Mountain water offers new and exciting challenges to both beginner and veteran anglers, from navigating rugged banks to surviving with fewer but more effective flies. Armed with the basic skills that are easy to execute and fun to learn, anyone can fish mountain water with this helpful guide.

Because my time on the water is limited, I make a host of demands on my fishing experiences and that makes me rather particular about where I fish. That's why l go out of my way to seek mountain water, that glorious landscape found must often above 6,000 feet that offers the angler solitude, different type of challenges, and unspeakable beauty. In forest of Douglas fir and spruce, in rough-and-tumble canyons, in alpine meadows, and in mirror-surfaced glacial lakes I find the secret places that most anglers pass by on their way to some famous pool ....

Successful angling in mountain water relies more on technique and knowledge of trout habits than on equipment and fly patterns, and this guide provides expert advice to guarantee some memorable fishing excursions. Author Craig Martin details a set of principles, the Mountain Water Rules, to help catch decent-sized trout in places most anglers never give a second look. The guide offers tips on learning how to read the water, picking and presenting the proper fly, and choosing the most essential tackle and techniques.

For Martin, the joy of fishing mountain water is not only catching the trout, but enjoying the spectacular scenery and meeting the challenges of the sport. This guide will help all anglers successfully fish mountain water and savor the pleasures of high altitude fly fishing.