Great Books

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john conway

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Dave for me you hit the nail on the head when you said “why did they do that”
The book I’d like written is one on how to read rivers, practical ways of finding what the bottom is like and a lot more about the natural food the fish eat and where and when it can be found. I’m also a sucker for well drawn diagrams, more diagrams of the river and pictures of the countryside, page after page of the author with this big fish and that big fish just turn me off. Maps I love maps, plenty of maps with the diagrams, now that you can down load form Multi-Map aerial photos plenty of them as well
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

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To me the most essential book of the last hundred years would be a biography of Richard Walker's life, including many of his best writings. It would be a colossal work and even if it cost ?400 I would buy it.

In the Angling Times, Trout and Salmon and many other publications, Walker wrote some classic stuff, much of which has been forgotten, but yet provides modern anglers with a great deal of food for thought.

He was our greatest writer no doubt. I was so glad to read in Angling Times recently that justice had finally been done and that Walker was put where he should be, The Greatest British Angling Writer of all time.

The other book I would also have loved to have seen was never written.

Cyril Inwood owed the angling world a book, but never wrote it. He said he didn't know how. Yet he was one of Britain's most talented all-round anglers. He was a superb fly fisherman who could catch fish when all the rest failed.

His catches of Sea Trout were legendary.

Incidently I spoke to Pat Walker a few years ago. She did tell me that a book was being done on Walker's life. I hope that one day this book does appear.
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

Guest
Mark,

There isn't much on Roach in the angling cannon, I agree. One that you dont mention is the one in the "Osprey anglers" series by Dave Stueart.I havn't got a copy so I'm not sure how good it is but he was a very good roach angler by all accounts.

I have a copy of "The Gentle Giants" which is now out of print.It is a bit of a curates egg but I found the chapter on Avon roaching by Bob Mouseley very helpful.

I met Dave Howes, the "King of the Avon", at Winkton a good few years ago.Not only a fantastic angler but an absolute gentleman who shared his tea & advice with me freely.Does he still fish these days? I know he kept him & his catches very much to himself for fear of the circus.I remember he had these enormous Avon floats which he made himself taking up to 15 swan to trot the high river in Winter. A book by him would be an absolute must for any river roacher as indeed would have been one by Owen Wentworth but its sadly too late for that.

Perhaps its time for an anthology of Roach writing if any angling publisher is out there.

There must be hundreds of great anglers out here whose knowledge & experience will be passed on to a handful of fellow anglers if any at all.
 
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Dave Slater

Guest
Nigel,
Dave comes down here sometimes but I believe he fishes the Kennet more these days.
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

Guest
Thanks Dave,

I'm glad he is still fishing.

I'd love a days roaching with him.
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

Guest
Probably the best book ever written on roach fishing was "Roach Fishing" by Edward Ensom (Faddist) way back in the 40s I think.

Although the tackle mentioned is out of date, the basic principles are all there.

Some years ago I bought John Bailey's book: "Roach". I found it very disappointing as there is very little roach lore in the tome.

There is no doubt room for a new work on roach. It would be difficult to pick the best writer.
 
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David Bumblebee

Guest
Ron,

Perhaps you'll have to find out more about that Walker biography. It will be increasingly difficult to put the book together as time goes by. I'd love to see such a book, and to do the man justice it ought to be an opus magnus.
Gerry Swanton, who died recently, wrote an unpublished book on roach that Gerry Hughes was going to publish but it never made it.
Dave Steuart's book is worth seeking but others are better as it's not a very long book.
I put together a vast amount of research on roach fishing, easily enough for a book. Two major publishers were interested but the commerciality of such a venture is the stumbling block. At least I've got one copy of a unique roach fishing book! (it did get written).
Any one any marvelous ideas on carp or pike?

David
 
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simon cooper

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I wouldn't consider the description "Magic Marsden" is justified ? That's if you have seen the crap video he produced on chub fishing.
I can't see him to be in the same league as many of the authors referred to.
I would certainly recommend Faddist's book on roach fishing as well as Dave Steuart's.

It's a pity that Owen Wentworth did not write more books than his book Coarse fishing in Wessex(1978).He was a truly great roach angler & I'll never forget him trying to persuade me to use bread for roach rather than maggots on the Stour.I still have one of his 4 swan balsas that he told me to use rather than the 4 no 4 stick floats I was using.I didn't believe him to my cost!
 
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Ron Troversial Clay

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People like Owen Wentworth were great roach fisher's make no mistake. However one must be mindful of why he achieved such fame.

It helps to have a great roach fishery on your doorstep - like the Dorset Stour.

Any reasonably competent thinking angler with the enthusiasm would also make such big catches of large roach.

But does that really qualify you to be roach expert, or to write a book on roach fishing generally?

Roach live in all sorts of waters, from fast clear chalk streams to murky canals, from large natural lakes and gravel pits to tiny midlands streams. To write a roach book, one needs to be an angler who has caught these fish in all these different waters.

Anmd there are good roach, even in canals where the techniques of catching them are totally different to what you have to do in the large rivers.
 
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Merv Harrison

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'Roach the Gentle Giants' by John Bailey
1st Edition.
Currently on Ebay(highest bid to date ?46),
also from the same seller, several Chub and
Barbel books. For those who don't know, tap
in the above number, and then, View Sellers
Other Items, hope this is of help to someone
 
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Merv Harrison

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Bloody hell, I'm a bigger idiot than I thought.
Item No. 3585700635

Repeat..............3585700635

I'm going to lie down now.
 
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Nigel Connor(ACA ,SAA)

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Ron,

I take your point but I cant think of one Roach angler,living or dead, who would have such wide experience of so many diverse waters to qualify as an expert in each.

Perhaps something on the lines of Bailey's book but slighlty more in depth would be the answer.
 
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Hutch

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Like John, i would love to see a book with maps, sketches etc... of our rivers, something along the lines of Wainwrights Lake district walking guides.With contributions from the great anglers that know them well.
 
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