Christmas Fishing Books Roundup

Pike Fishing in the UK and Ireland

First Published 2006 by The Crowood Press
ISBN 1 86126 867 X
Hardback £ 19.95

Pike fishing is one of the most popular forms of angling. This is not surprising, since pike are the largest freshwater predator fish in the British Isles. This fascinating book takes a geographical approach. It covers several of the most important pike fishing waters in the British Isles.

However, this is not simply a ‘where to fish’ book. The editor, Steve Rogowski, and all nine contributors are experienced and successful pike anglers and they provide helpful advice about methods and techniques.

The Contributors: Mark Ackerley; Jon Cotton; Dick Culpin; Chris Donovan; Neville Fickling; Stephen Hinks; Steve Ormrod; Bill Palmer and Chris Turnbull

The Sea Trout and the Fly

Foreword by John Wilshaw
First Published 2006 by The Crowood Press
ISBN 1 86126 842 4
Hardback £ 19.95

Written by an acknowledged expert, The Sea Trout and the Fly is a fascinating book written in an easy-to-understand style. Whether you are a novice or an expert sea trout angler, you will find this book invaluable for it contains a wealth of information, tips and innovative thinking supplemented by sound advice on how, and when, to use particular flies to their best advantage.

Contents include: – Expert information about how to fish at night, in rivers with low-water conditions, in estaurine and coastal waters, and sea and freshwater lochs – A discussion of tackle and tactics – A consideration of why some sea trout flies can be used more successfully than others – Chapters on small fry imitations, tube flies, doubles and trebles, the snake fly, demons and terrors, surface lures and much more – Detailed instructions on how to dress the more complicated flies.

The Great Modern Pike Anglers

Foreword by Neville Fickling
First Published 2006 by The Crowood Press
ISBN 1 86126 876 9
Hardback £ 19.95

The last half century has seen the greatest revolution in pike fishing for several hundred years. The Great Modern Pike Anglers examines all of the discoveries in pike fishing techniques that have taken place since 1950. It discusses how, and why, new approaches developed and who was responsible for the breakthroughs.

Contents include:- Brief biographies of the piking giants, Fred Buller and Bill Giles. – Accounts of the pioneering discoveries of Fred J Taylor and Ray Webb. – Detailed descriptions of big catches. – Boat fishing techniques and big waters. – Distance fishing. – Lure fishing and the lure fishing revolution. – Spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. – The best deadbaits. – The Pike Anglers’ Club.

Big Pike

Foreword by Eddie Turner
First Published 2006 by The Crowood Press
ISBN 1 86126 858 0
Hardback £ 19.95

Second only to carp fishing in terms of its popularity, piking continues to be of increasing interest not only in the United Kingdom and Ireland, but also elsewhere in Europe and in North America. Not surprisingly, therefore, the demand for expert information about how to catch large pike more effectively is also growing, and this book will be welcomed by pike anglers everywhere.

Big Pike includes a chapter by Bob Church, a seasoned pike fisherman and highly acclaimed all-round angler, together with contributions by four accomplished pike fishermen: Gord Burton, Neville Fickling, Mike Green and Barrie Rickards. The contributors reveal their enthusiasm for their chosen sport, their skills and tactics they use, and the sheer enjoyment they gain from piking.

Contributors: Gord Burton has an absolute passion for pike fishing and his remarkable success in the sport has long been recognized throughout the angling world. Neville Fickling has, over an extended period, built up a well-deserved reputation as one of Britain’s leading pike fisherman. Mike Green is a very successful and highly skilled pike angler who specializes in fly, lure and jerk fishing. Barrie Rickards has a long and distinguished fishing career and is a doyen of British pike fishing.

Falling in Again

First Published 1998 by Merlin Unwin Books
ISBN 1873674333
Hardback £ 17.99

Tales of an Incorrigible Angler.

In this rich collection of angling tales, Chris Yates has paired together his experiences of carp, barbel, pike, roach, gudgeon, chub, even bass.

Within each pair of essays, the angling anecdotes mirror each other in strange and surprising ways.

Falling in Again finds Chris in search of a ‘lost’ carp lake, being mugged on the River Mole, and dangling bread crust for chub from an overhanging tree, but throughout he is exploring the patterns of angling, the links between angling in boyhood and middle age.

These are tales of fishing in innocence and experience, in which the mysteries of angling remain greater than the man, whose destiny is to keep falling in again.

Dear Jim

First Published 2004 by Merlin Unwin Books
ISBN 1 873674 791
Hardback £ 20.00

From a lively pub in Ireland to the heat-vibrating Seychelles, from a boy’s float on a canal to an impossible tangle of flyline: this book finds a common theme in hundreds of different fishing experiences and in the paraphernalia that surrounds fishing. And that theme is beauty.

