The Hatch Is On! Experts Extol the World's Greatest Hatches and the Flies They've Inspired

Through long, cold winters, anglers dream of fishing season and mark their calendars to plan their fishing trips come spring. They speak in hushed voices around the fireplace or over a pint at the local pub of the Skwala Stone in April, the Green Drake and Salmonfly in June, the blanket Caddis and Hexagenia in July and other epic hatches -- moments when the fishing can be so good it can create memories of a lifetime. The Hatch is On!will be a celebration, in both words and pictures, of fly fishing's most treasured insect emergences and the incredible angling experiences these hatches create. Every experienced fly-fisherman treasures the beautiful afternoons when he can take advantage of a big insect hatch. When all the stars align and the fish start feeding, it's like running an interception back for a touchdown, it's like sinking a three pointer at the buzzer. It's the very reason why you're a fly-fisherman in the first place. The Hatch is On!will speak specifically to the sentimentalist in all of us.

Chris Santella is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Portland, Oregon.  A passionate fly fisher, he is the author of eight books, including Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before You Die. He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Forbes.com, and many fly fishing publications.

Each short chapter will describe a famous insect hatch important to fly-fisherman. What makes this hatch a special angling experience? What fly patterns has it inspired? What is the story behind how some of the most famous flies came to be conceived? Each chapter will also feature color photos that graphically capture the spirit of the hatch—landscapes, insects, and/or flies.    The following famed hatches are likely to be included in the book.  (A final determination will come once interviews have been completed.)   1.       Blue-Winged Olive 2.       Brown Drakes 3.       Caddis 4.       Callibaetis 5.       Flying Ant 6.       Golden Stonefly 7.       Grasshopper/Cicada 8.       Green Drake 9.       Hendrickson 10.   Hexagenia 11.   Little Yellow Sally 12.   March Brown 13.   Mother’s Day Caddis 14.   Mouse 15.   October Caddis 16.   Pale Morning Dun 17.   Salmonfly 18.   Skwala Stonefly 19.   Sulfurs 20.   Tricorythodes (Trico)   Each chapter will include an essay (1,200 to 1,500 words) describing, through interviews and research, the experience of fishing the hatch, the lifecycle of the bug in question, a description of a few of the rivers where hatches occur, and some of the famous flies that have been inspire by the hatch.  There will also be at least one large landscape photo of each river, smaller photos of the insects and the flies it inspired, and a brief bio and photo of the principal interview for the chapter.