This is the first of over twenty short stories about life in Ireland by Niall Fallon, who died suddenly in the 1990s, before anybody had seen them. They have remained hidden from public eye, but no more. PADDY MURPHY WAS A LOCK-KEEPER ON THE GRAND CANAL. He lived alone, in the small, compact cottage set …
A fascinating interview from Daire Whelan—of podcast Ireland on the Fly—with Tom Fort about his new book, and memories of fly fishing in Ireland with Niall Fallon. (This takes you to an external site–don’t forget to come back.) Listen by clicking here: And purchase a copy of the book here: A full review of Casting …
Casting Shadows: Fish and Fishing in Britain by Tom Fort Read More »
Niall Fallon recalls the life and times of one of Ireland’s best-known anglers, who taught him much about the Tipperary Suir. We had fished hard, the party of four rods, for the best part of three days. For all of that, bar the balmy hours of the July nights, the sun had beamed benevolently but …
I have never met Mike Daunt, but I would like to. He sounds like a lot of fun. He is the owner of the Hugh Falkus School of Spey Casting, having been bequeathed it by the great man himself, and if I know one thing of Falkus, it is that he didn’t take to just …
The Bounder: Riotous True-Life Adventures of a Bon Viveur by Mike Daunt Read More »
(Cassell Illustrated, 1991) With over 30 books to his name, amongst them evocative, pastoral titles such as The Poacher’s Handbook, Fresh Woods and The Idler’s Companion, it would seem wholly natural that somewhere, within the bibliography of John Kincaid McNeillie, there would be a work dedicated to angling. Published in 1961 and written under the …
(Gestalten, 2017) The Fly Fisher is a reflection on what is happening in the magazine publishing world, with a move towards a design-based aesthetic. Its roots clearly lie in magazine design, but as 250-page hardback, this is clearly not a throwaway monthly, but a coffee table book that accommodates a digestible format, a book to …
The sound of the line unfurling through the air cut through the distant thrum of the rapids, bird song penetrating the backdrop like needles, sunlight dappling through the boughs of hornbeam, birch, and willow, splinters of shine, bouncing and carrying on the riffles of current. Then a step or two, the push of water as …
In pursuit of trout, by Chris Yates. It was 51 years ago when I acquired my first fly rod. At that time, when I was 16 and living near Epsom, Surrey, there was no local trout fishing available to me, but there were plenty of dace and chub on the nearby River Mole, …
The howling wind—the song of a thousand banshees—tossed the ship up into the swell, urging the men to their death. The angry sea threatened to overwhelm the deck, the mast creaked and groaned and cracked like twigs under a heavy boot. The knight turned to face his God and prayed: “Please Lord, let me live, …
A Knight’s tale: the forgotten trout of Tintern de Voto Read More »
By Maurice Neill THERE are more words for a fool in Irish than in any other language and it takes a particular type of angling amadan to venture into the Galway Gaeltacht and onto Lough Mask when the forecast is for bad weather. It is a beautiful, vast and dangerous piece of water where squalls …
“It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming.” John Steinbeck No matter how great we think we are, we are quickly brought back down to earth by those finned creatures that swim and attract our longing. I have caught a few …
Fishpool read an interesting article recently in the 1963 Anglers Annual that rounded up the results of the 1962 Tournament Casting Competitions. Though such events remain to this day, it would appear that public interest is not what it was in the early 60’s. Certainly a modern day generic fishing publication is unlikely to devote five …
Written by Niall Fallon My biggest brown trout, which as I write stands nobly mounted in a case on my study wall, as stately and plump as any Buck Mulligan, was taken in total darkness on a mid-September evening on a small limestone lake. A day of wild wind and rain had been succeeded by …
In a country so closely associated with modern technology, it may be a surprise to some that one of the most popular fishing methods in Japan, is also one of the most straightforward. Meaning ‘from heaven’ or ‘from the skies’, Tenkara is a method of fly fishing in which the angler forgoes a reel to …
Perhaps the most key attribute required to be a successful angler is the ability to adapt. Tradition, and in many cases fashion, dictate the methods by which we target fish, but often such practices seem dour and repetitive. Trying something altogether different, even off the wall, will not only spark fresh enthusiasm, but will often …
Born in 1844, Frederic Halford’s first forays into angling were made in the parks of London where his family moved while he was a young boy. When in his early twenties, Halford was offered a chance to fish the River Wandle in South London, and here he began to learn the art of fly fishing. He …
An urban chalk stream? In South London? No fooling? It’s true, and the River Wandle isn’t alone, though it probably offers anglers the greatest variety of fishing. Fed by water cleansed by the chalk aquifers of the North Downs, the Wandle first shows itself in Croydon, before slipping its way through Merton and Sutton and …
Many anglers are aware of Georgina Ballintine (see next week’s Bit and Pieces) and her capture of Britain’s biggest salmon in 1922. Fewer people, however, know the name Clementina Morison—yet many who do consider her more deserving of note than Miss Ballintine. In October 1924, Clementina (known to many as ‘Tiny’ due to her slight …
Of all the fish that swim in British waters, none evoke such awe, such splendour or have inspired so many words as the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Found from The Bay of Biscay up to the Arctic Circle and with a similar range on the western seaboard of North American, the salmon was once abundant. …
Not to be confused with the rather brilliant contemporary poet of the same name, the Jock Scott is possibly the most famous salmon fly of all. In 1845, it’s creator (it is named eponymously) was travelling by boat to Norway, which was and still is one of the finest places in the world to catch …
At the end of a terrace in the small market town of Usk, upon the river of the same name, sits the most extraordinary fishing tackle shop in Britain. Sweets Fishing Tackle has been trading on Porthycarne Street for nearly a century, and little has changed in that time. Originally founded by Harry Powell, inventor …
Not many flies have a story quite like the dogsbody… Legend has it that a fishing farmer local to Usk in Monmouthshire, was sent a new pattern that he couldn’t replicate. He took it into the local barber, Harry Powell, who was also a fly-tier, rod-builder and founder of Sweets Fishing Tackle (see Places we …
Henri Bresson (1925-2011) was a celebrated French fly fisherman, known best as creator of the French Tricolore fly. Jack Sellen has put a short extract from Bresson’s biography into English with kind permission from the rights owners and he hopes to translate the whole book, ‘Le Sorcier de Vesoul’ (Vincent Lalu, 2nd edition, La Vie …
Written by Matthew Tanner For too many years I suffered from a prolonged bout of naivety, the sort normally associated with the folly of youth, turning down multiple requests from my Mum’s friend Steve, that I accompany him on a days fly fishing. In the end it became a running joke between us. However, I …
