Classic Book Giveaway #1
Classic Book Giveaway: Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing by Joseph D. Bates Jr.
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I recently became aware of just how prolific Joseph D. Bates Jr. was as a writer, particularly on Atlantic salmon fishing and salmon flies. I bought a copy of Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing for myself and was thrilled when it arrived. It was a beautiful copy, complete with its original dust jacket.
Then I realized something. Nearly all of the books I actually use have their dust jackets removed. They are working books—pulled off the shelf constantly, left open on my desk, marked with slips of paper, and used for research. This copy was simply too nice for that. So I bought a second, more worn copy for myself and decided to give the better copy away to one of our readers. My father is the angler in the family. I think of myself more as a fly-pattern historian.
Unfortunately, I don't have the time—or probably the patience—to become a master-class fly dresser like Will Bush or the craftsmen who spent years learning their trade in the Hardy Brothers fly-tying department. I sometimes think of it the same way I think about an art historian or a good art dealer: you can spend years learning the history, recognize the important work, understand the people who created it, and know why it matters without being able to paint the picture yourself. That's roughly where I fit with flies.
Seth Cavarretta had also helped me appreciate the historical importance of Bates and his work, and that got me thinking beyond this one book. Rather than hunt only for inexpensive reading copies for myself, I decided I'd start looking for especially nice copies of important old fly-fishing books and put them back into the hands of anglers who would appreciate them.
So, from time to time, I'm going to give away high-grade copies of classic fly-fishing books through our site, or signed copies of Trey's books, or whatever else interesting turns up. There won't be a fixed schedule or a sales pitch attached to it. If I find a book I think is worth owning, and a copy nice enough that I'd be excited to receive it myself, there's a good chance it will eventually become a giveaway.
Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing by Joseph D. Bates Jr. is the first book in this series of classic book giveaways.
About Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing
Published in 1970, Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing is much more than a collection of salmon fly patterns. Bates divided the book into two major sections: Atlantic salmon fishing and Atlantic salmon flies. Each chapter is beautifully illustrated with black-and-white photographs and detailed illustrations that add both historical interest and visual context to the text.
Example illustration
The first half deals with the fish and the fishing. Bates begins with the Atlantic salmon itself and moves through tackle, the evolution of salmon flies, wet-fly fishing methods, dry flies and low-water techniques, and salmon fishing throughout the Atlantic world.
There is extensive coverage of North American salmon fishing, including Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Newfoundland, and Labrador. Bates also looks across the Atlantic at fishing in Iceland, Finland, Norway, France, Spain, and the British Isles.
Joe Brooks hand-tails a fifteen-pounder on Scotland’s Oykel River. From Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing by Joseph D. Bates Jr. (1970). Photograph credited in the book to J. Brooks.
One of the more interesting chapters is “From the Old to the New in Salmon Flies.” Bates traces the development of the salmon fly from the elaborate feather-wing patterns of the Kelson era through reduced and simplified flies, early hair wings, dry flies, low-water patterns, Bucktails, and Streamers. For anyone interested in how salmon flies evolved rather than simply how they are dressed, there is a lot here.
Atlantic Salmon Flies
The second half of the book becomes an extensive reference on Atlantic salmon flies.
Bates covers classic salmon fly construction and design, the conversion of classic patterns to simpler feather wings and hair wings, Spey flies, articulated hooks, tube flies, fly design, dressing techniques, and the materials used in salmon flies.
Separate chapters are devoted to:
North American feather-wing patterns
North American hair-wing patterns
Dry-fly and nymph patterns
British feather-wing patterns
British hair-wing patterns
Salmon flies of continental Europe
The North American hair-wing chapter includes the development of the hair-wing salmon fly, the Butt flies of New Brunswick, the Cosseboom patterns, the Rat series, and dressing formulas and historical notes for many of the best-known North American hair wings.
The British section covers both classic feather-wing patterns and their simplifications, along with Spey flies, the General Practitioner, the Shrimp patterns, and dozens of other British salmon flies.
The book closes with salmon flies from continental Europe, a bibliography, and even a list of the names and addresses of prominent fly dressers—a fascinating little snapshot of the salmon-fly community at the time the book was published.
The Color Plates
One of the highlights of the book is its collection of color fly plates. Bates organized the plates into eight groups:
Exhibition patterns and exhibition dressings of standard patterns
Classic British patterns
Classic patterns and their simplifications
North American feather-wing patterns
North American hair-wing patterns
Popular British feather-wing patterns
Typical British hair-wing patterns
Favorite flies of continental Europe
Plate II, featuring classic British patterns, includes a Jock Scott.
There are also numerous photographs and drawings throughout the book covering everything from salmon lies and fishing techniques to fly construction and design.
For someone interested in the history and evolution of the Atlantic salmon fly, this is not just a book to read once. It is a reference book you can keep coming back to.
About This Copy
The copy being given away is a first-edition hardcover copy of Atlantic Salmon Flies & Fishing from 1970.
It is in remarkably nice condition for a book that is more than 50 years old and includes its original dust jacket. The interior is clean, and the photographs, drawings, and color fly plates remain in excellent condition.
This isn't a beat-up reading copy. It is exactly the kind of copy I would want to receive if I won one of these giveaways.
Why the Giveaways?
The giveaways have another purpose beyond putting a good book into someone’s hands. I hope these essays reintroduce anglers to classic fly-fishing books they may have forgotten about—or introduce them to books they never knew in the first place. Many of these books are still worth finding, reading, and keeping on the shelf.
They also give me a chance to expand the archive beyond my father’s work and look at some of the writers, fly dressers, anglers, and books that helped shape the sport.
And, at the risk of sounding a little preachy, we live in a world of 280-character tweets, doomscrolling, endless 8-second video feeds, and 24-hour news cycles. For me, spending a few hours digging into one of these old books is a welcome break from all of that. If one of these essays encourages someone else to pick up an old fly-fishing book and do the same, that alone makes the giveaway worthwhile.
About TreyCombsFlyFishing.com
If this is your first time visiting the site, everything here is free to read. There is no advertising, no clickbait, and no account to create. Our email list is used primarily for giveaways and occasional important site updates. We will never sell or share your email address.
The site includes complete chapters from Trey’s books, historical essays, profiles of important anglers and fly dressers, original archive photography that can be downloaded in high resolution suitable for framing, and a growing Fly Pattern Dictionary documenting classic steelhead, Atlantic salmon, trout, and saltwater flies.
—Mark Combs
Book Giveaway #1 Rules:
If you are already on our email list, you are automatically entered in this giveaway and all future giveaways.
If you are not on our list, sign up below, and you’ll be entered into this giveaway and all future giveaways.
One entry per person.
No purchase is necessary.
No account creation is required.
Entries must be received by September 30, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
The winner will be selected at random after the giveaway closes.
The winner will be contacted by email on October 1, 2026.
The winner must respond with a U.S. mailing address by October 5, 2026, at 11:59 PM Pacific Time. If no response is received by that deadline, another winner will be selected.
The book and shipping are free.
The giveaway is open to anyone on our email list, but the book will be shipped only to a U.S. mailing address. Shipping will be via USPS with tracking. Trey Combs Fly Fishing Publications is not responsible for replacing a book lost in transit after shipment.
This giveaway is sponsored by Trey Combs Fly Fishing Publications and is not affiliated with or sponsored by Instagram, Facebook, or any other social-media platform.