Mike Pope started to fish aged 11. During his time in higher education, he wrote for the student magazine about his friends’ fishing trips in and around Oxford. By now, he was also fly fishing for grayling and trout. On graduating, he worked in insurance before re-training as a secondary school teacher. He now teaches […]
John Andrews has been writing in various forms since his memoir For All Those Left Behind was published in 2002. He currently writes for a number of publications but most regularly for Caught by the River, Classic Angling and on his own blog: www.andrewsofarcadiascrapbook.blogspot.com. He may occasionally be seen and heard reading aloud in public
I am in the field by the woods again. It is late October and the ground is sodden, and beneath the big oak trees the myriad fallen acorns crunch under my feet like crisps. “Howya Aran.” “Howya Garrett. How’s it going?” I patted his dog Sparky, a cheerful lurcher, rescued from Battersea, sleek and friendly, tail
Here is a list of all articles featured in issue four, in the order in which they appear, with the first paragraph of each feature to give you an idea of its content. Fallon’s Angler is only available in print, so if you want to read the whole article, please purchase a copy. Thank you. [hr] The
This summer of 2015 found us in a wet Co Kerry, joining old friends and extended family for the first time in a very long time just outside the village of Glenbeigh on the Iveagh Peninsula, part of the world-renowned Ring of Kerry. I spent many happy summers in Kerry as a child with a
Kerry’s estuary of Eden Read More »
Why is it that we spend so much of our lives running, when really all we’d like to do is walk? We have a propensity to complicate our days, rush through them, fill them with activity, purpose, goals and achievements. But does it actually get us anywhere? Do we actually know where it is
Three men in a boat Read More »
“May the luck of the Irish be with you!” is a well-known Irish blessing. I’m not sure of its origins, seeing as I don’t remember being especially lucky at any time, if you discount meeting a lovely lass and marrying her, and having a wonderful child. I’d like to think those things happened because I
Carlos Baz does not remember the first fish he ever caught. Though it must have made an impression. A lifelong fisherman, he now spends his time on the water with fly rod in hand hunting across shallow flats in search of saltwater gamefish. When he’s not fishing, thinking about fishing, or planning his next trip,
John Aston got away with pretending to be a lawyer but since retiring in 2012 he’s reverted to being a stranger to fashion who spends most of his time outdoors in his beloved North Yorkshire. He listens to loud music and enjoys reading people who can write, like Hemingway and Gierach. He loves fly fishing
James Gilbraith published his first book Terminal Chancer Silver Seasons Atlantic Salmon in 2014. Originally from Blackburn, he currently lives in Clitheroe, Lancashire. He is a 47-year-old husband, father, music lover, geriatric footballer and small-time tennis hack. He can generally be found lurking somewhere on the river Ribble, where he reluctantly became secretary of Ribblesdale
Peter Brown followed a spell in advertising with a postgrad in illustration at Central St Martin’s in London. He has illustrated a weekly column about birdlife in Britain—The Feather Report—for The Times newspaper since 1992. Working mainly in wood engraving and Japanese woodblock, he also teaches classes and workshops in both media. www.littlebrownbirds.co.uk
Daniel Davidson is an illustrator who works with a variety of clients including Virgin Records, Saatchi Art and Music Magazine and Creative Review. He is currently working on illustrations for the as-yet-untitled sequel, to the alternative salmon fishing book, Terminal Chancer, which he also illustrated. www.danieldavidson.co.uk
Marc Harris was born in Cardiff where he works with homeless and disadvantaged people. Marc has had one book of nature poetry published by Little Egret Press, and a second book of nature and travel writing awaiting publication by the same press. Marc has written many short stories, poems and articles, and has been published
“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.” Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Actress and bishop jokes aside, it is healthy to occasionally ignore the brutish force of the colossal for the intimate pleasure of the small. As as with the best
Size isn’t everything Read More »
Here is a list of all articles featured in issue three, in the order in which they appear, with the first paragraph of each feature to give you an idea of its content. Fallon’s Angler is only available in print, so if you want to read the whole article, please purchase a copy. Thank you. [hr] Falcon
