I have never reviewed an angling book – relying on others to give me a ‘heads up’ on a prospective purchase. I have felt compelled to do so on this occasion, primarily due to the impact of its contents and also the similarities to my own fishing experiences.
The Stillwater Angler is a joint collaboration by Tim Ridge and Dave Tipping. I do not know Dave personally, but own a couple of his books and have read many articles of his over the years.
Tim on the other hand is an angler I have got to know over the last year or so – his open and honest approach is something which is relatively rare in the big fish world. These strengths are displayed in abundance by both authors, within the books pages.
There are various chapters which generally contain a section from each author. The chapters range from early angling experiences to chapters on specific species like tench; big roach; perch and big bream. I get the feeling bream are Dave’s favorite fish – something I do not think is mirrored by Tim. The big bream chapter in particular, was the most thought provoking from my perspective. Even though bream may not be Tim’s favorite fish, his theories and approaches are superb – they have definitely changes my concept on how I may tackle the species in the future.
The book has something for everyone. The differing writing styles complement each other. The backdrop are angling environments across the country but with an emphasis in Yorkshire.
My only gripe is that the book wasn’t 200 pages longer. I eagerly await the next installment which covers river angling (I hope).
Copies of the book are limited to 400 and are available from The Little Egret Press, priced at £32.95 and £4 P&P.
