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January 7, 2008 / man vs fish-the fly fisherman's eternal struggle
".... full of terrific stories. Beautifully produced. Bravo!" Nick Lyons
Man vs Fish: The Fly Fisherman's Eternal Struggle
Taylor Streit
Foreword by John Nichols
Man vs Fish comprises the highlights of Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame guide Taylor Streit's fifty years of fly-fishing. From New Mexico to Argentina we follow Streit, and his sidekick "superfly," from hooking the tail of a great marlin to getting hooked, barefoot, to the living room carpet. Reading these dramatic tales will inspire the armchair angler to thrash their way to a wild place, don waders, and become part of the action.
"Taylor has been to exciting places I'll never visit, and he has written about those places. He's caught peacock bass in Brazil. And he has witnessed people wrestling alligators. He bagged a 28-inch brown trout in Patagonia while red stags kibitzed from the background. . . . All the tales are good fun and great writing. There's some wonderful satire to boot. . . . These stories catch fish. And all of them are hefty lunkers."--John Nichols, from the Foreword
"...a good trout book, like a good trout stream, is hard to find and worth the effort. Taylor Streit's Man vs Fish is such a book."--The Advocate
"Man vs Fish is terrific! Great writing, and some really hilarious stuff. These stories are exciting, wistful, fascinating, melancholy and laugh-out-loud funny, usually all within the same chapter. Taylor Streit is a supreme fish catcher, but along the way he doesn't mind telling us he fell in the river, forgot half his gear and broke his rod in half. Fun, fun, never-boring reading for fly fisher and non-fisher alike. Highly recommended!"--Jack Handey, author of Deep Thoughts
Taylor Streit is the author of Instinctive Fly Fishing: A Guide's Guide to Better Fishing and Fly Fishing New Mexico. He guides out of Taos and Chama, New Mexico, and takes anglers to Argentina each winter.
7 x 10 191 pages 58 color photographs
$29.95 ( hardcover ) 978-0-8263-3272-1 [Add to Cart]
Copyright © University of New Mexico Press 2006. See
January 7, 2008 / AK Best & Taylor Streit
FLY TYING/FISHING
A.K. BEST & TAYLOR STREIT
Taos N.M.
April 18, 19, 20 2008
A.K. Best and Taylor & Nick Streit INVITE YOU to a weekend of fly tying and fishing in Taos, New Mexico. This event is timed to coincide with the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande. The hatch comes off in the afternoon so A.K. does his class in the AM. It can be fabulous, but temperamental fishing, and last year we had one good day on the water, with the river and wind blown out the next. But no body complained because we offered lots of instruction instead: casting with Nick and A.K., tying with Taylor, knots and entomology with Chris Jarvis. And a couple of folks went fishing despite the conditions and caught trout—big ones-- with guides Brian Spelman and Tom Martin.
Friday, April 18 th
5:30 pm with Welcome gathering. Meet our instructors, take a look at their books, and get to know the group.
6:30 pm Dinner with casting demos from Taylor’s book Instinctive Fly Fishing.
7:30 pm slide show from Taylor’s new book Man vs Fish.
Saturday, April 19th
8:00 am Breakfast and casting class.
9:00 am to 12:00 pm A.K. Best fly tying workshop. All materials
needed for the workshop will be provided. Bring your own tools and lamps.
Other materials available for purchase on site from Taos Fly Shop.
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch with Taylor’s hints on skating the Caddis.
1:00 pm to dusk Fishing with Taylor and his guides (2-3 clients per guide). . On Return Dinner accompanied by Fish Stories…
Sunday, April 20th
8:00 am Breakfast with presentation by Nick Streit.
9:00 am to 12 A.K.’s Second fly tying session.
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch including fishing demo.
1:30 to dusk guided fishing.
A.K. Best’s books include Production Fly Tying, II, Dying and Bleaching, A.K.’s Flybox, Advanced Fly tying and his new book Fishing with A.K. Taylor Streit’s books include Instinctive Fly Fishing , Fly Fishing New Mexico and Man vs Fish—The Fly Fisherman’s Eternal Struggle. Rate for the weekend is $695 plus tax. Lodging and gratuities are not included ( meals included. Non-refundable deposit of $350 holds your space. Call Sagebrush Inn and ask for fly fishing school rate @ 800 428 3626 sagebrushinn.com
15% discount on guiding for school clients that week.
