Saturday, 1 October 2011

A Bibliography of Pike



Pike angling has always had a bit of a cult following. You have to be slightly obsessed to get up at 5am on a freezing cold February morning to go and sit in a boat all day in the middle of a windy Scottish loch. That obsession has led to pikers being great collectors of books and if the writing has a bit of "rogue angler" about it then all the better. There are certainly quite a few to collect and some are pretty hard to get hold of. Good luck.


  • Allen (David) - Catch More Pike 1972
  • Bailey (John) & Page (Martyn) - The Predator Becomes the Prey 1985
  • Bannister (Malcolm) - Tales from a Pike Angler's Diary 1993
  • Barder (R.C.R.) - Spinning for Pike 1970
  • Batten (David) - An Introduction to Pike Fishing 1989
  • Bergh (Kit) - Northern Pike Fishing 1975
  • Berlin (Sven) - Jonah's Dream 1964
  • Bettell (Charlie) - The Art of Lure Fishing 1994
  • Bickerdyke (John) - Angling for Pike 1888
  • Booth (Graham) - A History of Pike Fishing: Volume 1 2011
  • Brown (Mick) - Mick Brown: Professional Pike Angler 2011
  • Brown (Mick) - Mick Brown's Guide to Pike and Predators 2009
  • Brown (Mick) - Pike Fishing: The Practice and the Passion 1993
  • Bucher (Joe) & Smith (O.) - Hunting Trophy Muskies and Northerns 1992
  • Bucknall (Geoffrey) - Big Pike 1965
  • Buller (Fred, Editor) - Great Pike Stories 2003
  • Buller (Fred) - Pike 1971
  • Buller (Fred) - More Mammoth Pike 2005
  • Buller (Fred) - The Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike 1979
  • Chillingworth (Bill) - Tactics for Big Pike 1985
  • Cholmondeley-Pennell (Harry) -  Fishing: Pike and Other Coarse Fish 1885
  • Cholmondeley-Pennell (Harry) - The Book of the Pike 1865
  • Church (Bob, Editor) - Big Pike 2006
  • Craig (Thurlow) - Baitmaker's Delight 1953
  • Craig (Thurlow) - Spinner's Delight 1951
  • Crossman (E.J.) & Casselman (J.M.) - An Annotated Bibliography of the Pike - Esox Lucius 1987
  • Fickling (Neville, Editor) - Big Water Pike Fishing 2008
  • Fickling (Neville) - Everything You Need to Know About Pike Fishing 2002
  • Fickling (Neville) - In Pursuit of Predatory Fish 1986
  • Fickling (Neville) - Mammoth Pike 2004
  • Fickling (Neville) - Pike Fishing in the 80s
  • Fickling (Neville) - Pike Fishing with Neville Fickling 1986
  • Fickling (Neville) - The Tackle Shop Guide to Pike Fishing 1986
  • Fleuron (Svend) - Grim: The Story of a Pike 1920
  • Fox International - The Fox Guide to Modern Pike Fishing 2006
  • Fur, Feather and Fin - Pike and Perch 1900
  • Gay (Martin) - Beginner's Guide to Pike Fishing 1975
  • Gay (Martin) & Rickards (Barrie) - Pike (Boydell Angling Library series) 1989
  • Gibbinson (Jim) - Pike (Osprey Anglers series) 1974
  • Gray (W.E.T.S.) - Pike Fishing: Red Letter Days and Others... 1923
  • Gustafson (Paul) - How To Catch Bigger Pike 1997
  • Hampton (J. Fitzgerald) - Hampton on Pike Fishing 1947
  • Hanna (Alan) - Fly Fishing for Big Pike 1998
  • Harper (Stephen) - Broadland Pike 1998
  • Harper (Stephen) - Dream Pike 2010
  • Holgate (James, Editor) - Catch Pike with Lures 2007
  • Holgate (James) - Big Water Pike Fishing: Book 1 - Bank Fishing 1989
  • Holgate (James) - Big Water Pike Fishing: Book 2 - Boat Fishing 1990
  • Holgate (James) - Catching Pike on Lures 1991
  • Holgate (James) - Lines on Pike 2007
  • Holgate (James) - Lure Fishing for Pike: Volume 1 1987
  • Holgate (James) - Lure Fishing for Pike: Volume 2 1988
  • Horton (Dave) - Ultimate Pike 2000
  • Irish Tourist Board - Pike Angling in Ireland 
  • Jardine (Alfred) - Pike and Perch 1897
  • Jensen (Michael) - Fly-Fishing - For Pike 2003
  • Ladle (Mike) & Casey (H.) - Lure Fishing: A New Approach 1988
  • Ladle (Mike) & Masters (Jerome) - Tactical Pike Fishing 2009
