©2025 Fable Group Inc.

Selective Trout

By Doug Swisher & Carl Richards &
Selective Trout by Doug Swisher & Carl Richards &  digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

When it was originally published in 1971, Selective Trout was universally acclaimed as the most revolutionary approach to aquatic insect imitation in the twentieth century. Using common sense, science, and imagination, authors Doug Swisher and Carl Richards developed a wide array of new patterns that were in sharp contrast to those offerings used by American fly fishermen up to that time. Their radical no-hackle dry fly, in particular, proved to be a more convincing, natural silhouette than anything anglers had ever seen before. With hatch charts covering different regions of the country, and featuring detailed tying instructions for flies that could be used in those regions, all liberally illustrated, the book provided anglers with a new arsenal of deadly fly patterns. Thirty years later, and after more than 200,000 copies of the first edition had been sold, a Thirtieth Anniversary Edition was brought out. Updated and revised by the authors, with new observations on trout behavior as well as detailed instructions on how to keep useful fishing logs, the book also featured detailed appendices on terrestrials, mayflies, caddisflies, and stoneflies. Not only that, but the new edition included hundreds of color illustrations by the renowned artist and fly-fishing innovator Dave Whitlock. It’s hard to imagine how anything could top that. In this new paperback edition of Selective Trout we know that we can’t top what’s been done previously. But we do know that this deserves to stay in print, because it’s the type of book that every fly fisherman should own and read. To add a new twist to this new edition, what we have done is added a new introduction by Doug Swisher (Carl Richards passed away in 2006), plus a new foreword by Nick Lyons, the book publisher who had the foresight to get behind the book in the first place.

Download the free Fable app

app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities
app book lists

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
app book recommendations

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
app book reviews

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
app comments

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

No Reviews

About Doug Swisher

Doug Swisher grew up in Bay City, Michigan, and began fly fishing at the age of eight. He became a well-known fly-fishing expert as a result of the success of Selective Trout, and has since written eleven books. Doug live in Hamilton, Montana, with his wife, Sharon.

Carl Richards

Carl Richards was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he learned to fly fish at the age of seven. A year later, he began tying flies for a local shop, a job he kept until he graduated from the school of Dentistry at Ohio State University. He wrote or coauthored a dozen books.

Dave Whitlock

Dave Whitlock is the author or illustrator of many fine angling books, including Dave Whitlock’s Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods, the L.L. Bean Fly-Fishing Handbook, and the L.L. Bean Fly Dishing for Bass Handbook. He resides in Welling, Oklahoma.

Start a Book Club

Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!

FAQ

Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?

Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?

How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?

Do you sell physical books too?

Are book clubs free to join on Fable?

How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?

Error Icon
Save to a list
0
/
30
0
/
100
Private List
Private lists are not visible to other Fable users on your public profile.
Notification Icon
©2025 Fable Group Inc.
Fable uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB