The Complete Fisher Forum

[Allrounder]

I've just finished reading Chris Ogborne's book 'Blagdon' (1987) for the first time which provides an interesting history of fishing on the reservoir to around the period when I was starting to favour fly fishing over coarse fishing.

The book also covers the geography and tactics in some detail which are obviously out of date in some ways (3lb tippets anyone? And not a Blob or Booby to be found) with barely a mention of a fly called a 'Diawl Bach' although he was advocating leaders as long as 20 foot from the bank even back then!

That has whetted my appetite for more reading until I can cast a fly again so I have selected a few books from my bookshelf that I haven't read for years. However I can't make my mind up which one to chose first.


Any suggestions?

Alan
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Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello... from a safe distance!

[wylye]

Plunket Greene is a nice read if you like the idea of chalkstream fishing, Viscount Grey, of course, was Foreign Secretary at the outbreak of WW1 and it was he, I believe, who said that "the lights are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." A bit doom laden. He went to Winchester as a boy and that was where he found fly fishing. I have a presentation copy of his book that my wife got me for Christmas a couple of years ago. Kingsmill Moore is good if you are thinking of heading for Ireland. Some of his fly patterns are still in regular use ie, Golden Olive Bumble and Claret Bumble are the best remembered. His writing about the boatman Jamesie always made me smile when I thumbed through the book as I have met a few just like him on my forays to Corrib and Conn.

[Allrounder]

Thanks Wylye

I've read them all at least once although most not for a few years and I have enjoyed them all. It is remarkable that Viscount Grey wrote 'Fly Fishing' while acting as Foreign Secretary and it is the one I have decided to start on first.

Where the Bright Waters Meet by Plunkett Greene may well be next and I look forward to reading the chapter on Blagdon again which I first came across in The Fisherman's Bedside Book by 'BB'. I last read 'West Country Fly fishing' quite recently so I may skip that one and go straight to the Judges book next, A Man May Fish by T.C.Kingsmill Moore, as it contains one of my favourite passages ...

Standing on one identical spot I once hooked and landed in rapid succession four spring fish with not more than three or four casts intervening between landing one and hooking the next. My upstream neighbour, who was not devoid of jealousy, was watching through field glasses and her remarks were retailed gleefully to me the next day by her companion...

'Good, Kingie is in a fish'. My God, the Judge has got another'. 'The bloody fellow has hooked a third'. This is too much, the b@stard has got a fourth'.

She reminds me of myself when I share a boat!

Alan
_________________
Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello... from a safe distance!

[lakefisher]

I've not read the Steve Parton book "Boatfishing for Trout" - but I have on several occasions in the dim and distant past, shared a boat with the man himself. A fantastic fisherman, very open to trying and even inventing new tactics for catching trout and even accidental large Pike, and extremely good at it, and successful he was.

If the book has chapter(s) on rudder fishing and the tactics of back drifting - Well worth a re-read to update yourself on those for when/if Chew allow such tactics ..... Tony
_________________
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

[tenet]

Way back in the 70's I used to fish Grafham on a regular basis with a pal Jon Ward. We used to boat fish with a leeboard clamped to the bow which allowed the boat to traverse across the wind allowing us to sit at each end of the boat casting about face with our Wet Cell shooting heads and Sweeney Todds or Whiskey flies. Then along came Geoffrey Bucknall who convinced Grafhams fishery manager David Fleming-Jones how leeboards were inherently unsafe and they were banned. Not to be thwarted (no pun intended) we, along with many other regulars, made a variety of rudders that clamped to the stern and rudder fishing was invented.

ps: Bucknall wrote a book Fly Fishing Tactics on Still Water. Never read it as I thought he a self publicist at the time.

[Fryfishing]

The Steve Parton and Negley Farson are absolute classics.
Reading Steve Parton it does not take long to realise there is nothing new in fishing, re tandem flies and snakes

I have just finished Silver Shoals by Charles Rangley Wilson. It's very informative but a tad dry. The company I worked for published him and I meet him on a couple of occasions.

I am now skimming 1987 edition Spinning and Plug fishing by Rickards & Whitehead dated but very good.

One of my favourite" how to" books is Flyfishing an Expert's guide by JohnDawson & Martin Cairncross ( the crunchers inventors).
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[Allrounder]

I found Steve Parton's book a classic 'how to' book which complemented the 'hands on' instruction I received from Tony lakefisher when I first started boat fishing.

I don't think I have read another fishing book that packed so much information into so few pages . This not only covered Leeboard and Rudder fishing etc but also instructions on how to make your own Rudder, locking clamp and swiveling boat seat! Apart from the practical instruction the thing from his book that most influenced me were his thoughts about working in partnership rather than competition with your boat partner. He wrote ...

In a two man team team there is little point in competing against one another. There are very many ways, for instance, in which the helmsman of the boat is able to influence the movement of the boat to such an extent as to render his partners efforts almost ineffectual. Over the years my experience with partners of the competitive type have been sufficiently unpleasant for me to state that I will never again get in a boat with a fisherman unwilling to share the day in the fullest sense of the word. '

The other bit of advice that I didnt take sufficient notice of until much later was this ...

There is nowhere to hide in a boat. And nothing to stop the rain driving in. The wind always seems to blow harder and colder in a boat that on the bank. One just has to sit there and take it. Your clothing therefore has to be up to the job ...'

No truer words were ever written as I'm sure Peter (fryfishing) would agree after we shared a particularly damp boat on Blagdon a couple of years ago when it rained cats and dogs all day!

Doug ... I have heard a few tales about the early days at Grafham involving Mr Bucknall !

Alan
_________________
Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello... from a safe distance!

[Fryfishing]

We must not forget My Way With Trout by Arthur Cove.
My partner always found the cover very funny as she could not see how publisher, agent and author would agree to it

I still use his cove tail PTN at Farmoor.
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[Fryfishing]

[img] [/img]
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[tenet]

Met him on the bank at Grafham a few times and shared a pint in the Wheatsheaf at West Perry. A very generous man RIP.

[Allrounder]

That's one book I always planned to read but never got around to it. I will have to remedy that.

I recall that Arthur Cove was a regular contributor to Trout Fisherman back in the day and I remember him advocating a slow constant retrieve that should take minutes to complete. As a novice I was quite surprised to read this back then as most of the anglers I saw employed either a fast or slow strip technique! I also recall his retrieve created coils of line in his left hand that he then fed into his cast something like line coming off a fixed spool reel. I almost mastered that at one time but then I got lazy!

Nice to hear he was a personable chap in real life.

Alan
_________________
Member of ...
The Angling Trust
BRFFA
B.A.S.S.
Pike Fly Fishing Association

If you see me on the bank, say hello... from a safe distance!

[Fryfishing]

I got the title wrong for my favourite how to book, which looks out of print now but worth looking for.
I learnt a lot from this book and frankly wish I had it to hand now to dip into.[
img] [/img]
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[VGB]

[Fryfishing]

Top tip Vince.
I have bought a copy for £3 for delivery here in london.

_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw

[Fryfishing]

I have been rereading Trout Flyfishing an Experts Approach.
Bearing in mind it was published in 2000 it has reignited me thinking about the good old stick fly. Also there is a lot of talk about braided leaders and Poly leaders which I have never really used,, I guess the were the forerunner of the sink tip lines we have today. Are they worth experimenting with ??
P
_________________
Floating Lines, buzzers, nymphs, stick floats, maggots and throwing lures at bitey things.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCi3uvEhBwv-hz0eGtrNtQgw