Taylor Streit, PO Box 2759,Taos NM 87571
505 751 1312 (Taos Fly Shop.com)
505 741 0202 (cell)
www.streitflyfishing.com
email--guides@streitflyfishing.com
December 30, 2007 / Chama stay!!!
Our new lab/golden Lucy watches patiently while nick plays a nice fish.
July 29, 2005 / Big fish on public water!
You'll never guess where this fish was caught! For the fish's sake i won't post his location here but if you call or stop by the shop we might tell you.
August 7, 2005 / july big brown
Bay Mitchell landed 22 big fish on 7/27 including this pig! Bay was nice enough to sed us these kind words--
"Taylor, Nick, Chrissy and Gabriel,
I wanted to let you know again what a great time I had last week fishing with Gabe. He's a tremendous guide. It was easily the best two days fishing I've ever had. Now that I know how easy it is to catch trophy- sized trout, expect to see me again (and, hopefully, others as I spread the word). Well, seriously, I know it was a matter of good timing in that the water levels and the weather were perfect. But when you combine that with streams full of fish and a great guide, you end up with one very happy client.
It was a pleasure to meet all of you and I hope the rest of your season is filled with clients as pleased as I am. I'm looking forward to coming back.
Best regards,
Bay Mitchell
May 2, 2005 / Exerpt from Taylor's next book
Man’s Superiority to Fish—980 words
Several years ago I spent the winter in a bright yellow house on a remote Bahamian island. It had four rooms, a table with three and one half chairs, a bed with both top and bottom sheets, a sofa kinda thing, a hot plate, and a gas fridge. What more could you want for $200 a month? The front of the house even had a couple of bougainvillea’s, a scrawny mango tree, and greenish fuzz that looked somewhat like a lawn.
But the backyard was the ocean itself! When the wind and tide were up, waves would beat against the coral shore and drench the house in spray. The view out to sea was a typical Bahamian one: pastel shades of green and blue stood out against a white sand bottom, and the few coral heads appeared almost black, just darker than the more extensive grass patches. (Until educated, a boatman will zigzag around all these dark bottoms until he learns to tell the dangerous coral from the harmless grass.) Just to the south, the strong currents of a large salt-water river drained and filled the beautiful bay.
It all blended together to make a pretty fishy environment, so snorkel gear and spear were kept on alert at the back door. I had several thousand miserable trout flies to tie, and I needed quality breaks from the boredom. So when conditions were suitable — when tide, sun, and appetite were up — I would grab the Hawaiian sling and proceed to the Caribbean to try and stab lunch. I would manage to impale something now and then, but as often as not I would swim to the backdoor empty handed.
But you gotta have nutritious fish if you live on South Andros Island. The one little store had only a sampling of fruit, some canned food, frozen meat, and Little Debbie’s treats—all brought to you by mail boat at very high prices. (The Little Debbie’s actually cost three times the price marked on the box.) This sparse diet was subsidized by ingestion of the popular drink called Vita-Malt. If you have just arrived from the bountiful States, the foul, vitamin-laden concoction was near impossible to swallow. But after a few months of coconuts, canned spaghetti, and Little Debbie’s Treats, the malnourished body can only holler MORE when the gummy, brown brew touches the lips. The bottle gets drained in two or three good pulls. When you reach that point—where you crave Vita-Malt—it’s time to step up the intake of fish. I’ve mentioned my shortcomings with the spear, but as I’m pretty handy with rod and reel, it wasn’t long until my son Nick and I had developed a new style of fishing that put the hurtin’ on those poor fishes.
The fish were too spread out to catch them consistently by randomly casting here and there. As all fishermen know, there are always more fish “there” than “here,” and the chances of your bait landing on the head of some delicious fellow ... well, that is where that four-letter word “luck” enters into the equation. On the other hand, if you know the exact whereabouts of said underwater lunch, that takes luck right out of the picture.
