THE COMPLETE FISHING MANUAL
By Henry Gilbey
Published by Dorling Kindersley at £16.99
ISBN 978-1-4053-6178-1

When you see the initials DK, you know this is going to be a very special book, and this one certainly is. I am amazed at how much I didn't know, and how much this book tells me. I keep hearing about Czech nymphs: here they explain the techniques for using them. Same for tigerfish, as well as where to go to catch them. Carp fishing, [you'll excuse the expression] with a fly is also covered. Thinking about bonefish? Read on. Where do you want to go to fish? How about Mongolia. As it says in the book: “Pristine waters. Much of the fishing in Mongolia is with dry flies on clear rivers surrounded by spectacular scenery, many miles from any kind of civilization.”

Not that the book doesn't also cover everyday kind of fishing in all areas where there is water, and fish that swim in them. I'm going to study the section on roll casting, which can be very useful, but which I don't do very effectively. The work is highly illustrated, with all the sporting fish of the world shown.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, STEP BY STEP
By Tom Ang
Published by Dorling Kindersley at £20.00
ISBN 978-1-4053-4819-5

This is another DK book that is overwhelming in its thoroughness, in the length and breadth that it covers. As people who shoot and fish, most of us will want to record those precious adventures, to show them, of course, but to keep them forever, as reminders for ourselves. Digital photography makes life easier, better, and can be as easy or as intricate as you choose. You can even make movies: there are ten steps that cover it.

But then, in my enthusiasm, I am getting ahead of myself. Do you have a digital camera? This book helps you to make a reasoned decision, offering, in each case, the pros and cons for the many varieties available. Be warned, with most of the smaller cameras, viewing is on a relatively large LCD screen, showing the whole image, which is just fine, as long as the sun isn't shining onto that screen. Because if it is, you're not going to see anything. Many are the heads I have cut off, half the boats I have sliced through. It is a problem easily solved by adding an eye level viewer, not as accurately projected as the large screen, but at least you get a pretty fair idea of what you are meant to be shooting. In the bigger cameras, of course, they all have eye level viewing.

Some of the topics it covers: portraiture, child photography, art photography, animal photography, live events, documentary photography, and very much more, considering that the book covers 360 pages. And you know what, I went back to film-making, which was very inspiring. Here is what was said: “ If you think you need a good degree to be a success in film, think again. Hollywood is packed with great directors who have had no formal training. With effort and commitment there is no reason why you shouldn't join them. For example, Peter Jackson, David Fincher, James Cameron and Stephen Spielberg…” So what are you waiting for?

RIFLESMITHING – A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
By Lewis Potter
Published by The Crowood Press at £19.95
ISBN 978-1-84797-240-8

Good for the Crowood Press! It is an expression of their commitment to the sporting scene. They would be aware that this work might have a limited readership, but for those who need it, the desire, and the fulfilment, has to be acute and deeply rewarding. It covers such areas as Barrel, Bullet and Cartridge; Types of Rifle; the Rifleman’s Workshop; Maintenance and Accuracy; Barrel Work, and a host of other meaningful and useful sections.

The section on Proof and Law is also very interesting. The United States has no formal proof authority – each company does its own proofing. And in the absence of such an authority, US-made arms must be subjected to proofing in Britain, either in London or Birmingham. The concept of proofing began as early as 1637, but in 1670 it got real in London. It was in 1830 that the Birmingham proof house went into operation, and Parliament made it an offence to sell a gun that was not proofed.

THE RABBIT COOK
By Lewis Potter
By J.C. Jeremy Hobson and Philip Watts
Published by the Crowood Press at £9.99
ISBN 978-1-84797-229-3

This is an important and useful book since it tells a lot about rabbits, a quarry that is natural, and available to a goodly number of hunters who would otherwise have no quarry. I started hunting life at twelve and found rabbits immensely satisfying. Their status as “vermin,” is deeply offensive, both to this remarkable creature that provides such satisfying sport, and the hunter who goes in pursuit. They can be destructive, with little by way of love lost on them. But it is a situation that provides more opportunity for the hunter. I recall hunting on this farm where I had access; a rabbit got up. I shot it. And the whole field, now alive with rabbits, got up and ran off. They all disappeared, and I never got another shot. After that I got a scope-sighted .22, with a sound modifier.

