Interviews
Boots Allen author Q&A:
Q: What inspired you to write Finding Trout in All Conditions? A: What really spurred me to write this book was the lack of coverage on natural factors in the fly fishing literature. Some of my favorite books, such as those by Denny Rickards or George Daniel, cover the subject at least with a chapter, but there has never been anything that I am familiar with that covers the topic in detail.
Just as important is the fact that natural factors can be critical to having success on the water. We study bugs, we study hydrology, we study the mechanics of the cast, and we study trout behavior. But we tend to not examine natural factors—barometric pressure, precipitation, natural light, etc.—with the same amount of detail. I think it can be important. And I think studying these factors can be a lot of fun.
Q: What knowledge do you want readers to get from the book? A: By examining climatological and weather-related factors such as barometric pressure, precipitation, air and water temperature, wind, sunlight, and cloud cover, I demonstrate that external factors matter and should be considered an important component of fly fishing. Many fly fishers ignore external factors, and much of this is because these elements have been ignored by those of us who write about the sport. Outside of water levels, these factors are often neglected by the fly fisher. I cover them thoroughly in this book, along with water temperatures, pH level, dissolved oxygen content, specific conductance, and moon phase. The answers are all here.
Q: What is your goal for this book? A: More than anything, it is to make the readers not just better fly fishers, but also smarter fly fishers. I want them to be able to go to their favorite waters, or maybe even waters they’ve never fished before, better equipped to deal with the task of catching more and bigger trout. Hopefully, their confidence can reach off-the-chart levels.
