Back in the beginning (of Fallon’s Angler) there came an apology to Izaak Walton. In the chaos of production the first issue went to press with a spelling mistake. I’m sure he won’t mind.
To many he is the forefather of angling – and to some he altogether transcends this great passion of ours. With the publication of The Compleat Angler in 1653, Walton captured an essence hard to associate with the rawness of the 17th Century. His idyll of peace and harmony within the environment represents a spirit captivated by the process and not simply a need to find food. Walton’s premise can be summed up by his closing words Study to be quiet – taken from the Bible, Thessalonians 4:11.
He believed that contentment could be found from immersion within nature. Watching, waiting and understanding. More fish could be caught by not simply wetting a line at the first opportunity. A sentiments that remains true to this day.
The Contemplative Man’s Recreation indeed….