  • Lindner (Al) - An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies 1983
  • Lumb (Dave) - Fishing with Lures 1996
  • Lumb (Dave) - Modern Pike Rigs 1992
  • Marlow (John) - The Pike Fisherman's Handbook 1966
  • Marsden (Graham) - Beginning Pike Fishing (unsure of date)
  • Martin (John William) "The Trent Otter" - Days Among the Pike and Perch 1898
  • Matthews (A.R.) - How To Catch Pike 1921
  • McCully (Chris) - Fishing and Pike Lures 2009
  • Miles (Tony) - Pike Fishing: Expert Advice for Beginners 1991
  • Morgan (Paul) - The Pike Angler's Library 1998
  • Moules (Denis) & Barrett (Mark) - Fenland Pike 2009
  • Moules (Denis) - Fenland Thirties: A History of Fenland Pike 2003
  • Nixon (John) - The Art of Pike and Perch Fishing 1964
  • PACGB - Advanced Pike Fishing 1987
  • PACGB - Basic Pike Fishing 1986
  • PACGB - Pike Fishing Beyond 2000 2000
  • PACGB - Pike in Your Waters 1992
  • Page (Martyn) & Bellars (Vic) - Pike: In Pursuit of Esox Lucius 1990
  • Palmer (Bill) - Dimples to Wrinkles 1997
  • Phillips (Dave) - Pike (Successful Angling series) 1990
  • Pullen (Graeme) - Go Fishing for Pike 1990
  • Pye (Dennis) - The Way I Fish 1964
  • Reynolds (Barry) & Berryman (J.) - Pike on the Fly 1993
  • Rickards (Barrie) & Bannister (Malcolm) - The Great Modern Pike Anglers 2006
  • Rickards (Barrie) & Bannister (Malcolm) - The Ten Greatest Pike Anglers 1991
  • Rickards (Barrie) & Gay (Martin) - The Pike Angler's Manual 1987
  • Rickards (Barrie) & Whitehead (Ken) - Plugs and Plug Fishing 1976
  • Rickards (Barrie) & Whitehead (Ken) - Spinners, Spoons and Wobbled Baits 1977
  • Rickards (Barrie) & Whitehead (Ken) - Spinning and Plug Fishing: An Illustrated Textbook 1987
  • Rickards (Barrie, Editor) - The Best of Pikelines 1988
  • Rickards (Barrie) - Big Pike 1986
  • Rickards (Barrie) - Fishing for Big Pike Revisited 2010
  • Rickards (Barrie) - Modern Lure Fishing 2008
  • Rickards (Barrie) - Pike Fishing Step by Step 1976
  • Rickards (Barrie) - Success with Pike 1992
  • Rogowski (Steve) - Pike and Freshwater Predator Fishing in the British Isles 2006
  • Rogowski (Steve) - Pike and Predator Fishing in the UK and Ireland 2003
  • Rudd (Donald G. Ferris) "Jock Scott" - Spinning Up To Date: Trout, Salmon & Pike 1937
  • Ryan (Will) - Northern Pike: A Complete Guide to Pike and Pike Fishing 2000
  • Sidley (John) - River Piking 1987
  • Spence (Edward F.) - The Pike Fisher 1928
  • Spencer (Sidney) - Pike on the Plug: Notes on Bait-Casting by the American Method 1936
  • Sternberg (Dick) - Northern Pike & Muskie 1992
  • Swier (Ad) - Passion for Pike: The Challenge and Mystery of Flyfishing for Pike 2006 
  • Thomas (Terry) - Catching Pike is No Joke 2010
  • Turner (Eddie) - Mega-Pike 1990
  • Turner (Eddie) & Davis (Jason) - Mega Pike: The Return 2007
  • Turrell (W.J.) - Pike Fishing 1953
  • Twemlow (Cliff) - The Pike 1982
  • Venables (Bernard) - Fishing for Pike with Mr Cherry and Jim 1961
  • Wakeford (Phil) & Barrett (Mark, Editors) - PAC30 2007
  • Ward (A.L.) - Pike: How to Catch Them 1954
  • Watson (John) - A Piker's Progress 1991
  • Watson (John) - Pike (Master Fisherman series) 1989
  • Weatherall (Norman L.) - Pike Fishing 1961
  • Webb (Ray) & Rickards (Barrie) - Fishing for Big Pike 1971
  • Whieldon (Tony) - Pike Fishing (Fishing Skills series) 1987
  • Whitehead (Ken) - Ken Whitehead's Pike Fishing 1987
  • Willett (Richard) - Let's Start River Pike Fishing 1990
  • Williams (Nige) - Just Williams 2005
  • Wilson (John) - Catch Pike 1991
  • Winship (Bill) - Pike Waters: An Expert Guide to Fishing in Great Britain and Ireland 1990
  • Wolsoncroft-Dodds (David) - Fly-Fishing for Pike 2010
  • Zeiske (Wolfgang) - Esox: The Story of a Pike 1964
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Sunday, 4 September 2011

