Graham Chalmers has gone and done something that hasn’t been done for a while. He gathered a group of experts from the Salisbury and District Angling Club and asked them to write a section on an aspect of chalk stream fly fishing that when put together gives us Chalk Stream Fly Fishing – A 21st Century Anthology.
We might not all be lucky enough to fish some of the hallowed waters mentioned, but the book takes us there, fills us with information and leaves us putting it down and taking something that we can apply to our river trout fishing, be it a chalk stream or rain fed river.
The book starts with a look at the ecology of a chalk stream written by Malcolm Anderson followed by the correct approach to a chalk stream by Gordon Mackie. You are starting to get the feel of the depth of knowledge now and it continues with a look at entomology by none other than Dr Cyril Bennet and a quite magnificent piece on artificial flies by Dennis Shaw covering not just the patterns we might tie on ahead of casting to a rising trout but the history of them too.
This rich vein continues and no book on chalk streams would be complete without a section on mayfly. This is covered by Pete Mcleod. Our good friend Ian May has written a section on how best to present our fly to the fish too. I am sure after reading you will be practicing your curve casts!
It would be easy to stick with traditional themes and although the elements are there it is good to see nymph fishing covered, along with fishing for grayling which not so long ago were seen as the scourge of the chalk stream. This is taken further still by a really interesting section on fly fishing for coarse fish by Dominic Longley.
The book is wrapped up by Theo Pike who looks toward the future of the chalk streams.
The 200 odd pages are a fabulous read and the calibre of the writing is excellent. It would have been nice to have had a few more pictures to accompany the chapters although this is only a minor point. I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and would heartily recommend it. Even if you don’t fish the chalk streams you will definitely get something from it.
You can buy a copy of Chalk Stream Fly Fishing - A 21st Century Anthology HERE
