"So where in blazes are the fish?" is the appropriate question found in the introduction of Lake Fly Fishing, an instructional CD by Bob Sheedy. Many anglers think that fishing in lakes is best left to those with trolling equipment, sonar, and tackle boxes full of heavy sinking plugs and spoons and who don't mind spending hours in search of fish they cannot see. Flyfish these waters? In North America, most of us fly anglers think of running bodies of waters whether they are large rivers, crystal clear creeks, or fast flowing tail waters. It seems that most books, magazine articles and videos have forgotten that opportunities to catch fish on the fly in lakes exist.
Bob Sheedy has written an excellent instructional guide for those of us that would like to learn how to improve our chances when fishing lakes. Obviously when faced with a large body of water, the most obvious question after "why should I fish lakes?" is "where do I start?" The answer is not all that difficult once you understand the workings of a lake and how fish choose the areas they hang out. Sheedy answers both of these questions very well.
Written completely in HTML, there are over 200 pages of information that can be read with any browser. As well, it may be easily printed out so that you can have a hard copy also. Along with some excellent images, the CD covers various topics including tips on reading water; helpful information on how trout view their world; forage with some interesting stuff on snails; and of course includes a section on suitable tackle for flyfishing with recommendations on floattubes, powerboats and canoes. I was disappointed that I could not find the section on Sonar, although it is listed in the Table of Contents.
There were a couple of other minor details that I thought could have been improved. I thought that it would have been easier for some people who are still not familiar with HTML if there were single file in a main directory for them to click on which would bring up the Table of Contents. As it is now, I needed to click on a file called 'TOCONTENT.HTM'. Those that are familiar with HTML might be inclined to click on index.htm, but I could not get to the beginning section from this file. There is a readme.txt file however, it did not contain any instructions.
One other small glitch that I discovered was that an animated image of a technique for using strike indicators did not load. The image is on the CD, but it appears there was an error in using the wrong file name where it should actually appear.
Even with these small glitches, Lake Fly Fishing will provide both the novice and experienced fly angler with an excellent education on fly fishing lakes. One of the sections I especially enjoyed was the gallery of flies that Sheedy recommends for lake fishing. There were many that were new to me, and I wished that the pattern had been included on the CD. To be fair, the author points out that the patterns may be obtained by contacting the pattern developer by email or by visiting his website.
Sheedy completes the CD with his editorial on what it means to him to be a Master Angler, pointing out that there are many different standards by which people are measured as far as their skills in angling are concerned. I enjoyed Sheedy's final analysis of what it means to be a master angler - beyond the hype of catching the largest fish, or having the greatest skills.
If you want to find out what Sheedy's definition is, and in the meantime increasing your own knowledge of fishing lakes on the fly, I highly recommend Lake Fly Fishing to you. An excellent deal at only $29.95!.
Do you have a lot of experience flyfishing lakes? Tell us about it, and give us your advice on tackle, flies, and equipment in our Forum! I look forward to reading your posts.
The Muncher is a favorite of Ian James for carp, smallies, more. 
Thoughts of a Chicken Rancher. Doc tells it like it is.