Where to Start with Tom Rosenbauer
Tom Rosenbauer has been fly fishing for over fifty years and has spent most of his career at the Orvis Company, where he has shaped how an entire generation learns the sport. He started tying flies commercially at age fourteen and went on to write more than a dozen books on fly fishing, fly tying, and the outdoors. His podcast, The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide Podcast, has been downloaded over ten million times, making him arguably the most listened-to voice in the fly fishing world. Rosenbauer writes with the clarity of someone who has answered every possible beginner question and the enthusiasm of someone who still gets excited about a good hatch.
Start here
The Orvis Fly-Fishing Guide, Revised
Tom Rosenbauer · 408 pages · 2017 · Easy
Themes: fly fishing, casting, trout fishing, fly selection, reading water
The single most trusted introduction to fly fishing, now in a revised edition with over 400 full-color photographs and illustrations. Tom Rosenbauer’s guide has sold more than 300,000 copies because it does what most fly fishing books fail to do: it assumes you know nothing and builds your understanding from the ground up.
Why Start Here
Rosenbauer has written many books, but this is the one that defines his contribution to the sport. It covers everything from rigging your first rod to advanced presentation techniques, freshwater and saltwater, streams and stillwater. The writing is clear, patient, and backed by decades of experience teaching beginners. If you only read one Rosenbauer book, this is the one.
What to Expect
A comprehensive 408-page reference that works both as a cover-to-cover read for beginners and a dip-in resource for experienced anglers. The revised edition benefits from modern photography and updated gear recommendations. Rosenbauer’s conversational tone makes even technical subjects feel approachable.