The operation went something like this. Nick snorkeled over likely territory while I awaited instructions from on shore--ten-weight fly rod in hand. We found that if Nick raised his head out the water and yelled to me the fish would often be gone by the time the snorkeler (Nick) got his head back under. Consequently we me up with an elaborate set of hand signals so that the fish was never lost from view. Nick could then relate to me what he was seeing without having to stick his head above water, remove mask, and holler to shore.
The first signal started simply with one finger raised out of the water and aimed toward the quarry. The vigor of the motion indicated the edibility of the critter. For instance, the flat-tasting French grunt would get far less finger-stabbing enthusiasm than, say, a delicious grouper found hiding in its den.
As I waded toward the targeted fish, Nick would give me additional hand signals. A wiggling hand meant that the fish was swimming off. If the creature appeared to be just moseying along, the hand would also swim along casually. But, if the fish were heading for “there,” the hand would wiggle powerfully in that direction. As I got closer, other signals would come into play. A wading angler bothers a fish more than swimming one, so if the fish showed signs of nervousness, a halting sign would be given — a raised palm meant STOP. When the fish settled down, the index finger wiggled the universal “come here” signal. When in casting range, I would get more precise instructions about what the fish was up to. If it was feeding, the fingers would be extended and mimic a mouth opening and closing.
And finally—the moment of truth—the cast. Fish in shallow water are spooky, and it’s always important not to brain them with the fly. So Nick would direct me to cast somewhat away from the fish. We discovered that with some species it was preferable to fish with a slack line, and such fish would just sit in front of the fly and tread water as it studied the proposed meal. The animals indecision would be portrayed by a horizontal wobbling hand--maybe yes, maybe no. With the line slack like that the spotter would have to inform the angler when to set the hook. With our system, if the fish took the fly, the snorkler would signal strike by raising a clenched fist—another sign of man’s superiority over fish, Vita-Malt, and blind luck!
May 2, 2005 / april fish
yeah!
April 26, 2005 / New ponds in Chama
With run-off in full swing, our choices for places to fish have dwindled. Thankfully we have some new private ponds west of Taos. The ponds have been producing good numbers of fish upwards of 15 inches, some over 20! The ponds should continue to fish well through the summer, call for more information.
April 4, 2005 / FISH OF A LIFETIIME
Our guide Tom Martin, my wife, and myself(nick) fished a private stream that we have acces to on sunday. Tom got rigged up before us so i suggested he go try a couple casts in a great pool near where we parked. After about 2 minutes and 4 casts, we heard some serious screaming. Ten minutes later I was able to scoop the fish in my big steelhead net. As i lifted the handle broke! Tom caught this epic eight to ten pound rainbow on a poundmiester april 3rd.
May 2, 2005 / Rio Grande fly fishing
Guide Brian Spelman with a Wild Rivers rainbow. With this years good snow pack the fishing in the Rio will be great again in 05. If you have not expierienced this world class fishing, give us a call and we will show you what it's all about.
April 26, 2005 / Fall Fishing in New Mexico
October and November had some of the best fishing of the year with the least amount of fisherman. Angler Rick Henderson found out first hand about October's big brown's. Because of the good rain and snowfall look for this fall to be even better!
January 22, 2005 / Taylor's updated book, Fly Fishing New Mexico
This addition has been a must have book for anyone fishing in New Mexico. Six chapters have been revised and there is one new chapter on the Valles Caldera. For an autographed copy email taylor, taylor@streitflyfishing.com or call us at 505-751-1312
January 22, 2005 / Instinctive Fly Fishing Book
Taylor's new book "Instictive Fly Fishing" is already in it's second printing. It is filled with information that EVERY angler can benefit from. To get an autographed copy contact taylor via email or phone, or send a check for 27.95(shipping and handling included) to Taylor Streit
po box 2759
Taos , NM 87571
".... full of terrific stories. Beautifully produced. Bravo!" Nick Lyons
Man vs Fish: The Fly Fisherman's Eternal Struggle
Taylor Streit
Foreword by John Nichols
Man vs Fish comprises the highlights of Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame guide Taylor Streit's fifty years of fly-fishing. From New Mexico to Argentina we follow Streit, and his sidekick "superfly," from hooking the tail of a great marlin to getting hooked, barefoot, to the living room carpet. Reading these dramatic tales will inspire the armchair angler to thrash their way to a wild place, don waders, and become part of the action.