The Glory Days of the Giant Scarborough Tunny



The British Tunny Club, Hardy Bros. tackle and big game fishing in the 1930s
by Mark Ross


What a fantastic book this is. Buy it, borrow it, steal it.....however you get hold of a copy just make sure you get a read of this book if you have even the slightest interest in the subject.

It tells the story of an era long since passed and never to return. During the 1930s huge shoals of herring descended on the British coast every summer. Following closely behind were the bluefin tuna, a fish of immense proportions and reputedly uncatchable on rod and line. What follows are some of the most amazing stories of fishing in British waters you're ever likely to come across. Stories of seven hour battles, boats being towed twenty miles, telegraph pole-like rods being snapped in two, a 763lb tunny being landed by a 12 year old boy only to be refused a certificate by the British Tunny club on a technicality and many more.

All of these stories are set off by hundreds of stunning period photos. The author is also a very keen collector of the old tunny fishing tackle and so there is a great deal of information and hi-res photographs of the kind of tackle being used to tame these huge fish.

Mark Ross has done a very good job of writing this book. It is a bit of a balancing act between a dry book on the history and social history of the Scarborough tunny fishery and the effect it had on the UK and the world; and also an enthralling story of the people involved. On first reading this book I found it very hard to put down, I always had to turn just one more page to see what happened next. Ross, thanks to his extensive research, has brought every character back to life and I found myself getting quite deep into the story.

As mentioned, the author has put a huge amount of research into this book and it really does show. He has turned up huge amounts of original photographs, local, national and international newspaper archives, certificates issued by the British Tunny Club, articles and letters from the Fishing Gazette, various anecdotes and personal accounts and even personal letters between anglers of the time. For the reader wanting to get even further into the subject there are many appendices at the rear of the book plus a bibliography.

Unfortunately the tunny fishing was cut short by the start of the second world war in 1939. For the next six years almost no fishing was done and once the world situation settled down again in 1945 the herring shoals had drifted away and to this day the tuna have never returned to British waters in any real numbers. This book is a glimpse into a fishery I am never likely to see in my lifetime but once existed and despite lasting such a short period has left its mark forever on British fishing history.

This book is the last word on the subject as well as being a fantastic read in its own right. If you are at all interested then I can only suggest you get yourself a copy now while it's still freely available at the cover price of £89. I feel confident that this will set the standard for writing on the history of the Scarborough tunny fishery and will almost certainly become a sought after collector's item in the future. Grab it while you can.

