‘Little did I know how much his prose would affect me in pursuit of the majestic carp. Romanticism? Maybe a little – but gentle and meandering along the way. It led me to a collection of nearly all his published works ever since’
As many anglers and country loving folk agree, books provide a sanctuary and escape when it is not possible to venture out. I thought I would share my most loved and repeatedly read books and let a little light into why they became so important in my education and exploration of our wonderful outdoor world.
These are without doubt the most influential tomes in my collection, and though it was really hard to leave to one sidethe likes of Dick Walker, Bernard Venables, Fred J Taylor and Howard Marshall, the following have stood the test of time.
Come fishing with me – Colin Willock
First and foremost, the book I had on almost permanent loan from the school library well over 50 years ago. From the handful of assorted titles shelved under ‘Fishing’, this book captured my imagination so thoroughly that I read and re-read it from cover to cover.
It took me on a journey through the species I was as yet largely unfamiliar with but lit the fire whilst waiting for the day I might finally set eyes upon a ‘tiger of the weir pool’ or ‘the most cunning fish of all.’
Meanwhile, my tussles to prove equal to the task of catching small stuff continued as I served my angling apprenticeship. I bought a second-hand copy some years ago now and still enjoy it several times a season. It sits with its sister volume,‘Come flyfishing with me’, on my bookcase.
Only last year in a sliding doors moment, a conversation over a cuppa revealed my local tackle shop owner was himself a very good friend of the author Colin Willock and had many outings with gun or rod with him in the same period that I was cycling over to him for 30 pence of maggots!
Confessions of a Carp Fisher – BB
The little green hardback third edition (with the added chapters of Richard Walker and Chris Yates captures) was spotted in a long since defunct rod-and-gun shop, SR Jefferey & Son Ltd in Guildford, back in the 80s. It has slipped into the creel on many a summer’s dawn.
BB was previously only known to me from my childhood readings of Little Grey Men going down the bright stream or the Badgers of Bearshanks, but by now I was a surly youth gobbling up knowledge in my quest for bigger fish. Little did I know how much his prose would affect me in pursuit of the majestic carp. Romanticism? Maybe a little – but gentle and meandering along the way. It led me to a collection of nearly all his published works ever since.
The Deepening Pool – Chris Yates
No list would be complete without a volume from Chris. His Casting at the Sun was naturally front and centre of my mind when selecting and writing this, but with BB already in the creel, I felt a detour to another place was required. The writing is so rich and the photography exquisite. It feeds the soul and has me itching for an evening river sortie.
That many of Chris’ early fishing haunts around Surrey were also mine, leant a familiarity and connection it seemed.
I eventually had the joyous good fortune to meet Chris, just the once, long ago at Broadlands Country fair where he was to speak. Fashionably late in arrival if I recall, I’d taken my treasured hardback first editions and waited for what seemed like hours in torrential rain in the hopes he would sign them. He was delighted to do so, personalising each with his instantly recognisable signature.
In this one he wrote “To David, may the river unwind you and take you somewhere ‘else’ – Best fishes, Chris Yates”.
Tarka the otter – Henry Williamson
Henry Williamson is another firm favourite naturalist author of mine and what Salar the Salmon did for my angling imagination, Tarka sparked my love not only for the otter but the North Devon countryside which I’ve since visited on many occasions.
The full title of the book which won the Hawthornden Prize in 1928 is ‘Tarka the otter, his joyful water-life and death in the country of the Two Rivers’. Red in tooth and claw, it is a struggle for survival against man, nature and the elements among the West Country landscape and rivers. The ending never fails to move me.
Fishing for a year – Jack Hargreaves
Although Jack only wrote one book dedicated to angling, it is a peach. Like others it’s a format description of a similar story covering species through the seasons; enough to whet the appetite at any time of the year. I love the all-rounderapproach to both coarse and fly techniques adopted. To quote from his frontispiece titled ‘Apology’…
“What do they know of fishing who only know one fish and one way to fish for him?”
This is a lovely slim volume to dip in and out of rather than necessarily read front to back. Whenever I pick it up, I cannot fail to tune in to Jack’s own dulcet tones, punctuated by a pause to relight his pipe, derived from many years of watching ‘Out of Town’and ‘How!’ as a small boy.
Wind in the Willows – Keneth Grahame
Possibly where my interests and curiosity for the countryside and its inhabitants all began. Ernest H Shepherd’s illustrations magnify the enjoyment factor of reading this again now to my young grandson a hundred-fold.
The part that I take most fondly to heart is the chapter where Mole sets out in the Wildwood alone despite his good friend the Water Rat’s warnings. Hopelessly lost, he bumbles around feeling sure his end is nigh, the mischievous creatures of the night playing upon his fears.
Ratty eventually finds him but before they can set off for home darkness falls and so does the snow. Stumbling across the door scraper of Badger’s house, he takes them in and,well… if you’ve not read it then do!
Many a time in the short midwinter days of the year I’ve found myself wandering in similar looking woodland and reimagining myself back in Mole’s boots, anticipating those flakes of snow beginning to drift down silently in the twilight.
A glorious tale of triumph over adversity, good over evil and much deeper meanings but the anthropomorphism in children’s literature was certainly a foundation of my childhood and love for our natural world.
Writing & Images – Earthing the Current, April 2024
You must be logged in to post a comment.