Regarding the hunting process, the authors point out that “Rough-shooting methods vary, but one of the best ways is to enter a likely place and begin walking through it very slowly: go ten paces, then stop for about thirty seconds, then repeat the process. The sound of the approach may flush some rabbits, but very often it is the period when you pause that causes the rabbit to panic and bolt.” You will need to paunch your kill immediately it is taken, and skinned before it goes into the freezer.

Some of the recipes include a Hungarian rabbit and dumpling stew; Curried rabbit; Spiced rabbit and whole-grain spaghetti; Greek traditional rabbit stew (Stifado), and numerous other recipes. Regarding marinades, this is what the authors have to say: “Marinades help to break down the meat fibres as well as imbibing them with subtle tastes. They also counteract the possibility of dryness as the meat cooks. Meat joints should be left in the marinade for at least twelve hours in order to bring out the best flavours…”

RESERVOIR TROUT FLIES – AN ANGLER’S GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL FLY PATTERNS
By Adrian V.W. Freer
Published by The Crowood Press at £19.95
ISBN 978-1-84797-208-8

We know Mr Freer from his previous works, a good, reliable chap who knows his fish, his fishing and his flies. He is frequent visitor to Eyebrook, where he has taken some splendid fish. He even has a photo of Andy Miller stocking a big trout. So we know we can depend upon his flies, that is, the flies he has already tied, shown in his book, and he tells you how you can tie them.

Tying one’s own flies is deeply satisfying, and rewarding as well. It brings you closer to your fishing, puts your name on what you are doing, and when you take a fish on a fly you have tied, there is enormous satisfaction. Give away a fly to a friend, or to a stranger, who takes a fish on it, and your satisfaction will be infinitely greater, and the receiver of your gift will be eternally grateful. At Barn Elms [snatched away for no good reason] I gave a chap one of my flies on which I had been taking fish. He didn’t get anything on it then, but the next time we met he told me that on a different water he had taken a limit, when hardly anybody had taken even a single fish. You know, to this day I feel pretty good about it. Come to think about it, I’m going to tie up some more of those flies – using a macaw feather tail. I had better start tying – a piece hardly more than an inch costs £2.50. Mr Freer has presented us with a very large number of flies in his book that need tying. So start tying.

PRACTICAL BARBEL FISHING
By Graham Marsden and Mark Wintle
Published by The Crowood Press at £19.95
ISBN 978-1-84797-203-3

I don’t know a lot about barbel fishing. But I’m sure that if I studied this book assiduously I would know a lot. I could discuss it with any of the experts. It isn’t that I never caught a barbel. At least I think it was a barbel. Do they have barbel in Poland? I’m sure they must. I was fishing on a river there – for trout, with a fly rod. It didn’t really look like a trout water. But it was here where I was taken, and I assumed that the people who brought me here knew what I was supposed to be after. So who was I to argue? It was in the dying days of the Communist regime there. And there was something rising on the far side of the river. I threw various flies at the rises, none of which aroused much interest, or any at all for that matter. But I persisted. Suddenly the field around me came alive with a troop of soldiers, none of them armed. They ran around the field like that chicken we are always hearing about – only this time there were a lot of chickens. They didn’t pay the slightest attention to me. I carried on fishing. I got a take. Something out there obviously liked this fly - I don’t remember which one it was. I played it, not that it resisted much, and brought it in. Maybe it went half a pound. It was a barbel. At least I think it was a barbel. I returned it to its watery home. Our driver appeared then, in a panic, said we had to get out of here quick. There was an unexploded bomb somewhere in that field.

Now this super book reveals all in chapters such as: About Barbel; The Approach to Catching Barbel; Barbel Waters and Finding Productive Swims; Feeding and Baits; Tackle: Rods, Reels and Lines; Tackle: Other Gear; Bite Detection and Playing Barbel, and lots more besides. It is highly illustrated, with many excellent photos, on glossy paper that feels good to the touch. The real enthusiasts, the authors tell us, are out there even in the winter, when they say it can be pretty tough, and that the angler has to expect blank days.

© Sidney Du Broff 2011