I’m hard pressed to think of another angler as creative and pioneering as regular Swing the Fly contributor Kevin Feenstra. In Matching Baitfish: Patterns and Techniques for Great Lakes Steelhead and Lake Run Browns, Kevin shares his hard-earned knowledge gained through a lifetime in pursuit of Great Lakes fish.
Feenstra’s pioneering spirit has led him to an understanding of Great Lakes steelhead food sources that is second-to-none; combine that with him being an outstanding photographer and a Great Lakes swung fly angler and a fly tyer with nearly unrivaled innovativeness, and you have the makings of an absolute must-have book.
And his flies are worthy of even more praise: in an endeavor with a long, storied tradition and a history of pioneering individuals, continuing to raise the bar and create totally new renditions far outside of the standard Intruder-like flies of our day is difficult at best; yet, Kevin continues to come up with original flies that strongly resemble fish food but don’t resemble anyone else’s flies.
Matching Baitfish is so much more than what the title lets on. In fact, I’m not sure any title could do justice to what lies within: incredible photography, an education on baitfish you won’t find in a lifetime elsewhere, innovative techniques and tactics for the swung fly angler, and one of a kind fly patterns.
This book is not only an absolute must own for the Great Lakes swung fly angler, Trout Spey anglers across North America will find plenty to latch onto as well.