There have been some delays… but it’s ok, it will be here soon. To explain… over week ago we discovered our printers had printed Fallon’s Angler 3 with the wrong cover stock (it was glossy!!) as well as a serious colour issue running through the internal pages. We didn’t know this had happened until it
When will issue 3 be ready? Read More »
If you exit through the back door of the house I grew up in, walk past the sloping field and along the driveway, over the rattling cattle grid, then turn left, you will see, at the end of the road, two large, imposing stone pillars—guardians of a hidden realm—in between which hangs a solid, wide,
My late father was a prodigious purchaser of fishing books: H.T. Sheringham, G.E.M. Skues, Charles Cotton, Frederick Halford, Zane Grey, BB, Dick Walker, Bernard Venables, Chris Yates and so the list goes on. But the one that stuck out the most was The Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike by Fred Buller. I was a teenager
A frustrating history of Fallon Pike Read More »
“No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” Samuel Johnson The close season allows the river angler a chance to explore without the temptation of casting a line. With my life currently following a frustratingly urban routine, I could
Exploring a little London river Read More »
This was first written in 1994 It had been a strange week indeed, with so many things of a different nature spinning frantically around me as to make me dizzy and tired of the hectic way I was prone to live. Too often I allow myself to sink so low, so far down where
A less crowded room Read More »
Writer, journalist, editor and author Jim Burns is on the staff of Occidental College in Los Angeles. His popular blog, lariverflyfishing.com, covers the fishing, politics and science of that waterway’s billion-dollar recovery effort. A career fly fisherman, he and his son, Will, have slapped water on most of Southern California’s streams, rivers and trickles. He
Chris Turnbull is perhaps best known for his angling artwork and illustrations which have adorned the covers of a large number of angling books over the past 30 years. As a specialist angler he is perhaps best known for his catches of big tench and barbel but he is in fact in love with catching
For Alex Norgate, fishing isn’t just about catching fish, it is a chance to reconnect with his surroundings and plumb the depths of the mind. Since March 2014 he has travelled around France in a converted Luton van, composing music, taking photos and fishing, and writing about it on his blog: carpwatercraft.wordpress.com
Gary Crossley retired as the Principal of Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London a few years ago. His background in Fine Art translated over time into a career as an academic in Higher Education. After he retired he sought and achieved a complete change in direction by buying a small house in
Danny Adcock started fishing for eels with his dad in the Essex backwaters, and with his grandad in the Thames at Shoeburyness for anything that swam past. This regularly included plaice which later his nan would serve with mash, peas and a dollop of butter that slid down the fishes back oh-so-juicily. He moved to
For John Stephens, serious fishing began shortly before exclusion from the 11+. First outings were to the River Chew at Keynsham, the Avon at Saltford and Claverton, where, on the weed-choked Kennet and Avon Canal he caught his first pike, on a lovely silver Colorado Spoon. His romance with the fly rod began 1996, during
Dexter Petley was born in the Weald of Kent. Novelist, translator, angling writer, he lives in a yurt in Normandy.
Nigel Ling has fished since early childhood, maybe too often, or perhaps not often enough. He certainly spends too much time thinking about fishing and occasionally writes about it. After growing weary of coarse fishing he started fly fishing, then sea fishing, and now seeks stillness in all three, especially if the weather is fine.
Jon Berry has fished for 40 years without ever achieving competence. This hasn’t stopped him enjoying it. He regards fishing as his real life, but spends an inordinate amount of time in a false one where he is an Assistant Headteacher at a large Wiltshire secondary school. He has written three books on angling and
Greg Freestone received a magnetic fishing game for his fifth birthday and, aged six, made a toy rod from a garden cane with paperclips for guides, threaded with hairy string. At seven, with a proper rod and his father’s help, he began catching real fish from rivers and lakes. Forty years later he’s still hooked.