Schwab’s stunning black and white photographs which illustrate his line of thought are a startlingly fresh look at familiar things. Has ever a hook or a fish scale looked so lovely? Schwab shows us this beauty, and he challenges us to discover why this is so, in this thought-provoking book.

Tying Flies with CDC

First Published 2002 by Merlin Unwin Books
ISBN 1873674511
Hardback £ 20.00

The Fisherman’s Miracle Feather.

Fly tyers have long recognised the miraculous qualities of CDC, or cul-de-canard, which grow near the preen glands of ducks. CDC feathers have unusual water-resistant properties. This makes them invaluable feathers for tying dry flies, emergers and even nymphs.

Some of the world’s most innovative fly tyers are currently inventing new ways of using these versatile CDC feathers. The patterns they have invented are often deceptively simple ones, demanding easy tying steps and very few additional materials. Many anglers fish only with CDC flies. This book brings together many of the latest tying techniques and fly patterns.

Tying Flies with CDC is the flytyer’s definitive international guide to this unique feather. It draws on the ideas of well-known flytyers from many different countries: from Dutch experts Piet Weeda, Hans van Klinken and Theo Bakelaar, to Marc Petitjean of Switzerland and Marjan Fratnik of Slovenia, to Elie Beerten of Belgium, Nicolas Ragonneau of France, Paolo Jaia of Italy, Rene Harrop of America, Tetsumi Himeno of Japan, and many others.

This is an inspirational guidebook for the modern fly tyer.

Another Fishing Year

First Published 2006 by Green Umbrella Publishing
ISBN 1 905009 37 2
Hardback £ 16.99

Another Fishing Year is John’s diary for 2005 and he begins on a sunny but bitterly cold 2 January. Immediately, his detailed description of the surroundings and nostalgic anecdotes place you right alongside him in the boat. In addition, his precise technical narrative gives you all the elements you need to understand how he secures “a nicely marked and proportioned pike of around 19lbs.” One week later he’s off to Brazil and fast into huge, tropical fresh water species. Something which continues throughout the book with extra adventures to Spain, Zambia and Egypt, plus sharks and bass from both home and abroad.

The end of August sees Wilson enjoying a hot and humid day with somebody lucky enough to have won a day’s fishing with him. Two 10mm halibut pellets on a hair-rigged size 10 hook in conjunction with regular helpings of 6mm pellet loose feed, soon has the carp biting.

In November he battles with a monstrous 130 lbs arapaima amongst a plethora of heavyweight adversaries in Thailand. And on the 19 December, Wilson returns to the lake he fished on 2 January and lands an 181b pike – his last catch of 2005.

Written in Wilson’s usual chatty and informative style, Another Fishing Year is a book that no self-respecting angler will want to let get away.

Carp Fishing – Advanced Tactics

First Published 2006 by The Crowood Press
ISBN 1 86126 877 7
Hardback £ 19.95

Catching carp is easy if you fish ‘easy’ waters but if you take the next step and tackle the more difficult lakes and rivers the situation is substantially different. In such waters carp can test the capabilities of any angler. Carp are cunning, unpredictable and amongst the toughest freshwater fish in the world to catch.

Written by one of the most respected carp anglers of his generation, Carp Fishing – Advanced Tactics provides you with essential, up-to-date information and will help you be at the forefront of the sport.

Considers the intelligence of the carp and examines the tactics required by the carp angler throughout the year. – Goes under the water to observe the day-to-day habits of the carp, including feeding patterns, and how rigs perform. – Examines in detail advanced carp rigs, varying tactics, high-tech baits, bait-boat carping and carp fishing from boats. – Covers holiday carp fishing, day-ticket carping and a session at the legendary Redmire Pool.

Trout from Small Stillwaters

First Published 2006 by The Crowood Press
ISBN 1 86126 878 5
Hardback £ 16.99

In the sport of trout fishing, small stillwaters stocked with farm-reared trout are of vital importance. They provide easily accessible and affordable fishing in areas where there are simply not enough rivers, or lakes, to cater for the number of people who love to fly fish.

Trout from Small Stillwaters is a definitive work aimed at both those planning to take up fly fishing for trout as well as existing anglers who wish to expand their knowledge and techniques. Every fly fisher will benefit from these pages, which are packed with tips and information based on the knowledge and skills, gained over several decades, of a highly acclaimed trout angler.

Completely up-to-date and presents expert information about all aspects of the sport including catch and release, the species, record fish, getting started, going fishing for the first time, knots, fishery features, aids and extras – Covers competitions, the trout’s food, fly patterns, techniques, lures, retrieves, stalking, boat fishing and fishing in adverse conditions- Beautifully illustrated with 100 colour photographs and diagrams.