Coch Y Bonddu Books have new copies available for the cover price of £89.

Privately published by the author in 2010. Cloth-bound hardback limited to 250 numbered copies. Deluxe leather-bound edition limited to just 20 copies.

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Barbel Fishing: A Logical Approach

by Tim Lennon 

It's a difficult one this. Tim Lennon is clearly a skilled angler and on his local rivers he has found a technique that catches, catches very well actually. Unfortunately for me that's about the limit of this book. One method on one river, well maybe two. 

That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, I did in fact find it a pretty interesting read and I guess I might be being a little unfair. Much of what the author writes about can be applied to other rivers.... on the condition that you can actually see the fish you are targeting. But then to be perfectly honest, if I can see a shoal of barbel then I generally have little trouble catching them. I'll put my tin hat on before I say this to protect myself from the tins of Spam about to come flying my way, but barbel are surely the easiest fish in the UK to catch, right? 

As I said at the start this book is pretty much entirely about one method. I would have loved it as a guest chapter in another book but I'm not sure it needed an entire book of it's own. It reminds me of my school days when we had to write out our essays to a certain number of words. I procrastinated and rambled on, writing in circles to hit that word count when I could have said everything I needed to in less than half of that. 


The major emphasis throughout is on finding the fish and then spending time building confidence in the shoal before you introduce your hookbait. I won't give away too much detail, you can read the book for the specifics. I'm not sure this warranted an entire book. I also think Lennon is guilty of crediting barbel with far more intelligence than they actually have but then maybe I'm just used to fishing for stupid ones. I've never fished the Hampshire Avon or Dorset Stour so perhaps he's right. If you fish rivers where you generally can't sit and observe the shoal you are fishing for then this book will be of little use to you.


This book commands a fairly decent price on the second hand market and I think that is mainly down to the low numbers it was printed in. There was a small hardback edition limited to just 200 numbered copies plus a paperback run too. The hardbacks usually just about reach three figures though they don't often come up for sale. 

First published in 2004 by PICS Publishing Ltd. "PICS" stands for Paving Industry Contractor Support. No I don't understand why a paving company have published a book about barbel fishing either.

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Saturday, 3 September 2011

A Bibliography of Barbel


Well I feel this bibliography, at the time of writing is pretty complete. If you're into collecting barbel books then you're in luck. There are enough out there to keep you interested, including one or two hard to find ones, yet not so many that your collection will never be complete. There are a few you might struggle with however - William J. Howes 'The Quest for Barbel', a small paperback that rarely comes up for sale and it's even rarer to find it in anything approaching fine condition. Peter Wheat's 'The Fighting Barbel' is usually available but don't expect much change out of £300 for a decent copy. Then of course there's the Trent Otter's 'Barbel and Chub Fishing' first published in 1896. It was reprinted a few years ago by the Medlar Press and even that has become quite hard to find now. I'm still looking for a first...
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    Friday, 2 September 2011

    Coarse Fishing: A Guide To Successful Angling





    Various authors
    introduction by Tom Pickering

    This was one of the first books I bought about fishing. I say bought, what I actually mean is nicked off my brother. I read it so much when I was younger I practically knew if off by heart.

    It may be a book for beginners but there are some top names in the line-up of authors - John Bailey, Chris Ball, Neville Fickling, Jim Gibbinson, Dave Harrell, Martin Hooper, Bob James, Peter Mohan, Andy Orme, Barrie Rickards and John Watson to name but a few.

    It is divided into four main chapters - Techniques and tackle, Baits and lures, Know your fish and A specialist approach. Each chapter is then broken down into many smaller sections dealing with specific subjects. There really is something for everyone here, from bloodworm and joker fishing on the whip to drifting deadbaits for pike on Scottish lochs. Every aspect of coarse fishing gets a mention. The section on freelining by Bob James pretty much turned me into the fisherman I was to become, with Barrie Rickards' words on lure fishing seeing me through the winter months. The 'specialist approach' chapter got most of my attention.

