It is fair to say that Hugh Falkus lived a fairly incident packed life. By the age of 6 he was already shooting and fishing, and soon after learned to sail and fly. He married his first wife in 1939, but a year later was shot down over France (reputedly flying his Spitfire in his …
Though not Jamaican born (his first moments came in Germany where his father was serving in the British Army), Guy Harvey is truly Jamaican bred. A fascination of the sea is perhaps an inevitability when growing up in the Caribbean, and Harvey’s interest became rooted deep within his soul. He came to Scotland to gain …
Few fish capture the imagination like the Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans). For many, these are the ultimate game fish. Not only do they grow huge—the rod caught record is over 1400lb—they fight like no other fish. Blue marlin are built for speed—with slim, streamlined bodies, great fan like pectorals that can fold into grooves …
One upon a time a little brown trout decided that river life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. There had to be more to life than crunching caddis larvae or splashing through a grannum hatch. The salmon had the right idea— they’d bugger off downstream and not come back for years. And what …
As every fisherman constantly reminds himself – size isn’t everything…..Take the novel—not every classic contains the wordcount of War and Peace or Lord of the Rings. In fact, some of the very best are not an awful lot longer than a short story. Think of The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, The War of …
In a former guise, Fishpool spent a fair bit of time touring the country and sampling the delights of roadside snack vans. His favourite, and there was a lot of competition, was tucked away on an Industrial Estate in Stockport. The menu, rather like that well known Monty Python sketch, was extensive – as long …
In north Ceredigion, in the Cambrian Mountains, lie a series of glacially carved ponds. Known as the Teifi Pools, these provide the source for the longest river to be found wholly in Wales. Afon Teifi is 76 miles from source to sea and is oft regarded as one of the most beautiful river courses in …
The Hampshire Avon slips through some of the most stunning and historic land in the country. Sprung from the chalk aquifers of Salisbury Plain, the upper river sparkles through archaeological heaven. Stonehenge, Woodhenge, the ancient metropolis of Durrington Walls, then, of course, through Salisbury whereafter it is alternatively named. Having watered Ringwood and skirted the …
Fallon’s angler reminds me of times past that gets me back out on the bank…
A terrific piece, we all know rivers like that, I drove over one for years before stopping last year and looking, rather than just seeing, and what a delight I found! – referring to Stuart Harris’ article in Issue 3.
If you happen to find yourself in the southern United States beside a river that is heaving with 40lb flathead catfish, only to find, rather like finding yourself naked in a dream, that you have left all your fishing gear at home – fear not. It’s time to noodle.. Catfish noodling is a method of …
Hallelujah! – Its raining fish! …and so on – it sounds crazy, yet this is a very real phenomenon. In 2004, villagers in Knighton, Shropshire, were pelted with minnows during a particularly heavy downpour, while in 2000 Great Yarmouth was peppered with sprats. It may not be an everyday occurrence, but there are similar examples …
