Tom Bie

Down the Hatch is a collection of essays from fly angler extraordinaire and accomplished writer Dave Karczynski, and follows this general narrative arc: writer falls in love with fly fishing, gets to travel the world, realizes that travel satisfies the soul only so much, and comes home to his heart in the Midwest. In the first piece, he buys his first fly rod. In a piece near the book’s end, he buys a trout camp. The collection’s narrative span is ten years, and adventure locations include Wisconsin, Michigan, Alaska, Chile, Argentina, India, Labrador, Ontario, and Poland.

One of the most studied yet intimidating aspects of fly fishing for trout is an understanding of insect hatches. This unique book teaches fly fishers enough entomology to be successful, and instead of focusing on insect identification, it stresses learning how to approach trout, how to find where they feed, and how to present the fly so it is accepted as natural food without hesitation. It helps fly fishers catch more fish on dry flies, streamers, and nymphs, and teaches the angler more about trout than the life history of insects. Published in association with The Orvis Company.