    If you are new to coarse fishing or you know someone who is then this book is well worth tracking down. The magazine article style format of each section makes it very clear and easy to read. Yes it's nearly 20 years old now, but being about A4 in size, over 220 pages, with full colour photographs and illustrations on every page this book is crammed full of information, the vast majority of which is still perfectly relevant today. Thoroughly recommended.

    Coch Y Bonddu Books should have no trouble finding you a copy and it won't cost a great deal.

    First published by Collins Willow in 1992. This review was written after reading the 1993 Colour Library Books reprint.

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    Spoonplugging


    by E.L. "Buck" Perry


    Instructional books on fishing are normally little more than a good cure for insomnia. I've read a thousand times how to tie a knot, create a hair-rig, shot a float and cast a fly. Unless someone points out to me that I've been doing it wrong all these years then I really don't need to read it again, thanks anyway. Spoonplugging is an instructional book. However, if you lose interest here then you will miss out on one of the most important books available for the thinking angler.

    On the face of it this is simply another book, among hundreds, telling me how to catch largemouth bass in American lakes. Entirely irrelevant to me really being as I am an angler living in Britain with no intention of a fishing trip to the States anytime soon. But this book is hiding a lot more than a glance at the front cover might reveal.

    Firstly, this is not a book of methods. If you want to be shown specific methods on how to fish then this is not the book for you, though there are a thousand others out there that will give you what you need. What this book does best is make you think. Throughout the text Perry will force you to think about why you are fishing in the way you are. Why did you choose that lure? Why did you cast there? Why did you pack up at that time of day? Why did you choose that part of the lake? To be frank, the book asks a lot more questions than it truly answers, but that's the point. This is a book to be read, considered, and read again.

    Lure anglers are the magpies of the angling world. We know that really there is no magic lure that attracts fish like a magnet but we still keep buying them in the hope we find it. Every new lure that comes out has to be bought because you just never know. Perry helps reinforce the knowledge (that really we already know) that the lure plays a very small role in catching the fish. Wrong lure in the right spot is better than the right lure in the wrong spot. Simple, I know, but it's surprising how easy that can be to forget. Whilst the book is really dealing with lure fishing, the principles involved can be transferred to all other angling disciplines.

    To be honest, I found Spoonplugging to be quite a hard read. That may be due to the overpowering American-ness (if that's a word) in the way it was written or simply because of the massive amount of information contained within its pages. It is however well worth reading and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone looking for a more advanced instructional book, lure and fly anglers in particular.

    Spoonplugging doesn't often come up for sale in this country. My copy was purchased through Coch Y Bonddu Books who occasionally get them in second hand. Failing that, look to America to source a copy.

    First published in 1965 as a 32 page booklet. This review was written after reading the considerably revised and enlarged edition (now around 300 pages) of 1973, basically an entirely new book.

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    River Fly-Fishing: The Complete Guide


    by Peter Lapsley

    If you are after a  beginner's guide to fly fishing in rivers then you need look no further than this. Contained within its 200+ pages is everything you need to know and nothing more. Lapsley gets straight to the point and doesn't ramble on about the unnecessary bits of information that the average angler simply doesn't need.

    Everything is covered - a brief history of flyfishing, where to fish and what species to fish for, what fish eat, how to tackle up, how to cast, how to approach the different seasons, dry flies, nymphs, wet flies, sea trout, grayling and a look at the future of the sport.

    Illustrated with black and white line drawings and colour plates, the book is easy to read and follows a neatly arranged format. If you are after a specific piece of information then it is always easy to find. There is little more to say really. If you are after a beginner's guide to the subject then this is most certainly one of, if not the best.

    Coch Y Bonddu Books are usually able to supply both the standard and special editions.

    First published in 2003 by Robert Hale. A special edition in quarter bound leather and limited to sixty signed and numbered copies was also produced.

