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 …
Rising at Syresham, in Northamptonshire, and flowing for 143 miles before entering the sea at Kings Lynn on The Wash, the Great Ouse is the fourth longest river in the United Kingdom. The upper reaches are narrow and twisting and despite the lack of size, home to some monster fish. Though not present in the …
Hampshire is renowned for its chalk-streams and one of the finest, and most famous, is the Itchen. Rising near the village of Cheriton (scene of a battle in the Civil War) the river skirts the market town of Alresford where it is fed by tributaries the Arle and the Candover Stream, before heading west to …
Despite having absolutely no statistical evidence to prove it, Fishpool is willing to bet a pint of maggots on the fact that more facial hair is sported by male anglers than men of any other sporting or leisure activity. Consider the beards that have graced the pages of Bits and Pieces – Yates, Wilson, Botham, …
An anglers greatest asset is luck. We can learn the subtleties of the water beside which we sit. We can teach ourselves the patterns of the current, the vagaries of fish and the impact of weather and light levels. We can put ourselves into the perfect position to catch but still we must rely up …
Hugh Tempest Sheringham was, quite simply, one of the greatest angling writers to have ever put pen to paper. Born in Tewkesbury in 1879, on the confluence of the River Severn and Warwickshire Avon, most of Sheringham’s casts were actually made further to the south-east in the Kennet valley. Here he developed an attitude that …
Who could forget those wonderful moments in the Passion for Angling series? Quotes from the likes of Sheringham and Ted Hughes read so perfectly by the silky-voiced Chris Sandford. Sandford spent many years as an actor before realising that his voice was his meal ticket. Stage performances and a two year stint on Coronation Street …
No fish commands such fear and awe, or is perhaps so misunderstood as the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). This is a truly massive fish – specimens approaching 20 feet in length have been reliably reported, while many believe the great white can grow significantly larger. They are found throughout the world – though require …
Only one fish can follow a shark that grows to 20 feet in length, and that is a shark that doesn’t grow more than twenty centimetres…. The dwarf lanternshark (Etmopterus perryi) is widely regarded as the smallest shark species in the world. It is also one of the least known, with a small population only …
Based upon Peter Benchleys’s 1974 novel of the same name, Jaws celebrates its fortieth birthday this year. Winning three Academy Awards, the film was an enormous success, but despite being commercially and critically acclaimed, the depiction of the great white shark as a man-eating monster has not helped the species’ true identity. Director Steven Spielberg …
It is 21 years since Hugh Miles first astonished us with what is surely the finest angling series ever made. Featuring Chris Yates and Bob James, A Passion for Angling was exquisitely shot and brought a richness of tone and sentiment never before captured on film. Hugh’s camera work had earned him plenty of awards …
For many years South Africa was regarded as one of the premier spots in the world for shark fishing, with anglers coming from across the globe, many hoping to hook a great white shark. As the great white became increasingly threatened throughout its range, many countries, South Africa included, banned the fishing for them. This …
Way back in Issue 13 of Bits and Pieces, Fishpool sang the praises of the Royalty Fishery – but there is more to the Hampshire Avon than those hallowed banks. The river around Ringwood is renowned for barbel and chub, while a little further upstream, at Ibsley, huge roach used to ghost across the gravel …
Every summer, with Parliament out and news stories slow, someone will spot a shark off The Needles or the Cornish Coast and the papers will explode with tales of Jaws prowling around our beaches. Invariably, the sighting proves to be a basking shark, an enormous, but utterly harmless plankton eater. Just occasionally though, these stories …
One of the greatest moments of an angler’s day is, having been caught by a sudden storm, to happen upon a little hut beside the river. It will be unlocked and built for no other reason than to shelter anglers such as he or she who has just stumbled damp through the door. Largely built …
Who could forget Beefy Botham striding out to bat? His arms windmilling that enormous bat as if it were made from balsa. The bars would rapidly empty and the buzz of expectation would resonate. Few cricketers have had such an impact upon the sport, and even after this dramatic Ashes summer, still people hark back …
There are few anglers who have ever cast that can match the ability of Terry Lampard. Having cut his teeth catching small brown trout from the Itchen and its carriers around his Winchester home, Lampard was taken fishing by a local carp angler and an obsession grew. Having moved to Dorset, Lampard began to explore …
Autumn is coming and with it our rivers are beginning to wake up. The weed is beginning to thin, and the water levels are rising. Soon, those stretches that have slept all summer will be sparkle with every shower and thicken with fish. The chub (Squalius cephalus) is surely the epitome of a river fish. …
Autumn is coming, and for many of us living in older properties this means the arrival of all sorts of extra bodies for the winter months. House spiders are creeping into corners, queen wasps will soon be curling into the creases of curtains, and best of all, the cold early mornings might turn up a …
Autumn is coming and with it the hedgerows and woods begin to quieten. Most songbirds will keep their beaks shut until spring, though one exception is the robin, whose voice we hear all through the darker months. Unlike many species, the robin (Erithacus rubecula) remains fiercely territorial throughout the year. They will normally keep different …
Autumn is coming and with it our hedgerows are beginning to bulge. This is the time to fill our baskets with blackberries, bottle up some sloes with gin and sugar, and knock up a potful of rosehip tea. Also, of course, this is the time to fill our bait tubs with free plunder – and …
In 1752, the buildings that made up Milton Abbey came into the possession of the Damer family, who had great visions for this part of North Dorset. Joseph Damer, (head of the family and 1st Earl of Dorchester) rebuilt much of the Abbey but still wasn’t content. He disliked the view, especially the small market …
Fishpool once spent a rather pleasant afternoon in Taunton, tucking into the scrumpy from the bars of the County Ground as I enjoyed a complimentary ticket to the cricket. The only thing lacking was the presence of a seriously destructive batsman. This was long before Chris Gayle’s fireworks and the days of Viv Richards and …
Said Piscator to Viator (in The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton) – look you here, Sir, do you see? (but you must stand very close) there lye upon the top of the water twenty Chubs: I’ll catch only one, and that shall be the biggest of them all: and that I will do so, I’ll …
There are few techniques as exciting as sight fishing. Whether you are dapping grasshoppers, casting a dry fly, or fishing slow-sinking breadflake for mullet, the anticipation sends a tingle up your nose. Chub can often be targeted with such methods, but their natural wariness can make it tricky to detect bites. They will often pick up …
Awarded an OBE in 1974 as recognition for a football career that included a World Cup win in 1966, Jack Charlton went on to gain even greater recognition across the Irish Sea. Having taken the Republic of Ireland to a World Cup quarter final in 1990, Charlton was awarded an Honorary Irish Citizenship, made a …
Okay, so he’s only a fictional character and technically not a even person but Jeremy Fisher (no relation to Nick Fisher) is surely worthy of inclusion. The creation of Beatrix Potter, Jeremy Fisher is a frog who lives in a house among the buttercups at the side of a pond. One morning it begins to …
The poor old sand eel lives a life not unlike the minnow – constantly looking over his shoulder. There are two species common in British waters, the lesser and greater sand eel – and it is the lesser (Ammodytes tobianus) that plays such a key role in the food chain. Just about everything bigger than …
Probably our most well known flatfish and certainly one our most highly regarded culinary fish, the plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) is one of the few sea fish to have appeared in Bits and Pieces that isn’t under threat. Not growing particularly huge, the shore caught record is a little over 8lbs in weight, the plaice is …
Congratulations on producing such a marvellous magazine.
Okay, so maybe Fishpool is desperately trying to put a positive spin on a really damp summer, but we fishermen (and women) love the rain… Don’t we? A dank, wet day is accompanied by low light levels which may prompt species such as plaice to feed more happily in shallow water. The salmon and sea …
Where do we start with worms? They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, they catch just about everything that swims and if we put a tiny bit of effort in, they’re free! In our gardens and on our lawns (particularly on damp nights) we find lobworms – perfect for perch, champion for chub …
Aaahhh, the wonderful Lake District. Inspiration to authors such as Arthur Ransome and poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge. It was also home to Beatrix Potter, whose former cottage is now a museum close to Esthwaite Water. Esthwaite is one of the smaller lakes of the Lake District – though at 280 acres size is relative. …
In North-west England, overlooked by the Cumbrian Fells to the north, and sandwiched between the towns of Barrow in Furness to the west and Lancaster and Morecambe to the east, is the largest expanse of inter-tidal mudflats in Britain. Morecambe Bay covers more than 120 square miles and is world renowned for its cockle beds …
Fish and Chips. Yes please – lots of salt and vinegar, perhaps a pea fritter on the side and even though it is a dinner guaranteed to deliver Fishpool a major dose of indigestion, he or she simply cannot resist. Aside from the tradition within the meal itself, there is also a lovely, and very …
Gulls really do get a bad rap – especially in our towns and cities. Every summer we go slightly hysterical as they swoop down to steal ice-creams from toddlers and chips from defenceless OAP’s. ‘Cull them!’ we cry, ‘Something must be done!’ Well, surprise surprise, there is something we can all do. Stop feeding them. …
It is nearly thirty years since this Norfolk tackle dealer was catapulted into our lives. Go Fishing would help to make John Wilson a household name, but he drove an interesting road to get there. A former hairdresser and Merchant seaman, Wilson was born in Enfield and first wet a line in the River Lea. …
As a freelance journalist, Nick Fisher was noted for tackling the more sensitive subjects of growing up and did so with with candour and honesty. He was the agony uncle for Just Seventeen magazine and wrote books including Living with a Willy and Your Pocket Guide to Sex – the latter of which was considered …
Found throughout the north Atlantic, the pollock (Pollachius pollachius) is fish often overlooked. A big eyed, big mouthed sight hunter, the pollock is found throughout the British Isles, with smaller specimens frequenting rocky, inshore marks and bigger fish, weighing up to and over thirty pounds, found in deeper water and off-shore wrecks. Once hooked, the …
Native to eastern Asia, the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is a fast growing Cyprinid with a large mouth and cigar shaped body. They superficially resemble the chub (Squalius cephalus), and confusion has led to more than one erroneous chub ‘record’ claim. Grass carp grow large, with specimens reaching nearly five feet in length and weighing …
I was staying at Currarevagh a couple of days ago. Saw your mags — love them!!
Way back in 1986, when Chris De Burgh was singing of his Lady in Red and Spitting Image topped the charts with The Chicken Song, a television show was born on Channel 4 (itself only 4 years old) that would keep fishermen rapt for years. Go Fishing was a simple format – the first series …
Ahhhh, who can forget 1993? The FA Cup Final went to a replay for the final time, Take That had their first number 1 single, Whitney Houston said she would always love us and Meatloaf said he do anything for love, but not ‘that’ – (nor would we want you to Mr Loaf). Meanwhile a …
Rising close to the village of Whissonsett, in north central Norfolk, the River Wensum is a river with a fine angling pedigree and a diverse cross section of wildlife. A nationally important chalk water habitat, the Wensum is home to more than 100 plant species and was designated a Special Area of Conservation in 2001. …
Ahhhh – 1998… Beckham’s red card – that goal by Michael Owen – B*Witched and Boyzone dominating the singles charts….and some floppy haired bloke moved to a cottage beside a river. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall tends to divide opinion, but his efforts to publicise sustainable fishing should be applauded. His ‘move’ to River Cottage, a small-holding on …
The mornings are slow at this time of year. The sun still has some warmth, but burning off the morning haze takes effort and the dew is keeping the grass damp until lunchtime. It is now that fishing begins to get serious. The sea is at its warmest, and the bigger bass and pollock are …
Aaahh – 1988….The first Red Nose Day, GCSE’s replacing O-Levels, Kylie wished she was so lucky, and Cliff crooned about Mistletoe and Wine. And of course, The Waterboys brought us Fisherman’s Blues. Recorded in Dublin this was the album that broke from the band’s previous rock and roll sound, instead incorporating a Celtic Folk edge. …
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 …
Back in the early 1970’s, despite the success of anglers such as Dick Walker and Maurice Ingham, the King carp (see Fish we Like) was still widely considered to be an enigma not worth trifling with. To single out and catch these great fish required skill, patience and improvisation – as it transpired, Rod Hutchinson …
The carp (Cyprinus carpio) comes in many different guises. The wildie (see Bits and Pieces Issue 12), the leather, the mirror and the common carp are all taxonomically the same species, yet they vary as much as people in size, shape and appearance. ‘King’ is a label that essentially encompasses all carp that differ from …
Though often regarded as a single species, the ‘grey’ mullet found in British waters is either thick-lipped (Chelon labrosus) or thin-lipped (Liza ramada). To add to the confusion, there is also the golden grey mullet (Liza aurata) which is related closer, taxonomically speaking at least, to the thin-lipped than the thin-lipped is to the thick-lipped, …
“Fabulous publication, beautifully written and designed. Looks like you’ve invested a lot of effort and time into it.”
Fishpool is going to be honest from the outset. He or she does not like using sweetcorn as a bait and has struggled when using it. Yes, I’ve caught plenty of fish with the stuff, but not enough to convince me that it will ever catch more than bread, maggots, top secret pastes or elderberries. …
Much has been made about the poor state of many of our rivers, with chalk streams especially in decline. It seems that the aquifers that for millennia have purified the water of rivers such as the Kennet and Itchen, can no longer cope. Government research suggests that the levels of agricultural fertilizers within our water …
Rising in Germany’s Black Forest, the Danube is one of the world’s great rivers. At 1,189 miles it is Europe’s second longest to the Volga, and flows through ten countries before emptying into the Black Sea. Once the long standing frontier of the Roman Empire, the Danube flows through four modern day Capital Cities – …
Dating back to the early 10th Century, the south Devon town of Totnes is a noted centre for the arts – a Market Town with a modern day, Bohemian feel. It sits at the top of the tidal reaches of the Dart, the river that flows from deep within the Moor which takes its name. …
As it entered its final day, the 2012 Bailiwick Bass Club Open competition looked to have been won with a cracking fish of 10lb 3oz. But then, from nowhere, Guernsey angler Matt Clark arrived at the weigh-in with a whopper. A 13lb 13oz bass – a monster of a fish that won Clark a rather …
Back in July, Neil Bridges was fishing for barbel on the River Severn at Ripple. It was dark when he hooked into something rather larger than he was expecting. For 75 minutes he battled a fish that turned out to be far too big for his landing net, and ultimately he had to drag it …
Who could forget that try for the Barbarians against the mighty All Blacks in 1973 (or, in Fishpool’s case, seeing re-runs of it…ahem). And is there a Welsh rugby fan who wouldn’t name Gareth Edwards the greatest player the country has ever produced? Certainly the best number 9. It came as little surprise that Gareth …
Born on St Valentine’s Day 1907, in Catford, south-east London, Bernard Venables was just 6 when he began fishing. His first forays were made on the network of drains and ditches on Romney Marsh, though his early career formed around his other great passion, art. Having studied at Croydon School of Art, Venables subsequently worked …
No fish, in freshwater at least, stirs the imagination like the pike (Esox lucius). This is a fish unchanged since time began – a relic of the Ice Age – though when you have no need to change, why evolve further? The pike is long and sleek, with a big tail and late slung dorsal …
Also known as the cow shark, the bluntnose six-gilled shark (Hexanchus griseus) is a fish of the deep sea. Growing large – in excess of 20 feet in length – this is the largest member of the Hexanchidae family of sharks that date back over 200 million years. Aside from the additional gill slit from …
You put together an outstanding magazine, the Creel of it’s day!
In 1946 the Daily Mirror signed to its ranks an artist by the name of Bernard Venables (see People we Like), who created a gardening cartoon featuring ‘Mr Crabtree’. OF course, as any sensible person knows, angling is a far more productive use of time than gardening, and within a year Mr Crabtree was going …
Before you think that Fishpool has been sniffing hongeohoe (see Bits and Pieces Issue 15) or has had one too many bottles of Barbus Barbus (see Bits and Pieces Issue 6), the aspect of pike gaffs and jaw spreaders that he likes, is the fact that their use has been all but consigned to history. …
Eight miles north of Newport, and neatly situated between the towns of Pontypool, Cwmbran and Usk, the reservoir of Llandegfedd is a popular location for birdwatching, water sports and, of course, angling. The reservoir was opened in 1965 and covers 434 acres. Stocked with rainbow and brown trout, Llandegfedd offers superb fly fishing, with fish …
Oh, ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road, And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye; But me and my true love will never meet again On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond. The mighty Loch Lomond. In area, the largest piece of freshwater in Great Britain, with depths of over …
The very best fishing stories are those with an element of truth to them, and what makes a good story great, is when there is sufficient evidence to keep people talking about it forever. In 1934, beside the mouth of the River Endrick on the shores of Loch Lomond (see Places we Like) the body …
The recent Blue Moon (which fell on the final day of July) found Fishpool pondering the long argued topic of moon cycles and the effect that they have on fish and fishing. There can be no doubt that the Moon affects our sea fish – after all they live in an environment that is dictated …
Though his family roots were in Yorkshire, Jack Hargreaves was born and raised further south, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. An interest in radio led to him building a reputation in the world of broadcasting, and in the Second World War he was recruited to the staff of General Montgomery—charged to set up radio communication between …
Born Edward James in 1930, Ted Hughes is regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th Century. He was raised in the West Riding of Yorkshire, among the folds of farmland that make up the Calder Valley and beneath the moors of the southern Pennines. Here he learned to hunt and to fish, …
Widespread throughout the north-eastern Atlantic, the ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) is one of our most familiar inshore species. They are spectacularly coloured—wearing a variety of greens, reds and browns, and sometimes resemble a relic from the great 1960’s tie dye age. All ballans are born female and remain so until they are at least four …
One of the most extraordinary creatures in our Oceans, there are over fifty species of seahorse on the world, though only two are found in British waters. The Spiny Seahorse (Hippocampus Guttulatus) and the Short Snouted Seahorse (Hippocampus Hippocampus) are found in small numbers around our coasts, predominantly off western and southern shores. Despite their …
Composed by Francisco Tarrega in 1896, Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Memories of the Alhambra) is regarded by many musicians as an iconic and landmark piece of classical guitar composition. Incorporating the tremolo technique, Tarrega wanted to capture in music the beauty of the Alhambra—an ancient Palace complex (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) in the mountains …
The school holidays are here, and for young anglers everywhere this means it’s time to go night fishing. Grown up anglers tend to take after dark fishing far too seriously. They go off to Welsh rivers to cast flies at sea trout, or cosy up in bivvies with bite alarms set to wake them should …
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 …
At the north end of Lough Ree, on the River Shannon system, sits the small town of Lanesborough. The river actually splits the town in two so the western side is in Connacht and the east Leinster. Dominating the landscape is the Power Station, and it is here, or at least, just downstream from here, …
Following some heavy bias towards the fairer sex in recent Issues, it is time to balance up the equation. Fishpool was recently alerted (by Mark Walsingham (see Bits and Pieces Issue 10)) to the capture of another monster salmon—this time by a man.. In 1912 while fishing the confluence of the Rivers Severn and Tern, …
Back in Issue 11 of Bits and Pieces, Fishpool made mention of Elderflower Champagne—a cheap and easy-to-make glass of slightly alcoholic fizz. Having quaffed several gallons since, the end of the elderflower season is no bad thing—work needs to be done and too many weeks have passed in an elder haze. Fishpool, though, has still …
October 7th 1922 was somewhat productive for Miss Georgina Ballantine. Fishing the River Tay (see Places we Like) near the village of Caputh in Perth and Kinross, she had already taken salmon of 25lbs, 21lbs and 17lbs when her silver minnow lure was taken once more. Safely hooked, the salmon took off on a ferocious …
One day, when Bits and Pieces has earned him wealth beyond his wildest dreams, Fishpool is going to take a trip to Berkshire and buy himself the finest piece of wood he’ll ever likely own. A piece of Barder. Edward Barder was always likely to be an angler. His father Richard was a fly-angler of …
In Bits and Pieces Issue 13 we paid heed to the sea trout—a brownie with a salty sense of adventure. The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is native to the Pacific flowing waters of North America and Asia, and as with the brown trout, there are some that like to go to sea. The resulting fish …
Found in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world, the tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) is one of the most widespread fish in our seas. It is classed as an ‘average’ sized shark, though they will still reach a length of 15 feet which is plenty big enough in Fishpool’s eyes. The largest ever caught was …
There’s nothing quite like a pint beside the river. Or maybe two. To hell with it, if the barbel and chub are feeding you might as well have a gallon! I’m talking about maggots, of course. Probably the best all-round bait there is. They will catch every species of freshwater fish that swims, and have …
Back in 1980, on the Opening Day of the season, Chris Yates famously caught the biggest carp ever. At 51 and a half pounds it added more than 7 pounds to Dick Walker’s existing record and sent shockwaves through angling. Yates had caught the fish before, and in keeping with the chess-piece themed naming of …
Anyone looking for a holiday destination, steeped in angling history, might do worse than spending a week at Miss Ballantine’s Cottage on the banks of the River Tay (see Places we Like). For anyone who may not know (in which case you have a very short attention span or are reading ‘Bits and Pieces’ in …
From a small lochan on the sloped of Ben Lui, a Munroe peak in the southern Highlands, flows one of the most famous salmon rivers in the world. The River Tay is the longest river found wholly in Scotland and flows for nearly 120 miles from west to east before meeting the North Sea. The …
“The magazine is a real treat, the quality of the writing and photography makes it something quite special, for my sake, stick with it, you are providing a valuable public service.”
Some years ago, Fishpool found himself in Roosky, on the banks of the River Shannon. A kindly local angler pointed him in the direction of a bream hotspot. I couldn’t fail, he assured me—which, after a few days’ largely fruitless fishing, was just what I wanted to hear. We would only be there for a …
On the 25th April 1935, Australian fishermen Albert and Charles Hobson caught rather more than they had bargained for. A 14 foot long tiger shark (see Fish we Like) was tangled in their line and having dragged it to shore they decided to take it to a local aquarium. There it became a popular exhibit …
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 …
One half of German pop group JaKönigJa (alongside wife Ebba—see Issue 16 of Bits and Pieces) Jakobus Durstewitz is a man of many talents. He is an artist—self-taught—and has exhibited in Germany since 1994. More recently his artwork has featured in the hallowed pages of Fallon’s angler (Issue 3). JaKönigJa have been wowing critics for …
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. …
Every summer comes the same sensationalist headlines: ‘Giant Killer Shark off Prestatyn!’, ‘Great White at Weston!’, normally accompanied by a photo of a slightly droopy dorsal fin poking through the waves. Though there is evidence of great whites in British waters (more of that in a future Bits and Pieces), the sightings that are sparking …
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 …
There are few moments in angling as fine as watching tiny tench bubbles prickle the surface around a red-topped float—your red-topped float. Add to that a patch of lilies and a slightly sultry summer evening and life is almost perfect. The next moment, should it happen at all, is the one that may divide opinion. …
Way up in the northeast of Scotland flows the River Deveron. Rising in the Ladder Hills on the edge of the Grampian Mountain range, the Deveron flows unnoticed to many, overshadowed in some eyes by the nearby Spey. Yet the Deveron has a history to match any river in Scotland, particularly when it comes to …
Every winter, anglers flock to the east coast of Devon with a packet of worm, a bucket of peelers and a pocketful of beads. The quarry is flounder, and the location is the estuary of the River Teign—one of the finest marks for specimen flounder in the British Isles. The Teign is a classic Devonian …
I thought you might not mind me passing on my appreciation for what you have already achieved, in a difficult field. All power to you. I do like a nice medley, and I am very much enjoying my way through the first three issues, and wish you every success with this venture.
It has long been suspected (largely, one suspects, by jealous men) that female anglers have more than just skill and fortune on their side. It is reasoned, that fish such as the Atlantic salmon (see Fish we Like) that are driven into freshwater by an irresistible urge to procreate, find the pheromones of a lady …