"Taylor has been to exciting places I'll never visit, and he has written about those places. He's caught peacock bass in Brazil. And he has witnessed people wrestling alligators. He bagged a 28-inch brown trout in Patagonia while red stags kibitzed from the background. . . . All the tales are good fun and great writing. There's some wonderful satire to boot. . . . These stories catch fish. And all of them are hefty lunkers."--John Nichols, from the Foreword
"...a good trout book, like a good trout stream, is hard to find and worth the effort. Taylor Streit's Man vs Fish is such a book."--The Advocate
"Man vs Fish is terrific! Great writing, and some really hilarious stuff. These stories are exciting, wistful, fascinating, melancholy and laugh-out-loud funny, usually all within the same chapter. Taylor Streit is a supreme fish catcher, but along the way he doesn't mind telling us he fell in the river, forgot half his gear and broke his rod in half. Fun, fun, never-boring reading for fly fisher and non-fisher alike. Highly recommended!"--Jack Handey, author of Deep Thoughts
Taylor Streit is the author of Instinctive Fly Fishing: A Guide's Guide to Better Fishing and Fly Fishing New Mexico. He guides out of Taos and Chama, New Mexico, and takes anglers to Argentina each winter.
7 x 10 191 pages 58 color photographs
$29.95 ( hardcover ) 978-0-8263-3272-1 [Add to Cart]
Copyright © University of New Mexico Press 2006. See
January 7, 2008 / AK Best & Taylor Streit
FLY TYING/FISHING
A.K. BEST & TAYLOR STREIT
Taos N.M.
April 18, 19, 20 2008
A.K. Best and Taylor & Nick Streit INVITE YOU to a weekend of fly tying and fishing in Taos, New Mexico. This event is timed to coincide with the caddis hatch on the Rio Grande. The hatch comes off in the afternoon so A.K. does his class in the AM. It can be fabulous, but temperamental fishing, and last year we had one good day on the water, with the river and wind blown out the next. But no body complained because we offered lots of instruction instead: casting with Nick and A.K., tying with Taylor, knots and entomology with Chris Jarvis. And a couple of folks went fishing despite the conditions and caught trout—big ones-- with guides Brian Spelman and Tom Martin.
Friday, April 18 th
5:30 pm with Welcome gathering. Meet our instructors, take a look at their books, and get to know the group.
6:30 pm Dinner with casting demos from Taylor’s book Instinctive Fly Fishing.
7:30 pm slide show from Taylor’s new book Man vs Fish.
Saturday, April 19th
8:00 am Breakfast and casting class.
9:00 am to 12:00 pm A.K. Best fly tying workshop. All materials
needed for the workshop will be provided. Bring your own tools and lamps.
Other materials available for purchase on site from Taos Fly Shop.
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch with Taylor’s hints on skating the Caddis.
1:00 pm to dusk Fishing with Taylor and his guides (2-3 clients per guide). . On Return Dinner accompanied by Fish Stories…
Sunday, April 20th
8:00 am Breakfast with presentation by Nick Streit.
9:00 am to 12 A.K.’s Second fly tying session.
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch including fishing demo.
1:30 to dusk guided fishing.
A.K. Best’s books include Production Fly Tying, II, Dying and Bleaching, A.K.’s Flybox, Advanced Fly tying and his new book Fishing with A.K. Taylor Streit’s books include Instinctive Fly Fishing , Fly Fishing New Mexico and Man vs Fish—The Fly Fisherman’s Eternal Struggle. Rate for the weekend is $695 plus tax. Lodging and gratuities are not included ( meals included. Non-refundable deposit of $350 holds your space. Call Sagebrush Inn and ask for fly fishing school rate @ 800 428 3626 sagebrushinn.com
15% discount on guiding for school clients that week.