Here is a list of all articles featured in issue two, in the order in which they appear, with the first paragraph of each feature to give you an idea of its content. Fallon’s Angler is only available in print, so if you want to read the whole article, please purchase a copy. Thank you. [hr] Gorgeous
Maurice Neill was born in Belfast in 1959, of Ulster-Scots descent, and lives in the seaside town of Bangor in Co Down. He had salmon anglers for grandfathers, a trout fisherman for a father and three cousins with webbed feet. He has fished since he was five and is a member of Downpatrick and District
The River Test perks the ear of any angler. My late father would often talk about it in exalted tones, referring to its glorious brown trout. In later years, I learned of its grayling, and as my circle of angling interests widened, its big roach and dace. To have the chance to fish it was
A first trip to the Test Read More »
For as long as I’ve fished, I’ve wanted to catch a big perch. I caught a lot of stripeys when I was young, from the rivers and canals around my home in Ireland, but they were all small fish, with nothing much over a pound. The closest I came to snaffling a monster was finding
The space between the stripes Read More »
I first met Alan in Canada, on the shores of Hottah Lake. We were fishing for Lake Trout and he was to be our guide. Nearly ten years later we’re still firm friends, sharing our passion for all things piscatorial. Alan is now the presenter of Fish Talk TV , an online, one-hour angling chat show,
Alan Broderick: FishTalk TV Read More »
The home of Adnams beer, there is a sweet smell of brewing throughout the village, which blends in with the salt air and the waft of fish and chips. As well as a fine pier, from which you can fish, the beach offers the angler the chance of cod, whiting, sole, dab, smooth hound and bass. No
Southwold, Suffolk Read More »
I used to catch gudgeon by an old stone, humpbacked bridge in Ireland when I was a lad. But not since then have I had the pleasure. That is until I fished the Test. There were many fish caught that day: greedy out-of-season trout, grayling galore, spiky perch, big dace, and my personal best roach (right
The gudgeon: gobio gobio Read More »
The first issue was a really good read, and a refreshing change from the manufactured diary/how great am I articles in every other magazine on the shelf! Congratulations, thank you and good luck for future issues. Paul Thompson http://www.barbelcatchersclub.co.uk
“A really good read, and a refreshing change” Read More »
WOW. I have just received my copy of Fallon’s Angler. Now, I had high hopes for this magazine, but it has—in every way imaginable—surpassed all my expectations. It is elegant, attractive, engaging and eclectic. It is well written, well designed and well produced. There is a fine balance to it—in terms of its content, its
“This truly is an exceptional piece of work” Read More »
I’ve just received my first issue of Fallon’s Angler! Marvellous stuff, very much impressed Russ Shaw
“Fallon’s Angler contains some lovely writing from an eclectic mix of writers, angling disciplines and locations. A masterstroke is getting that now iconic giant of angling writing Chris Yates on board, and though I suspect he would probably laugh off suggestions of being an angling icon he is really the founder of the current trend of
Caught by the River review Read More »
The Royal Canal in Ireland was a white elephant. It had been built by an over-zealous entrepreneur who intended it to compete against the nearby Grand Canal, but it went disastrously over-budget and he was nearly broke by the time it was completed. Then the railway came to Ireland and didn’t so much eat into
Fishing the ups and Downs Read More »
“It really is a good read. I will not spoil it for those who have not read this yet, or intend to purchase a copy. Each article is laid out well, looks good and tells a story that draws you in. You can fish from Manhattan to Pembrokeshire, my old stamping ground of East London
“Enjoyed this edition to the core and let’s hope it takes off” Read More »
I hit the road early but got gridlocked in the Blackwall tunnel, so was suitably late when turning up for my days fishing at Walthamstow reservoirs with the angling writer Dominic Garnett. Thank heavens patience is a virtue often found in the heart of an angler. Fallon’s Angler was launching the next day, and Dominic
Reservoir doggedness Read More »
Many thanks to another satisfied customer who had the following kind words to say about Fallon’s Angler: “Just a quick word to say that I enjoyed the new magazine. I read it cover to cover—every single word! —not something I usually do. It really is rather excellent and I hope that it continues. I shall
“It really is rather excellent” Read More »
