Desert Island Books

[Chris Plumb]

OK - so you're washed up on the apocryphal desert island. You're allowed 10 angling books - what would you choose?

 

To get the ball rolling here's my top 10 (after much deliberation!). They're in no particular order - but they are all books I could read again and again.

 

For All Those Left Behind - John Andrews (reminds me of my late father)

Reflections From the Water's Edge - John Bailey (His best book IMO)

I Know a Good Place - Clive Gammon (also a fantastic travel book!)

The Lady of the Stream - Paul Morgan (an anthology about my favourite fish - the Grayling)

Fish, Fishing and the Meaning of Life - Jeremy Paxman (A fantastic anthology - if I was only allowed one book it would have to be this one!)

Rod and Line - Arthur Ransome (sublime)

Red Letter Days - Paul Rogers Ed. (Tales of specimen catches - which would probably drive me nuts if I really WAS marooned!)

An Angler for all Seasons - H T Sheringham (A superb anthology from the best angling writer of the 1st half of the 20th C)

Mr Crabtree goes Fishing - Bernard Venables (sentimental reasons - without this book I would not have been an angler)

The Deepening Pool - Chris Yates (my favourite CY)

The Secret Carp - Chris Yates (Writing that is just about as close to perfection as it is possible to get!)

 

 

Aaaaaargh - that makes 11!!! I really can't lose another one!! Anyways what are your top 10 (or 11 ) fishing books?

 

 

Chris

[chesters1]

ten copies of "that" expensive perch book ,with that amoungt rescuers would be queing up to whisk me away

[Paul_D]

Very tough question this Chris....I'll chew the fat on this one for a while.

[mark barrett]

again in no particular order

 

casting at the sun- chris yates (absolutely superb read, captures what fishing is all about)

 

A line on the water - stephen harper (great writing, great stories)

 

Broadland Pike - stephen harper ( fascinating rad)

 

Somewhere down the crazy river - paul boote and jeremy wade ( great read about some dream fish)

 

red letter days - ( same as first post)

 

an obsession with carp - dave lane (very funny)

 

a pikers progress - john watson ( briliant read with loads of stories)

 

chasing dreams - Tony miles ( a book thatyou cant help but learn from)

 

the bookof the perch - the perchfishers ( because i have never read it and would love to!)

 

Mega pike - ET ( superb book full of humour)

 

Club International - (for the informartive article, oh and the pictures!!!!)

[Vagabond]

Fistly.... a bit of nostalgia...

1/Angling Ways - Marshall Hardy (1934) - which did for me what Crabtree did for later generations.

 

2/Mr Crabtree - still enjoy it

 

 

Secondly.... to help with the practical side of getting to sea, fishing and fish identification around my desert island....

 

3/From Tree to Sea - Ted Frost (how to build a wooden boat)

 

4/Saltwater Gamefishing - Peter Goadby

 

5/Rigby's Complete guide to Australian Fishing

 

6/ Smith's Sea Fishes (Smith and Heemstra edition)

 

Thirdly... to remind me of why I like sea fishing in the first place......

 

7/ The Old Man and the Sea - Hemingway

 

8/ Old Fourlegs - Professor JLB Smith

 

and lastly, for when I need a good laugh

 

9/ Trout Bum - Geirach, and

 

10/Dances with Trout - Geirach

 

 

Would not need Dick Walkers Stillwater Angling or Drop Me A Line, as I think I know both by heart

[malevans]

Fish, Fishing and the meaning of life (Paxman)

Salar the Salmon (H Williamson)

The House of Hardy Catalogue.

 

But thats it: Would rather use the baggage allowance for a few travel rods and accessories

[Peter Waller]

In no particular order:-

 

1 Ken Whiteheads Pike Fishing, by errrr Ken Whitehead. A book of sanity, nostalgia, pike and humour.

 

2 All about angling, by John Piper. Numerous topics, all just the right length for a session in the littlest room in the house!! Written with warmth, humour and a very perceptive eye. John Piper comes over as a very real angler!

 

3 A line on the water, by Steven Harper. A very unassuming man, a pleasure to be in the company of, and it comes through in his writing. That and his joy of angling. A delightful read.

 

4 Spinners Delight, by Thurlow Craig. This is angling as it was in the 1950's, when D.I.Y was the way forward. Lures made from bones and rods made from tank aerials! An angler's angler of the time. Written in a conversational style that really captures the joy of angling. Good tips for desert islanders!!

 

5 Spinning for Pike by R.C.R.Barder. An all time great book. Barder wrote from the heart. In some respects a tad dated, in others years ahead of its time. Barder had 100% confidence in lure fishing. To lure fishing what Walker was to big fish catching. Barder understood pike and it comes over in his writing.

 

6 The Complete guide to British Wildlife by Messrs. Arlott, Fitter & Fitter. Angling isn't just about catching fish, and this book is a great bank-side companion!

 

7 Lets go fishing, by L.Vernon Bates. Once again an angler's angler! A pleasing conversation between anglers.

 

8 How to Catch Bigger Pike, by Paul Gustafson. To my way of thinking this the best of the how-to catch pike books out there. Greatly underated, an enthralling read.

 

9 The Greatest Anglers, by John Bailey. I'm not a great fan of Baileys. But this book is terrific, even though I'm not in it!!

 

10 The Challenge of Light Tackle, by Lindsey Green.

A very refreshing look at sea angling, written with joy, a real pleasure to read. Very useful on a desert island!

 

And I would also try and smuggle the following onboard:- The Book of the Perch, Still Water Angling, A Passion for Angling, Mr Crabtree, Bullers Fresh Water Fishing, Walkers Pitch and Thelwell's Complete Tangler!!

[sherlockofsheff]

Does Mark Twains adventres of Huckleberry Finn count - they go fishing in that and it's my favourite book?

[Bruno Broughton]

I'd take books that changed my angling, for a whole variety of reasons:-

 

Confessions of a Carp Fisher - BB

Fishing for Big Pike - Rickards & Webb

The Great Anglers - John Bailey

Encyclopedia of Float Fishing - Billy Lane

Doomsday Book of Mammoth Pike - Fred Buller

The New Compleat Angler - Stephen Downes & Martin Knowelden

Legering - Peter Stone

Drop Me A Line - Dick Walker & Maurice Ingham

Carp Fever (1st edition)- Kevin ********

Casting at the Sun - Chris Yates

 

[ 19. March 2004, 12:42 AM: Message edited by: Bruno Broughton ]

[Bruno Broughton]

Blimey, that's odd. The surname of the author of Carp Fever keeps getting converted into *****

 

:confused:

 

[ 19. March 2004, 12:45 AM: Message edited by: Bruno Broughton ]