Taylor Streit, PO Box 2759,Taos NM 87571
505 751 1312 (Taos Fly Shop.com)
505 741 0202 (cell)
www.streitflyfishing.com
email--guides@streitflyfishing.com
December 30, 2007 / Chama stay!!!
Our new lab/golden Lucy watches patiently while nick plays a nice fish.
July 29, 2005 / Big fish on public water!
You'll never guess where this fish was caught! For the fish's sake i won't post his location here but if you call or stop by the shop we might tell you.
August 7, 2005 / july big brown
Bay Mitchell landed 22 big fish on 7/27 including this pig! Bay was nice enough to sed us these kind words--
"Taylor, Nick, Chrissy and Gabriel,
I wanted to let you know again what a great time I had last week fishing with Gabe. He's a tremendous guide. It was easily the best two days fishing I've ever had. Now that I know how easy it is to catch trophy- sized trout, expect to see me again (and, hopefully, others as I spread the word). Well, seriously, I know it was a matter of good timing in that the water levels and the weather were perfect. But when you combine that with streams full of fish and a great guide, you end up with one very happy client.
It was a pleasure to meet all of you and I hope the rest of your season is filled with clients as pleased as I am. I'm looking forward to coming back.
Best regards,
Bay Mitchell
May 2, 2005 / Exerpt from Taylor's next book
Man’s Superiority to Fish—980 words
Several years ago I spent the winter in a bright yellow house on a remote Bahamian island. It had four rooms, a table with three and one half chairs, a bed with both top and bottom sheets, a sofa kinda thing, a hot plate, and a gas fridge. What more could you want for $200 a month? The front of the house even had a couple of bougainvillea’s, a scrawny mango tree, and greenish fuzz that looked somewhat like a lawn.
But the backyard was the ocean itself! When the wind and tide were up, waves would beat against the coral shore and drench the house in spray. The view out to sea was a typical Bahamian one: pastel shades of green and blue stood out against a white sand bottom, and the few coral heads appeared almost black, just darker than the more extensive grass patches. (Until educated, a boatman will zigzag around all these dark bottoms until he learns to tell the dangerous coral from the harmless grass.) Just to the south, the strong currents of a large salt-water river drained and filled the beautiful bay.
It all blended together to make a pretty fishy environment, so snorkel gear and spear were kept on alert at the back door. I had several thousand miserable trout flies to tie, and I needed quality breaks from the boredom. So when conditions were suitable — when tide, sun, and appetite were up — I would grab the Hawaiian sling and proceed to the Caribbean to try and stab lunch. I would manage to impale something now and then, but as often as not I would swim to the backdoor empty handed.
But you gotta have nutritious fish if you live on South Andros Island. The one little store had only a sampling of fruit, some canned food, frozen meat, and Little Debbie’s treats—all brought to you by mail boat at very high prices. (The Little Debbie’s actually cost three times the price marked on the box.) This sparse diet was subsidized by ingestion of the popular drink called Vita-Malt. If you have just arrived from the bountiful States, the foul, vitamin-laden concoction was near impossible to swallow. But after a few months of coconuts, canned spaghetti, and Little Debbie’s Treats, the malnourished body can only holler MORE when the gummy, brown brew touches the lips. The bottle gets drained in two or three good pulls. When you reach that point—where you crave Vita-Malt—it’s time to step up the intake of fish. I’ve mentioned my shortcomings with the spear, but as I’m pretty handy with rod and reel, it wasn’t long until my son Nick and I had developed a new style of fishing that put the hurtin’ on those poor fishes.
The fish were too spread out to catch them consistently by randomly casting here and there. As all fishermen know, there are always more fish “there” than “here,” and the chances of your bait landing on the head of some delicious fellow ... well, that is where that four-letter word “luck” enters into the equation. On the other hand, if you know the exact whereabouts of said underwater lunch, that takes luck right out of the picture.
