Fishing The Fly Scotland Forum

Derek Roxborough

Books
« on: 08/10/2018 at 12:39 »
what have been the books that got you on the slippery slope? It was Bill Davies " Fly tying and Tackle making" then Eric Taverners  Tying Flies for salmon" (There  is a one for sale on Amazon) Then his Tying flies for trout", it was too late to back out then, the die was cast , :X1 Derek Roxborough

Bob Mitchell

Re: Books
« Reply #1 on: 08/10/2018 at 12:43 »
Mr. Crabtree goes fishing was the first I remember.
Have a collection of some old fishing books and it was the same then as now with fish numbers.
Bob.

Graeme Stewart

Re: Books
« Reply #2 on: 08/10/2018 at 13:00 »
Not getting me started, that was a social thing with the guys from t'pub, but some of William B Currie's books make for grand reading.
His "Gamefisher's Year" gives a great insight for us "youngsters" (at 51!!  :z8) as to what fishing was like before glass fibre rods, plastic lines and gaudy flies (BLOBS!, BLOBS!, BLOBS!) were the norm.
I'm lucky enough to have a copy of his "Days and Nights of Game Fishing" signed by both him and the illustrator - Charles Jardine which is read regularly, along with his "River Within".  Interesting for me as his books mainly centre on Scottish waters and areas of Scotland I know, so it feels that bit more "personal".

G

Euan Innes

Re: Books
« Reply #3 on: 08/10/2018 at 15:03 »
Right then!
Anything by John Gierach but Trout Bum was the one that kicked it off for me. ( I have a first print of that!)
To meet The First March Brown by Geoffrey Bucknall (I have a first print that has seen a lot of reading)
Salmon Fishing A New Philosophy by Richard Waddington (I have a first print of that one too)
Sea Trout Fishing by Hugh Falkus
The New Illustrated Dictionary of Trout Flies by John Roberts (my copy has a Wheatley compartment box on the cover and that is why I have a Wheatley compartment box!)
Dry Fly Fishing by Dermot Wilson
A Man May Fish by Kingsmill Moore
And finally The Rivers and Lochs of Scotland by Bruce Sandison. We have all taken the piss about "standard loch patterns apply" but in a pre internet world this was a vital source of information. Not everything was Fishpal and Youtube you know!
If I think of any others I will pitch up again!
OK, need to go. I have to catch a small boat from a big boat to catch three airplanes and finally get in to my car and drive home about 24 hours from now. There better be a glass of wine waiting when I get there.
Euan
PS Having just read that again I am now really pissed off and need to get out fishing!

Derek Roxborough

Re: Books
« Reply #4 on: 08/10/2018 at 17:27 »
Herbert Palmers Rambles with a fly rod, and another not specifically about fishing , 100 years in the Highlands, by Osgood MacKenzie,but how the estates managed the fishing, Derek Roxborough

Rob Brownfield

Re: Books
« Reply #5 on: 09/10/2018 at 14:33 »
The Technique of Freshwater Fishing by W.E. Davies and Begin Fishing with Uncle Bill

Both books got me "hooked", so to speak. One of them had illustrations of flies used for Dace and Chub. I remember tying imitations using feathers from my budgie using a pair of my fathers medical forceps as a vice and black cotton as thread!! The first fly I ever bought was a black and peacock spider, and this was "dapped" as per the book, under the tree branches on the river for Chub. I never caught on it!! but the excitement portrayed in the book had captured my imagination.

I seem to recall a bit about shuffling your feet to send food down stream to waiting Gudgeon. Another about making clay balls filled with maggots to be thrown into deep rivers to attract bream. Carp were fished for with potatoes and "Wasp gentiles" and Pike required a gag and a multiplier.





I also had the salt water version, which became my guide to fishing off of Southend pier!! I never did catch a Shark, but I tried!!   :z4


Derek Roxborough

Re: Books
« Reply #6 on: 09/10/2018 at 21:03 »
Aye Bill Davies has a lot to answer for, I have a  book by W Earl Hodgson,  Trout Fishing, about the Fife Leven and  Loch Leven, with all his recommended flies pictured, I have a lot of books but I'm not so keen on the more modern ones, I always regret not buying Blackers Art of fly tying when I had the chance, it's up to £500 now, I was offered it some time back for £45 ,I have Scropes "Days and Nights on Tweed" with all his patterns pictured and described, with names like " Meg I' her muckle Braws"mainly tied with Cow hairand pigs wool,  some great books out there,  Derek Roxborough

Euan Innes

Re: Books
« Reply #7 on: 09/10/2018 at 21:32 »
Aye Bill Davies has a lot to answer for, I have a  book by W Earl Hodgson,  Trout Fishing, about the Fife Leven and  Loch Leven, with all his recommended flies pictured, I have a lot of books but I'm not so keen on the more modern ones, I always regret not buying Blackers Art of fly tying when I had the chance, it's up to £500 now, I was offered it some time back for £45 ,I have Scropes "Days and Nights on Tweed" with all his patterns pictured and described, with names like " Meg I' her muckle Braws"mainly tied with Cow hairand pigs wool,  some great books out there,  Derek Roxborough
Derek,
Meg In Her Muckle Braws gets a big mention in To Meet The First March Brown. Another fly Mr Bucknall mentions is the Purpy and he has a modern version that I have caught fish with and still use because it is "current"  :z4
I do love an old book!

Euan

 




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