I have twin seven year old nephews, Tom and Fred. They are energetic dynamos, indefatigable creatures of havoc, as entertaining with their ludicrous antics as their devilish double act is testing to the patience of the most tolerant of adults. A day with the prankish pair requires deep reserves of many attributes, most of which
…the diary of a specialist angler in and around the Warwickshire Avon and its tributaries, is the blog of Mick Newey from Warwickshire, England. You know you’re going to enjoy it when it starts “I caught up with a couple of mates in Warwick Saturday night so fresh air was in order to cure a slightly
Piscatorial Quagswagging… Read More »
Fishing and beer go together like strawberries and cream. And what better way is there to drink your favourite tipple and toast to the gods of water, than with your own tankard, with the additional bonus of a fine representation of old Esox herself, as we all know the big pike are always female, right? This
Sheffield Rose pewter pike tankard Read More »
You can now purchase Fallon’s Angler very easily using either your Paypal account OR your credit or debit card. You don’t need to open a Paypal account. At the checkout stage, click on the “PROCEED TO PAYPAL” button, where you will have the choice of using either your Paypal account OR your debit or credit
How to buy Fallon’s Angler Read More »
‘Back of the shed’ is the place where random angling detritus gets deposited. It can be anything at all, but mostly it’s slightly obscure, off the beaten-track, difficult to categorise, like a caelocanth. Well, ok, that’s not the best example. It’s a place for anything that isn’t one of the other five categories in ‘BITS’N’PIECES’. There, much
What is ‘back of the shed’? Read More »
The submission date for the Caption Competition has been extended to January 31st 2015, to overlap with the publication of Issue 2 of Fallon’s Angler. To enter the competition, you must first have purchased a copy of Fallon’s Angler Issue 1. When you purchase a copy, you get a unique order number. Please submit this
Caption competition Read More »
Be the first to officially declare your love for Fallon’s Angler, but be quick, there’s a queue forming…
The Wandle Piscators, and angling club in London of which I am a member, has launched it’s own club e-zine, The Piscators’ Chronicle In my experience, the best angling clubs have a strong sense of conservation. In fact, I’d go so far as to say a good angling club MUST have a strong sense of
Wandle Piscators’ e-zine Read More »
I had a very strange driving instructor once (bear with me please). He was an odd chap, to say the least. He never shut up, always talked about his conquests (that gets boring after a while, believe me) and had a nervousness about him that made me think he had a dead body hidden in
Weight box & discorger Read More »
By Fred Buller, Stanley Paul, 1979 I first discovered this book when I was in short trousers, and it makes me feel that way even now. How can these fish be real? Of course, some may not be, but the accounts are there, and as a young boy I always returned to this book every
The Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike Read More »
There are many things about print that are beautiful and out of reach to the digital world. The printed word is a tangible thing, real to touch, hold in one’s hand, turn the pages with one’s fingers. But print has a harrowing and unforgiving side. If a mistake is made, it will last forever. And so I owe
An apology to Izaak Read More »
By Bernard Venables George Allen & Unwin LTD, London 1958 Described as “The modern counterpart to Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler, this beautifully illustrated book from one of angling’s great fishermen and authors “combines in one volume the whole practice and delight of angling”. It was bought in a bookshop in Kinsale, Ireland, by my
The Angler’s Companion Read More »
The Ravensbourne rises in Keston, South East London, and flows for 11 miles through the boroughs of Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich, before joining the Thames. It is a mixture of urban regeneration and urban control, with areas bound in concrete sitting next to others that are as wild as any river in the countryside. It
River Ravensbourne, London Read More »
I had fished for a week, and caught a lot of fish, but none past the magical 20lb mark, which all around me had achieved. It was silly really, but I was growing frustrated, having travelled half-way around the world to catch a big lake trout. In desperation, I turned to my dead father, and
My first 20lb laker Read More »
I was sharing a boat with a red-haired Irishman—granted that’s not in itself unusual—but what followed was unforgettable. We were trolling quickfish lures over a bay on Lake Athabaska, Canada, when the fish struck. For some reason, when I’ve been on a foreign fishing trip, the size of my catches has increased as the trip unfolded.
