Virtual Fishing Adventure

Fly Fishing: Great Rivers of the West, (IVI Publishing, 800-432-1332, $34.95. in Mac or Windows)

This slick CD-ROM takes you on a virtual fishing adventure on six great Western rivers: the Yellowstone, Henry’s Fork, Green, San Juan, Deschutes and Madison.

Click your way to vast area maps or zoom in on specific river stretches.

Another click reveals a photo of the river stretch. A few more clicks bring you sound of the rivers, video footage of casting instruction from local guides, samples of productive fly patterns and information on fish species for each river.

If this isn’t enough to put you in the mood for a visit, each river is portrayed in a concert-hall-quality slide show complete with music.

A few listings of guides and lodges are offered for contact from home. When heading afield, you can print out the appropriate portion of a 60-page field-travel guide.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo