By Justin Pickett

Tom Rosenbauer recently released his latest published work entitled Fly Fishing for Trout: 

The Next Level, which is intended to reach beyond the beginner and educate those with an already general understanding of fly angling.

I received a copy from Tom just after the book had been released and immediately began flipping through the subject matter. I will be the first to admit, I am not much of a reader at all, but there are tons of photos, diagrams, and even QR codes spattered amongst the pages that compliments each topic, which helps keep my ADD satisfied. This book is filled with colorful illustrations, scientific data, and plenty of Tom’s tips and tricks to help you on the water. Everything about this book is meant to make you a better angler.

Some of the topics covered in this book address areas in which many fly anglers have the least amount of confidence, such as rise forms, where and why trout lie in certain areas of a river or stream, and when and how to fish a particular bug hatch so you can better determine which flies to use. All too often, I see clients become vexed when they are unable to decide what fly they should tie on, or where they should cast. Tom breaks it down and keeps it simple, while still covering a lot of information related to the “3 C’s” (Current, Cover, Cuisine), which allows the reader to retain the information better.

Tom also highlights the most popular techniques and different styles of fishing, as well as how to be a more efficient angler whether you are fishing with an indicator, a streamer, or a dry fly. He even covers the growing techniques of euro-style nymphing and tenkara.

Aside from the technical aspects of fly fishing, Tom even briefly touches on some misconceptions associated with fly fishing and gives some inside perspective on a sensitive subject within the trout fishing community.

Reading through the book isn’t going to take you weeks. I leisurely read through it in a few days’ time. The most attractive thing I found about his book was its simplicity in discussing and explaining various topics effectively. Tom does a great job of trying to keep the subject interesting and skips any “filler” that you might find in some books. If it doesn’t cover something pertinent to making you a better angler, then it isn’t in this book. From Spring to Winter. Rain or shine. Wading boots to tippet. Bugs to bugaboos. Tom covers everything that you need to build a solid foundation as a fly angler that will certainly serve you well for a lifetime.