The best British freshwater angling books

  • Thread starter Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Following on from the list of angling legends, I now give you my "Must Read" list of the best 20 angling books written during the past 100 years.

I've stuck to freshwater fishing here, yet I have covered both coarse and game angling.

My list is certainly not definitive because it is presented with temerity, not arrogance. The books are a combination of textbook and anecdotal style. They are also, in my opinion, some of the best written angling books of all time. Many of them are groundbreaking too.

Here it is:

"My Fishing Days & Fishing Ways" - JW Martin
"Anglers Hours" - HT Sheringham
"Fisherman's Bedside Book" - BB
"Roach Fishing" - Edward Ensom "Faddist"
"Confessions of a Carp Fisher" - BB
"Drop Me A Line" - Maurice Ingham and Richard Walker
"Still water Angling" - Richard Walker
"Catching Fish" - Richard Walker
"Walker's Pitch" - Richard Walker
Fishing for Big Pike - Ray Webb and Barrie Rickards
"Encyclopedia of Float Fishing" - Billy Lane and Colin Graham
"**** Walker's Fly Fishing" - Richard Walker
"The Carp Strikes Back" - Rod Hutchinson
"My Way With Trout" - Arthur Cove
"Search for Big Chub" - Tony Miles
"Advanced Coarse Fishing" - Graham Marsden
"Pike" - Fred Buller
"Seatrout" - Hugh Falkus
"Casting At The Sun" - Chris Yates
"Angling - Fundamental Principles" - Barrie Rickards

I hope some of you will add to, criticise or take away the titles listed here.

I also make no apology for listing 5 titles by Richard Walker
 
E

ED (The ORIGINAL and REAL one)

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You forgot the Dandy and Beano Annuals .
 
Mark Wintle

Mark Wintle

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Substitute 'World Class Match Fishing' by Ashurst/Graham for the Billy Lane book - same writer but light years ahead.

'No Need to Lie' for 'Catching Fish' by Walker.

Several books are anthologies/collections of articles rather than books in the true sense of the word. So I'd substitute 'Be quiet and go a angling' by BB/Traherne for Bedside book. 'Coarse Fishing' by Sheringham for 'Angler's Hours'.

I'd add 'Deepening Pool' by Yates.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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It was touch and go between "No Need to Lie" and "Catching Fish" Mark.

**** once told me that NNTL nearly didn't get written as he always thought anglers wanted to learn how to catch fish, not read how they were caught.

But he also said that he felt "Catching Fish" was probably the most useful book for most anglers.

I have struggled with a match fishing book. There have been so few of them that were well written. I have the Lane book but have never read the Ashurst one.

Of course many of Walker's books for example were collections of articles, but that does not detract from their usefulness.

The two most useful books I have ever found on still water fly fishing are "**** Walker's Fly Fishing" which actually came in two volumes and the Cove book which in my opinion was the work of a genius. I bought the latter when it first came out and after a couple of reads my catches doubled. No kidding!!
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Errr????

Personally I don't rate Bailey as a writer at all. There are many reasons for this I will not go into now, but Graham is also fully aware of those reasons.
 
F

Frothey

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was "carp fever" not pretty influential in bringing carp to the masses?
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Erratum.

For "**** Walker's Fly Fishing" read: "**** Walker's Trout Fishing."
 
S

Stevie 12345

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On a personal note, my favourite is 'My Way with the Pole' by Tommy Pickering

It inspired me into thousands of hours on the bank
 
R

Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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It certainly was Dave, yet I do think Hutchie's book was the real tome when it came to modern technique and baits. Before this book I would also rate those by Jim Gibbinson.

I am the last to comment however on modern carp fishing techniques as I have not seriously fished for big carp since the 70s.
 
Mark Hewitt

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I've just finished "the Stone - Walker letters" I would include this as a must read.
 
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Peter Bishop

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Ron, I'm gutted! I thought "Another Bloody Tangle" would have made it into your list!









OK, I know. A cheap plug. I'll get my coat.....
 
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matt

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Great to see Rod Hutchinson included in there Ron, a pioneer in his field and a anglers angler. I'm sure Rod would be the first to admit he's not one of the 'great' writers.
Why The Carp Strikes Back and not Carp Now And Then?
 
F

Frothey

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i think jims books are far better, but they are aimed at a different audience - a bit like rods, and i agree carp now and then is a better book as you get to see the progression.

every instant should buy carp fever as everything is explained in detail, and how many people seriously winter fished for carp until maddocks proved they were catchable?

terry hearns should be in there as well, the latest one is a bit mind blowing, especially when you read what a typical week can involve! not technical books, but great "reading" books.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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An interesting point here Dave.

The first articles I ever read about fishing seriously for carp in winter was by a guy, strangely enough called Mike Winter who formed the Devon Carp Catchers ca 1960. He was a close friend of Frank Guttfield. Then along came a guy called Gerry Savage who had a photo of himself taken in the snow with a double figure carp. This was in the late 60s.

Some of the biggest carp I ever caught were taken in June and July, midwinter in SA on single grains of maize fished at distance of over 100 yards from the shore.

Hell that was a cold affair. A night spent at Hartbeestpoort Dam in July with the temperature down to -6 deg C can really make your eyes water.
 
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Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA)

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Thanks for the comments up to now chaps.

Come on you lot, let's have more.
 
F

Frothey

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i know people were doing it ron, but carp fever really dispelled a lot of myths about the "uncatchable" carp - at least to me it did!
 
Neneman Nick

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the first fishing book i ever read was a pike fishing one,written by martin gay i think??? and that was probably a good twenty five odd years ago.
the only other ones i have genuinely read from cover to cover are some john wilson how to catch etc.... andy littles guide to carp fishing,a cartoon type illustrated one with dave coster from the anglers mail.the only other one was a 1950`s edition of mr crabtree goes fishing,which i picked up from a car boot sale a few years ago for the princely sum of 10p!!!
i do fancy getting hold of a copy of chris yates latest offering....how to fish???
 
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