Full disclosure, I am both a friend of Dominic Garnett and a fan of his writing style. I enjoyed his previous titles Canal Fishing and then the brilliant Tangles with Pike and I am glad to say Crooked Lines continues the pattern of thoroughly enjoyable reads.
This collection of 24 short anecdotal stories illustrated with photographs and the funky pen and ink work of Neil (Lord) Bunn has made me smile and laugh out loud over the course of several evenings while I worked my way through the very diverse and eclectic fishing subjects covered. From the weird eccentricities of a fried egg fly to the harsh reality of attempting to stalk wild trout in a concrete urban drain, from casting an exploratory line in New York's Central Park and Hudson River to 'mullet therapy' along with battles with eels, char, carp, pike and many more species along the way, Garnett captures the spirit, adventure and downright madness of the moments and people he experiences in a way no-one else quite manages.
As the author himself explains; "... this isn't the standard fishing book. This is warts, flies and all. This is that dodgy-looking swim you couldn't quite resist. This is blind hope and a spinner stuck in a tree... This isn't the River Test, but a towpath or that hooky little stream by the graveyard..." and I loved every minute of it. If I had to pick a hole somewhere then I'd have liked some of the photographs to have been a bit brighter perhaps but it did not spoil my enjoyment of the book in any way as the words are the stars here and the pictures merely supporting players.
I hope some of you will also have read this book by now and perhaps follow up with your own thoughts and opinions below.
Paul Sharman
Editor-in-Chief
Fish and Fly Ltd
How to purchase
The book is available from DGFishing.co.uk priced £9.99.
E-Book/ Kindle Edition also available at Amazon UK for just £4.99
This collection of 24 short anecdotal stories illustrated with photographs and the funky pen and ink work of Neil (Lord) Bunn has made me smile and laugh out loud over the course of several evenings while I worked my way through the very diverse and eclectic fishing subjects covered. From the weird eccentricities of a fried egg fly to the harsh reality of attempting to stalk wild trout in a concrete urban drain, from casting an exploratory line in New York's Central Park and Hudson River to 'mullet therapy' along with battles with eels, char, carp, pike and many more species along the way, Garnett captures the spirit, adventure and downright madness of the moments and people he experiences in a way no-one else quite manages.
As the author himself explains; "... this isn't the standard fishing book. This is warts, flies and all. This is that dodgy-looking swim you couldn't quite resist. This is blind hope and a spinner stuck in a tree... This isn't the River Test, but a towpath or that hooky little stream by the graveyard..." and I loved every minute of it. If I had to pick a hole somewhere then I'd have liked some of the photographs to have been a bit brighter perhaps but it did not spoil my enjoyment of the book in any way as the words are the stars here and the pictures merely supporting players.
I hope some of you will also have read this book by now and perhaps follow up with your own thoughts and opinions below.
Paul Sharman
Editor-in-Chief
Fish and Fly Ltd
How to purchase
The book is available from DGFishing.co.uk priced £9.99.
E-Book/ Kindle Edition also available at Amazon UK for just £4.99