The operation went something like this. Nick snorkeled over likely territory while I awaited instructions from on shore--ten-weight fly rod in hand. We found that if Nick raised his head out the water and yelled to me the fish would often be gone by the time the snorkeler (Nick) got his head back under. Consequently we me up with an elaborate set of hand signals so that the fish was never lost from view. Nick could then relate to me what he was seeing without having to stick his head above water, remove mask, and holler to shore.
The first signal started simply with one finger raised out of the water and aimed toward the quarry. The vigor of the motion indicated the edibility of the critter. For instance, the flat-tasting French grunt would get far less finger-stabbing enthusiasm than, say, a delicious grouper found hiding in its den.
As I waded toward the targeted fish, Nick would give me additional hand signals. A wiggling hand meant that the fish was swimming off. If the creature appeared to be just moseying along, the hand would also swim along casually. But, if the fish were heading for “there,” the hand would wiggle powerfully in that direction. As I got closer, other signals would come into play. A wading angler bothers a fish more than swimming one, so if the fish showed signs of nervousness, a halting sign would be given — a raised palm meant STOP. When the fish settled down, the index finger wiggled the universal “come here” signal. When in casting range, I would get more precise instructions about what the fish was up to. If it was feeding, the fingers would be extended and mimic a mouth opening and closing.
And finally—the moment of truth—the cast. Fish in shallow water are spooky, and it’s always important not to brain them with the fly. So Nick would direct me to cast somewhat away from the fish. We discovered that with some species it was preferable to fish with a slack line, and such fish would just sit in front of the fly and tread water as it studied the proposed meal. The animals indecision would be portrayed by a horizontal wobbling hand--maybe yes, maybe no. With the line slack like that the spotter would have to inform the angler when to set the hook. With our system, if the fish took the fly, the snorkler would signal strike by raising a clenched fist—another sign of man’s superiority over fish, Vita-Malt, and blind luck!
May 2, 2005 / april fish
yeah!
April 26, 2005 / New ponds in Chama
With run-off in full swing, our choices for places to fish have dwindled. Thankfully we have some new private ponds west of Taos. The ponds have been producing good numbers of fish upwards of 15 inches, some over 20! The ponds should continue to fish well through the summer, call for more information.
April 4, 2005 / FISH OF A LIFETIIME
Our guide Tom Martin, my wife, and myself(nick) fished a private stream that we have acces to on sunday. Tom got rigged up before us so i suggested he go try a couple casts in a great pool near where we parked. After about 2 minutes and 4 casts, we heard some serious screaming. Ten minutes later I was able to scoop the fish in my big steelhead net. As i lifted the handle broke! Tom caught this epic eight to ten pound rainbow on a poundmiester april 3rd.
May 2, 2005 / Rio Grande fly fishing
Guide Brian Spelman with a Wild Rivers rainbow. With this years good snow pack the fishing in the Rio will be great again in 05. If you have not expierienced this world class fishing, give us a call and we will show you what it's all about.
April 26, 2005 / Fall Fishing in New Mexico
October and November had some of the best fishing of the year with the least amount of fisherman. Angler Rick Henderson found out first hand about October's big brown's. Because of the good rain and snowfall look for this fall to be even better!
January 22, 2005 / Taylor's updated book, Fly Fishing New Mexico
This addition has been a must have book for anyone fishing in New Mexico. Six chapters have been revised and there is one new chapter on the Valles Caldera. For an autographed copy email taylor, taylor@streitflyfishing.com or call us at 505-751-1312
January 22, 2005 / Instinctive Fly Fishing Book
Taylor's new book "Instictive Fly Fishing" is already in it's second printing. It is filled with information that EVERY angler can benefit from. To get an autographed copy contact taylor via email or phone, or send a check for 27.95(shipping and handling included) to Taylor Streit
po box 2759
Taos , NM 87571
|
MAN VS FISH-THE FLY FISHERMAN'S ETERNAL STRUGGLE AK BEST & TAYLOR STREIT CHAMA STAY!!! BIG FISH ON PUBLIC WATER! JULY BIG BROWN |
PO box 2759 Taos New Mexico 87571 505.751.1312 info@streitflyfishing.com 
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