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    The Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike


    by Fred Buller

    A quick note about book collecting. Quality + Rarity = ££££££

    Many people seem to think that rarity is the most important factor in the high prices of some second-hand books. In my mind that is simply not the case. Quality plays an enormous part in the equation. Crap rare books can be worth quite a small amount as only serious book collectors (I must have everything!!! types) want them to be taking up valuable space on the shelf. Books with excellent content will hold their value better even if they aren't anywhere near as rare as others, this is simply because everyone wants to buy them.

    Apologies if that seems a little patronising but the amount of times I've heard "...but only 300 copies were printed. I'll buy a dozen and retire off the proceeds!" meant I wanted to put that myth to bed. If you're looking for a good investment then make sure it's a good book in the first place.

    Fred Buller's 'Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike' fits the bill perfectly. It is relatively rare (though not especially) and it is a good book. Well actually it's a great book. Unfortunately if you don't own one already then I'm afraid you've missed the boat on searching out a good investment as nowadays they command a pretty high price. A signed hardback in excellent nick will set you back the best part of £600. Paperbacks can be got a fair bit cheaper.

    What makes it great? Well the amount of time and effort that must have gone into the research of this book is simply astounding. Buller has compiled a record of 230 pike caught over the past 250 years. Each one of which was over 35lbs in weight. The biggest pike in the book? Well you'll have to get hold of a copy and find out for yourself.

    This could have been written as a rather dry list but thankfully it has been fleshed out quite a bit. Each entry has as many details of the capture as the author could gather and most have a good back story too.

    There are several criticisms of this book. The first of which is that a great deal of the content is a work of fiction. Well this is almost certainly true. Stories of Irish pike weighing 90lbs+ are a little hard to believe. The author has included them though so that the reader can make up his own mind. In a lot of cases it is of course very hard to prove either way the true weight of a pike. Take for example entry number 42 - Tommy Morgan's Scottish record pike of 47lb 11oz. A fish which to this day provokes heated debate from believers and disbelievers. Read the book through but do take some of the entries with a pinch of salt.

    The second criticism is that Buller has included ALL pike no matter how they were caught. This includes fish that have been caught illegally, netted or found dead. I can't understand this train of thought. I see this book as a record of the potential size that pike can attain. It matters little to me whether the fish was caught on rod and line or found washed up dead on the bank. Simply to know that a 40lb pike once existed in a river or lake not too far from me is all I want. Stories of fish like these are what get me out of bed and out fishing despite the wind and rain lashing against the window on a cold February day.

    The final criticism is that every pike photographed is dead. I can't really defend that other than to say that's what happened in those days. The book was published in 1979 and at that time and before, catch and release of pike just didn't happen. If you don't like pictures of dead pike then don't buy it. It didn't put me off though.

    All in all, Fred Buller has created arguably the most inspiring collection of big pike stories ever put together, before or since. A copy of this should be on the shelf of every serious piker as well as those who just like a good read.

    Coch Y Bonddu Books regularly have copies of the hardback and paperback editions available.

    First published in 1979 by Stanley Paul & Co. Printed simultaneously in both hardback and paperback.

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    Saturday, 6 August 2011

    Plu Stiniog


    Trout Flies for North Wales by Emrys Evans

    Plu Stiniog was first published in a Welsh language edition in 2009. Just 500 copies were printed and they sold out entirely within six weeks. That first edition has now become a bit of a collector's item and commands a fairly hefty price tag. Thankfully for those of us whose Welsh is not quite as good as it should be, Coch Y Bonddu Books have translated it and published a new edition in English.

    It opens with a brief history of the Cambrian Angling Association and gives a good insight into how and why this collection of flies came into being. Though only a few short pages, it does make for some fascinating reading concerning the Blaenau Ffestiniog area from both an angling and social history perspective.

