My First 3 Fly-fishing Books

Here are my first 3 fly-fishing books. Fly Rodding the Coast, Fly-Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline and Fly Rodding Estuaries.  You will find full descriptions below. (At the end of this list I will also introduce you to my latest effort, Along the Water’s Edge. I’m quite proud of it.) These 3 texts were aimed at the coastal angler, and contain valuable information gained from decades in the salt. They are available through Amazon, Stackpole Books, or by prowling sporting book dealers on the internet. All 3 are now in E-book format as well. Reviews are found at the bottom of this page.

Fly Rodding Estuaries  2003, Paper, Stackpole Books

This four color book covers the exciting fly fishing found in estuary situations such as salt ponds, coastal rivers, tidal creeks and backwaters. It has plenty on gear and flies. And it contains valuable sight-fishing tactics for striped bass, as well as a section on fishing from kayaks, canoes and rowboats. The book has approximately  100 color photographs and 22 line illustrations.

Fly Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline  2001, Hardbound, Stackpole Books

This book is for anglers with prior saltwater fly-fishing experience.  You’ll find a chapter on how to fish for Atlantic bonito & little tunny. Another chapter focused on fishing for striped bass. And there are additional chapters on fishing for bluefish, weakfish and hickory shad. You’ll find information too on fishing edges, forage & flies, and the coastal migration patterns in the Northeast. The book closes with a chapter on how to fish the famous waters of Lobsterville Beach and Dogfish Bar.  Eight color fly plates, numerous b&w photos and illustrations. 229 pages,  7.5″ x 9

Fly Rodding the Coast  1995, Hardbound, Stackpole Books

This is a comprehensive text on Northeast, saltwater fly fishing.  In fact some have accused it of being the best general saltwater text available. It starts with a chapter on understanding tide and follows it up with chapters on how to fly-fish beaches, points of land, rips, and man-made structures. In addition, there is plenty of information on gear, casting, knots, weather concerns, forage fish, and flies.  Color fly plates, b&w photos, illustrations   350 pages, 6″x9″

Most Recent Book

Along the Water’s Edge 2014,  Hardbound, Self-published

127168 Dust Jacket Layout 9_12.pdf [ 1 ], page 1 @ PreflightFor several few years I have been kicking around the idea of self-publishing a book. Well I finally got it done. It is a 6×9 hardbound book of approximately 200 pages, entitled Along the Water’s Edge.

Along the Water’s Edge offers the reader a variety of things, all brought together by fly-fishing. The first section of the book affords a look into the lives of people who held a special passion for the sport. They include: Jack Gartside- fly tyer extraordinaire; legendary baseball player Ted Williams; Nelson Bryant – whose outdoor column ran for decades in the New York Times; Harold Gibbs -considered by many to be the father of striped bass on a fly; Homer Rhode Jr.- the mysterious loner who carved a special path in the earliest day of southern saltwater fly fishing; and Frank Woolner – the founder of Saltwater Sportman.

 I spent decades observing, and fly-fishing the New England coast. In the middle section of the book, I share that hard-earned knowledge with you. It is a treasure trove for the coastal fly rodder. It offers, for instance, the secrets behind catching big striped bass from the beach. You’ll hear how wind direction influences fishing, season by season. You’ll gain valuable insights into, and angling methods for two of the most sought after game fish – Atlantic bonito, and false albacore. Through my eyes, you’ll witness the rich predator-prey relation between sand eels and striped bass. While discovering how to put that connection to good use. From the rocky coast of Rhode Island, you’ll learn about bay anchovies; and how their presence fuels fall fishing. And the book gives an in-depth look at retrieve styles and speeds. And how to employ them in a wide variety of conditions.

In the last section of Along the Water’s Edge, there is a series of fly-fishing short stories. Most are humorous. Some serious. All of them drawn on my personal angling experiences, and my love of the great outdoors..

More Information on this book   It is available through this website by dropping me an email at e.mitchell6@yahoo.com. The price is $29.95 plus postage. Priority mail is now $8.55 Sounds crazy but that’s the bitter truth, my friend. I can send it media mail for half that cost, but it is sloooow. Shipping outside the USA will be more expensive. Signed and inscribed upon request.

 

It is also available by credit card from  The Angling Bookstore ,   

Reviews  of my 3 Earlier Books

“The beauty of Fly Rodding the Coast is Ed Mitchell’s writing. Mitchell…writes as well as he fishes – his angling prowess is well know in New England where he lives. His book flows, making saltwater fly-fishing easy to understand.” 

                                                                             Tom Meade, Fly Fisherman magazine

Fly Rodding the Coast…. made no mistake this is a definitive book, a “must” read for both newcomers and veterans coastal anglers. More than that it is the very model of what a how-to fly-fishing book ought to be.”

                                                                      Steve Raymond, Fly Fishing in Salt Waters 

Fly-fishing the Saltwater Shoreline is exhaustive, well organized, and easy to read to use. Whether you want information on fishing for a particular species, on a type of bait, on analyzing a situation or habitat, on places to fish, on a technique, or on flies you can quickly find what you need. Every page contains some tip that’s going to make you a better fly fisher.”  

                                                                 Art Scheck,  Saltwater Fly-Fishing magazine

Fly-Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline.…No type of fishing requires as much knowledge about when and where to go as does saltwater fly fishing…..Ed Mitchell knows and explains the interrelated factors better than anyone. He is widely read and respected…. and the authority on the northeast coast….His first book Fly Rodding the Coast has become the standard reference on the subject. 

                                                                Reviewer, Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide.  

Fly-Fishing the Saltwater Shoreline…..Mitchell writes with the authority and confidence of someone who has spent enough time on the water to know all the big and small secrets that spell the difference between angling success and failure, and he share them generously….This is a gem of a book.”

                                                            Steve Raymond, Fly Fishing in Salt Waters   

Fly Rodding Estuaries……..To his credit, Mitchell and his editor’s make sensible decisions, avoided repetition, and left nothing out.  This is a fine book and a nice addition to the body of fly-fishing literature.” 

                                                                  Alan Caolo, Fly Fisherman magazine

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