What kind of fly-fishing guide would Leonardo Da Vinci be?

That’s the premise of “Fly Fishing with Leonardo Da Vinci” by David Ladensohn.

But this is no reverie by an author, wondering what fly Leonardo might suggest.

The book is a history of Leonardo’s life – with discussions of his understanding of water currents (hence the question posed above); his artwork and sculptures; his hydraulic and military engineering designs; and his personal history and relationships.  All the above are interspersed with brief recollections of the author’s fishing experiences.

Ladensohn is no mere dilettante. His career biography is only briefly mentioned – including time spent as a banker, mediator, and entrepreneur. But his career was such that it opened doors for him to rarefied company and opportunities.

He was able to spend time with Martin Kemp (retired Professor Emeritus at Oxford University and a world authority on the life and works of Leonardo). During their dinner together, the question was posed what would it have been like to have Leonardo as a dinner companion, which elicited a long discussion by Kemp.

Ladensohm was given access to the part of the manuscript of the Codex Arundel at The British Library and at the Royal Family’s Trust in Windsor Castle.

That he was in awe of his access was apparent – as it would be for anyone being able to carefully examine the actual handwritten pages of Leonardo Da Vinci.

He also makes the point that for all Leonardo’s brilliance, he seemed unable to complete many of his projects, which is a source of some of the criticism of him over the centuries.

But in a summary at the end of the book, even his sketches and uncompleted works are a testament to his brilliance. Consider that his parachute design; his batwing glider; and his helicopter design would have all worked (at least using modern materials). His belief that it was the vortices in blood flow that caused the heart valve to work was confirmed only recently in 2014 by MRI.

In the end, the answer to the first question above would be that Leonardo would have been a great fly-fishing guide – his ability to observe and understand all he saw, together with his understanding of stream currents, would have enabled him to point out where to cast as that would be where a fish was located.

e to suggest where the fish would be located and so where to cast.

And with his observations of insects and study of the aerodynamics of casting and the physics of fly rods (if fly rods would have been around in his time), he undoubtedly would have made the best recommendation for which fly to use and how to improve his client’s casting.

Highly recommended – even for people with no interest in fly fishing.