    The main section of the book is then divided into nine chapters as follows:

    • The Sedge Series
    • The Corncrake Series
    • Miscellaneous Patterns
    • The Partridge Series
    • Alder Flies
    • Un-named Patterns of 'Pen-Ffridd' (Dafydd Dafis)
    • Dry Flies
    • Sea Trout Flies
    • Salmon Flies

    Each double page spread lists just two flies. A clear, high quality photograph on one side together with the dressing and a few notes about the history and use of that particular fly on the facing page. Set out like this it is a clear and easy read, perfect for dipping into when you need a bit of inspiration at the vice. Don't expect too much from the Sea Trout and Salmon sections as they are both very short, containing only a handful of patterns. This book is really about flies for brown trout fishing in hill lakes.

    Due to the fact that most of these patterns originated in the late 19th and early 20th century, some of the materials will now be almost impossible to find. Corncrake being a prime example, having an entire chapter of flies dedicated to it. This bird is now protected of course so corncrake feathers are few and far between. Other materials are just plain terrifying to collect. Anyone who can extract a sample of "red-black wool taken from the scrotum of a black ram" is a better man than I. Thankfully, for both the tyer and the ram, alternatives are suggested.

    For anyone planning a visit to the Snowdonia area this is essential reading. Not because it's a list of killer flies (though all are of course well proven over a considerable period of time) but because of the insight it gives you into the lakes of this area and the little snippets of information you can take from that. If you are at all interested in the history of flies and fly tying then it is most certainly an essential read. Written as it is by someone who was there as these flies were being designed, sitting in the Tai (houses by the lakes) at the vice and tying them himself before taking the short stroll down to the water's edge and proving their worth. Nothing beats first-hand knowledge.

    Sadly, the author, Emrys Evans, passed away in November 2008. Just weeks before the first edition of his book came into print.

    Standard hardbacks and the limited edition leatherbounds are available direct from the publishers - Coch Y Bonddu Books. Second hand Welsh editions come up for sale there every now and again too, though not often.

    The first edition was privately published in 2009 by the author and his family. This review was written after reading the 2010 first English language edition. A leatherbound English language edition was also published in 2010 by The Flyfisher's Classic Library. It was limited to just 50 numbered copies. Also, to coincide with the publication of the English edition, a deluxe issue limited to just 10 numbered copies of the first Welsh language edition was commissioned.

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    Sunday, 22 May 2011

    Catch Pike With Lures


    edited by James Holgate

    There aren't too many good quality books on modern lure fishing from a UK/European perspective. Given the line-up of authors I had high hopes for this book when it was first published. Whilst it is a nice little book, it didn't exactly blow me away and I'm sure a better job could have been done from what is a list of very skillful and highly successful lure anglers, several of which I have a huge amount of respect for.

    I am perhaps being a little harsh. I do a lot of lure fishing and have done so for quite a few years now often to the exclusion of all other methods. Much of what I read in these pages I simply already knew. For the relatively new lure angler however this would be an excellent introduction. It looks at six main lure groups - jerkbaits, soft plastics & jigs, crankbaits, surface lures, spinnerbaits & spinners, and spoons. Each chapter being written by an acknowledged expert.

    Good colour photographs accompany the text and though each author has their own particular writing style it all flows nicely. Since it has been published by Predator Publications, the people behind Pike & Predators magazine along with several others, it is no surprise that this book is written almost in the style of an extended magazine article and is certainly presented in that fashion. This does of course make it very easy to read and dip into to remind you of the little nuggets of useful information within.

    As always, Dave Lumb (an angler I always take the time to read the writings of) gives no-nonsense, straight to the point advice. His chapter stands out as one of the best and I can thoroughly recommend readers to look back on his previous writing on lure angling as he really is a mine of useful information and doesn't cloud the issue with unnecessary rambling. This despite the fact that he is far more likely to be found on the banks of the Ribble chucking pellets at barbel rather than plastic at pike these days.

    Coch Y Bonddu Books have hardback and paperback copies available at £12.95 and £9.95 respectively. If you want your book to remain in one piece after reading then I suggest you go for the hardback. The paperback has a reputation for disintegrating after the first read.

    First published by Predator Publications in 2007. This review was written after reading the 2009 reprint.

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    Saturday, 14 May 2011

    The Book of the Perch


    by The Perchfishers

    edited by Peter Rogers & Steve Burke


    What a fantastic book.

