Graham probably doesn’t need too much by way of introduction – to FishingMagic regulars at least. Suffice to say he was the founder and guiding hand of FishingMagic.com and is rightly and proudly now Editor Emeritus of the site.
Graham’s first article was published in 1968 and he has since authored countless articles for magazines, newspapers and websites. He has several books to his name and his CDs and DVDs can be found at car boot sales all over the country!
Angling Essays is his latest book and within its 400 pages Graham expresses his views of the challenges posed by modern day angling, how he and his mates successfully approach those challenges and what he thinks about it all. All of this is, of course, accomplished in his own immaculate style and with a turn of phrase that is short and sweet but very perceptive. Laced with triumphs and failures and bucket loads of humour it makes for entertaining and sometimes controversial reading…Who would have guessed?
Although the book is not a ‘How To’ guide, the first few chapters cover ‘fishy’ habits and behaviour, the sub title ‘Sorting Fact from Fiction’ sums up these chapters nicely. Graham then links these chapters into weather conditions giving the reader, of whatever experience and knowledge, plenty of food for thought.
I reckon the two chapters ‘My Angle on Angling’ give a great insight into why Graham has been so consistently successful right across the spectrum of angling. Both are well worth several reads in their own right, particularly for those of us who tend to get confused and befuddled by the latest and greatest trends.
Graham also has something to say on fishing photography, it’s a pet hobby so no surprise there, and he takes a look at how modern digital photography can aid us all but he also looks at the flip side and the potential for abuse (there’s a great example of a before and after chub shot).
The book continues with chapters dedicated to catching various species from barbel to zander and all receive the Marsden treatment based on many years of experience and success. Graham recounts the trials and tribulations each species threw at him and the path he took to resolve those issues and put fish on the bank.
Recalling many fishing trips far and wide he has successfully created a very entertaining, humorous and informative read. Gary Knowles and Mark Wintle have assisted with chapters on perch and roach respectively and both fit in very nicely with the flow of the book.
High quality colour imagery together with black & white photos throughout illustrate the words very effectively.
Another excellent buy for the angler’s library Angling Essays is published by MPress and is available for a price for £25.00.