32lb Athabaska “laker” Read More »
Born in Billericay, Jeff Hatt is an Essex boy and gifted magpie. Early tackle was secured through the generosity of relatives: Aunty Sandra’s Green Shield Stamps got his first rod, from Uncle Paul, a southpaw ‘300.’ Aunty Thelma provided more, and her husband Ron, likewise. Elder cousin Alan gave a season ticket to South Weald
In the summer of 1980, aged ten, Nick Fallowfield-Cooper was given some fishing tackle. He took the rod, reel and plastic box that contained various floats, weights and hooks to the local Sussex Ouse and started to unravel the mysteries of angling. In the early 1990s, Nick moved to London (where he still lives today)
Nick Fallowfield-Cooper Read More »
Peter Scott is not a fisherman, though he wishes he could be, and sometimes thinks he might be. He is publisher of Apollo, the international art magazine, and a founding editor of online quarterly The Junket. He has written about things that have nothing to do with fishing for The Daily Telegraph and Literary Review
Niall Fallon was a newspaper journalist and the deputy editor of the Irish Times in the 1980s. With a passion for fly fishing, he lived in Co. Meath, Ireland, surrounded by boggy fields and limestone rivers, and spent most of his free time chasing the illusive trout of the rivers Deel, Boyne and Suir. He
Rob Forth is a professional poker player. Born in London, he nevertheless grew up near the Welsh border, and lived for a stretch in South Africa. When not playing poker he likes to check for the early onset of Alzheimer’s by participating in pub quizzes. When the sun shines he can be found cycling in
Theo Pike is a freelance environmental, fishing and marketing writer. He’s also Chair of Trustees of the Wandle Trust, and founding editor of Urbantrout.net, a website and eco-brand dedicated to the urban fly fishing and river restoration movements. His first book, Trout in Dirty Places, was published in 2012, and his new Pocket Guide to
Jon Day teaches English at King’s College London. He writes for the London Review of Books, n+1, The New Statesman, the Times Literary Supplement and Apollo magazine, and is a regular book reviewer for the Telegraph and the Financial Times. He is a contributing editor at The Junket. There is a river at the end
Depending on the weather, Kevin Parr is an Idler, fisherman, writer, amateur naturalist and fungi forager—though by his own admission he excels in no particular field. He is the author of Rivers Run, The Idle Angler and black comedy The Twitch. Longtime angling correspondent to The Idler magazine and contributor to CountryFile and Caught by the
Tom Fort began fishing on the Lodden in Berkshire at the age of eight, pursuing ruffe and small perch. He became a journalist on leaving university, first working on local newspapers and later for the BBC. He wrote a fishing column for the Financial Times for 12 years, and has contributed to magazines including Waterlog
Dominic Garnett is a fishing author and guide with a taste for the unconventional. As a result, he survives mostly on berries, tinned food and super strength lager in a cave somewhere in Devon. His books include Crooked Lines, Tangle with Pike, Flyfishing for Coarse Fish and Canal Fishing: A Practical Guide. For more of his
Chris Yates is a photographer, tea connoisseur, nature lover and prolific writer, having published hundreds of articles and at least 13 books. He is the former British carp record holder with the capture of a 51lb specimen carp from the famous Redmire pool. He lives in a cottage in deepest Wiltshire where he indulges his
It’s approximately 11.45 am on Saturday morning. There’s barely a sound except for the loud ticking of the old clock on the kitchen wall. I can see outside into the garden, sodden by the morning’s rain. Autumn’s colours are still here – brown, yellow, amber, red and all the shades in-between. A Bull finch is excitedly
A child’s first adventure Read More »
A funny thing happened at the weekend. What was lost was found, and a once-burning flame was rekindled by a chance series of events that fell into place like a float to the water. I rediscovered my love of the simple angling adventure. I cannot wait to see the little pond again, and taste the
Here is a list of all articles featured in issue one, in the order in which they appear, with the first paragraph of each feature to give you an idea of its content. Fallon’s Angler is only available in print, so if you want to read the whole article, please purchase a copy. Thank you. [hr] Athabaska
The Diver is a small farm pond, hidden deep in the apple orchards of Kent. It is a tiny, seemingly insignificant bowl of water, with a ring of lilies around its deep centre. It is also full of small carp, rudd and roach, and a great little water to afflict a young child with their
The river Deel flows past the house in which I grew up. It derives its source from Lough Lene, Lough Bane and the Ben Loughs and then flows for 22 miles through Co. Westmeath and into the river Boyne in Co. Meath, at what was a childhood mecca known as “The Point”. The river spends most of its
River Deel, Ireland Read More »
A picturesque town under the watchful gaze of a Norman castle, with a separate old port (Parog) that used to take lime and slate all around the world. The river Nevern leaves the land through these gates, but not before curling around a large inlet and under a rocky coastline on one side, with a beautiful beach
River Nevern, Wales Read More »