    Written a little over twenty years ago now this book remains the most comprehensive look at perch and perch fishing currently available. Much like Falkus's "Sea Trout Fishing" or Buller's "Pike" this is the definitive work on the species. If you have anything more than a vague passing interest in perch and perch fishing then you really should have a copy of this on your bookshelf.


    From an instructional point of view pretty much everything is covered. Whatever type of venue you fish you will find a chapter or two, written by an acknowledged expert, that you can relate to. Small streams, large rivers, drains, canals, lakes, ponds, gravel pits, reservoirs... you name it, it's in here. A few of the more special venures are talked about in more detail with chapters written by anglers who were fishing them at their peak. These are as follows - Arlesey Lake, the upper Great Ouse, the London reservoirs, Oulton Broad and Furnace Pond. These chapters relate stories of the golden days of perch fishing in the UK. An era we are perhaps starting to find ourselves in once again such is the cyclical nature of good perch fishing.

    Then of course there are the all important chapters on tackle and techniques. Again, just about every base has been covered - livebaits, deadbaits, other natural baits, lures and flyfishing. Seeing as I am I pretty poor dead/live bait fisherman I was completely engrossed in these chapters, attempting to absorb all the information I could get. All of the technical articles in this book go into quite a lot of detail and even the most experienced angler would struggle to read through and take nothing away.

    For the perchspotters amongst us there are several graphs and tables rigorously researched by Peter Rogers showing all perch over 3lbs in weight reported to the angling press between 1900 and 1988. The results are broken down in several useful and interesting ways which gives a great insight into the best baits to use and the best times of year for a big specimen. Following that is an exhaustive list of all those perch caught in the same period weighing over 4lbs. Each entry is given a few extra snippets of information such as date, name of captor, venue, bait used etc. Think Fred Buller's 'Domesday Book of Mammoth Pike' in miniature. Fascinating stuff.

    As I touched upon earlier, perch populations are very cyclical in nature. This is mostly down to their susceptibility to disease. A lake's entire head of perch can often simply disappear almost overnight. Andrew Young has contributed an extensive chapter on the various diseases that perch may succumb to. Bruno Broughton and Steve Burke also write chapters on the biology and physiology of the perch. All of these chapters taught me a great deal about a subject of which I knew very little. Well worth a read.

    As usual, Coch Y Bonddu normally have copies available. Expect to pay £150 - £180 for a good example. Not cheap, but this book will put far more perch in your net than that new rod and reel you've got your eye on. The perchfisher's bible.

    First published by the Oxford Illustrated Press in 1990.

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    Sunday, 16 January 2011

    A Bibliography of Tench



    As a child, tench were always my favourite fish. To this day they still hold a fascination with me and I always enjoy reading about them. There have not been all that many books devoted entirely to the species, my list below containing just seventeen titles. Most of these are fairly easily available from a good fishing book dealer though expect to pay a decent price for the two Fred Taylor books. The only one you may have a little trouble finding is D.R. Wakefield's 'The Diary and Observations of a Tench Fisher'. A slim book published in 1981 by the Chevington Press. As far as I can tell the entire edition was limited to just 50 copies bound in quarter-leather and printed on hand-made paper. Most of these seem to be in the hands of art collectors rather than fisherman. I have only ever seen one copy for sale and that was being advertised in excess of £900. Needless to say this is one book I don't have in my collection. One day.....

    UPDATE 02/09/11 - There's currently a copy of Wakefield's book available in America for the princely sum of $2500 (£1580ish). Don't think my pockets stretch that deep.

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      A Bibliography of Carp





      I've always had a liking for books dedicated to a single species and so I've decided to put together lists for all the single species books I can think of. I don't claim this list to be complete and I have deliberately only included books that are entirely or nearly entirely about the species in question. This is an ongoing project and the list will be updated from time to time as I come across more relevant books. Feel free to contact me either to suggest books to include or to correct my mistakes. Now, let's start with the big one - Carp!

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