Flyfisher’s Guide to New England by Lou Zambello
Reviewed by George Smith for the Bangor Daily News
[dropcap]L[/dropcap]ou Zambello’s new fly fishing guide is astonishing, covering 650 rivers and streams and 500 lakes and ponds throughout New England. As Lou notes in the introduction: “What is included are the best and most popular (not always the same thing) fisheries… (and) lesser known waters that we have fished.”
The best part of the book, Flyfisher’s Guide to New England, for me is that it brought back many wonderful fishing memories. Yes, I have fished in quite a few of the Maine waters featured in this book. And while Lou gave away many of my favorite waters, I am grateful he didn’t include some of my very favorite places, all of which I would put in a category of “lesser known waters.”
As he wrote, “Part of angling fun is to find and explore your own secret spots, so maybe it is a good idea not to catalog and systematically write about every possibility and to leave some uncertainty out there.” Yes Lou, you are right, and thank you for not giving away some of my secret spots!
The book tells you everything you need to know to enjoy a lifetime of fishing all over New England, from maps and directions to the flies to use and the times of the year to fish there. There are suggestions for beginners, families, and old guys like me who need easy-accessible places to fish. It is very thorough. And obviously, you’ll never be able to fish them all, but I’ll bet you’ll quickly build a list of new places you must get to. I did.
I first got to know Lou when he worked at LL Bean. For the last 14 years he’s been a Maine guide in the Rangeley region, and he writes one of my favorite columns in The Maine Sportsman. He also writes a popular fishing blog, posted on his website www.maineflyfishing.com.
