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 …
Summer—time to don some shorts, hit the coast, dangle your line and catch a few crabs. No—we’re not suggesting you partake in a Club 18-30 package holiday, but rather that you enjoy the classic pastime of crabbing. Seaside shops are packed with handlines, you just need some bait and off you go. You can use …
