to your artificial flies?
Dr Paul Gaskell
I have come to realise I can no longer separate the biologist in me from the angler - so to explain how I fish means I need to share how to become a Fly Fishing Naturalist too...
What does the chapter list look like?
What is Fly Fishing & Why Bother?
Because the book assumes no fly fishing knowledge to start with, it seemed important to examine why anyone would want to do it in the first place...
Beginnings
How a small boy became an angler, naturalist and biologist.
Fundamentals
- Natural Selection
- Ecological Niche
- Summary of Ideas
- What Has This Got To Do with Fly Fishing?
Being a Trout
- Supersize Me: Feeding for winners
- Refuge from predation: Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah, - Stayin' alive Stayin alive!
- Combined feeding/refuge conditions and trout spatial distribution
- What Being a Trout Means to You
Being a Grayling
- Apparent differences in niche exploitation
- Group Living and the Grayling
- What Being a Grayling Means to You
Being a Fly
- The river corridor as a whole
- Micro habitat variety and niche availability
- Functional Feeding Groups
- Flush hatches, synchronicity and "stabilising selection"
Being an Angler
- How come fly fishing exists?
- What is likely to be going on then?
- Specific Simple Cues Occurring Together are Treated as Real Prey
- The Size of the Check-mark (as well as the number of list-items) Might be Important
- In Praise of Impressionistic Fly Patterns
- Predator Image – the Enemy of Feeding Response
- Playing with the Signal to Noise Ratio - From Both Ends
- Plasticity and Going Beyond “Trout Hunting”
- Plasticity due to Hunger Motivation vs. Predator Threat
- Optimal Foraging
- Handling Time
- Recap of Ideas: Becoming a Fly Fishing Naturalist
Being Exploited or Being Conserved?
- The Only Way is Ethics
- “Rights” versus “Cost/Benefit” Philosophies
- Maximise the Benefit
- Minimise the Negative Impacts; the Issue of Fish and Pain Perception
- Fish and Habitat Welfare Responsibilities of Anglers
- Doesn’t Catch and Kill Avoid these Messy Ethics?
- Final Words on Ethics
You can check out samples of the book interior and supporting digital media below:
Book Interior Samples:
Supporting Digital Media Samples:
What else is included?
As well as the book itself, accompanying digital media includes:
- Full color online guides to the big ideas which can be difficult to explain in a printed book! Including Natural Selection ★ Ecological Niche ★ Super-normal Stimuli/Fixed Action Pattern responses ★
Stabilising vs Disruptive Selection and more - Curated video library of core concepts and classic experiments (including prey capture and predator avoidance in toads)
- Personal photo album of fishing tackle memories from my Grandfather
- Full color photos to illustrate stories in the book
- Functional Feeding Behaviour of Invertebrate "Guilds" illustrated with more full color photos
Get instant access to the Supporting Media: Order Now!
As soon as you order your print copy of The Nature of Fly Fishing (with one-time payment of £15.99 GBP or $18.49 USD plus shipping), you'll be sent your instant-access details and a link to log in to your course area within the Online Fishing Discoveries Academy.
Once logged in you'll be able to navigate to any of the video or illustrated-text to help you gain full understanding at your own pace and without being overwhelmed. The video access is granted at zero extra cost and is important for getting the maximum value from the book contents.
What readers are saying:
"exactly what is needed to break this down..."
Dr. Paul Gaskell returns to the fly fishing literary scene, bringing us The Nature of Fly Fishing, a book based on the importance of understanding biology to catch more fish. Paul’s experiences and stories are exactly what are needed to break this down and explain why fly fishing is successful for trout and grayling.
Pay special attention to my favorite chapter Being an Angler, as that one alone is worth the price of admission!
Tim Cammisa // Author of Fly Tying for Everyone
"A great read"
Paul has a gift of looking at the subjects he tackles with a refreshing, well-thought-out and different angle. A great read.
Pete Tyjas // Fly Culture Podcast & Magazine
"Flabbergasted... Essential Reading for all Students of the Game"
...Re-evaluation was my first job when looking at the manuscript. I needed to train my brain and look and digest and absorb. Not since school had I truly done this. It was damn good discipline.
I urge that you do the same.
Suddenly I was looking at fly fishing situations entirely differently….importantly, understanding and knowing WHY.
Charles Jardine // 2022 Fly Fishing Hall of Fame Inductee & Director of "Fishing for Schools"
Paul Gaskell // Author
Following a Ph.D in freshwater ecotoxicology and Post-Doctoral Research at the University of Sheffield, I left academia to work for the Wild Trout Trust advising on urban trout population rehabilitation and wild trout habitat management. I have also pursued a parallel career as professional fishing guide, author, photographer and content-creator for Fishing Discoveries & Discover Tenkara.
Paul
Order Now to Lock in Your Copy!
Get instant access to the multimedia course while you wait for your book to be delivered: so the next time you fish you'll already be able to draw on some new ideas for your own approach.
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