Bluewater Fly Fishing

The Dramatic New Fly Fishing Frontier - A Full Color Guide

A Worldwide Journey on the Fly
Originally published in 1996, Bluewater Fly Fishing follows Trey Combs around the world in pursuit of seventeen species of saltwater gamefish. Each chapter combines a different destination and species with fishing history, practical methods, firsthand experience, and the flies used to pursue them.

At the time of its publication, Bluewater Fly Fishing was a groundbreaking book, and there is still no other book quite like it in its combination of worldwide travel, big-game fly fishing, photography, history, and fly patterns.

In the foreword, legendary fly angler Lefty Kreh described the book as "a manual on how to fish offshore" and concluded:

"Bluewater fly fishermen owe Trey Combs a debt of gratitude for writing this excellent book."

We are preserving the original book by publishing selected chapters on this website and preparing the complete original edition for release as a free, high-resolution scanned PDF.

About the Book
Bluewater Fly Fishing takes readers from Baja California to Australia in pursuit of seventeen different species of saltwater gamefish. Each species and destination receives its own chapter, including dorado, Pacific and Atlantic sailfish, blue, black, striped, and white marlin, several species of tuna, wahoo, Pacific salmon, and inshore gamefish. The book features more than 150 full-color photographs, including extraordinary plates of bluewater flies and poppers.

Trey Combs provides a short history of each gamefish, practical fly-fishing strategies, and firsthand accounts of fishing around the world. The book also includes detailed chapters on tackle and teasing techniques, a major section on bluewater flies and poppers, and tying advice from Lefty Kreh, Bob Popovics, Rod Harrison, Winston Moore, Nick Curcione, Chico Fernandez, Steve Abel, Pete Parker, Richard Stoll, and many others.

Read Selected Chapters
Selected chapters from Bluewater Fly Fishing are being restored and published here as free online features. The chapters were chosen for their lasting historical value, travel writing, photography, fly patterns, and firsthand accounts of fishing around the world.

Part 1 - Bluewater Fish Sections (species/location)
Dorado (Mexico) — Pacific Sailfish (Costa Rica) — Atlantic Sailfish (Senegal) — Blue & Black Marlin (Australia) — Striped Marlin (Mexico) — White Marlin (Venezuela) — Albacore (Washington) — Yellowfin Tuna (Mexico) — Bigeye Tuna (Columbia) — Blackfin Tuna & Little Tunny (Florida) — Kawakawa Tuna (Mozambique) — Black Skipjack (Mexico) — Dogtooth Tuna (New Guinea) — Wahoo (Mexico) — Pacific Salmon (Canada) — Inshore Gamefish

Part 2 - Bluewater Methods
Teasing — Rods and Reels — Flylines — Backing — Leaders — Knots — Accessories — Bluewater Fly Patterns

Free Original Edition - Coming Soon
We are preparing the complete original edition of Bluewater Fly Fishing for release as a free, high-resolution scanned PDF. Release date to be announced.

Supporting the Free Digital Release
We are seeking one exclusive sponsor to help make the complete original edition of Bluewater Fly Fishing available as a free, high-resolution scanned PDF. This is a one-time sponsorship with permanent acknowledgment in the downloadable edition, on this page, and with each selected chapter published on this website. The sponsor will also be acknowledged in Instagram posts announcing the release of the free edition and selected chapters. For sponsorship information, please contact Mark Combs.

Digital Reference Edition
Readers who prefer a searchable digital edition can purchase the Kindle Digital Reference Edition for $9.99. This expanded edition includes an additional chapter written by Trey Combs that is not included in the original printed edition or the free scanned PDF.