'A wonderfully fluent account of how the strange magic of water and the beings that inhabit it can enchant and intoxicate' Chris Yates '[Will Millard] writes with a genuine sense of humility (...) humour and reflection' Kevin Parr, Countryfile *** Growing up on the Cambridgeshire Fens, Will Millard never felt more at home than when he was out with his granddad on the riverbank, whiling away the day catching fish. As he grew older his competitive urge to catch more and bigger fish led him away from that natural connection between him, his grandfather and the rivers of his home. That is, until the fateful day he let a record-breaking sand eel slip through his fingers and he knew that he had lost the magic of those days down by the river, and that something had to change. The Old Man and the Sand Eel is at its heart the story of three generations of men trying to figure out what it is to be a man, a father and a fisherman. It plots Will's scaly stepping stones back to his childhood innocence, when anything was possible and the wild was everywhere. *** 'Delightful and informative (...) beautifully drawn' The Spectator '[Will Millard] is a master wordsmith and his first book is a joyful testament to that' Isabelle Broom, Heat 'The writing is sharp and clever (...) I loved all of it and would as happily read it again as I would sit beside the river waiting for the evening rise of trout to begin' Tom Fort, Literary Review 'This is post-modern nature writing that embraces beauty where it finds it and marvels at nature's tenacity (...) But there's more here than just fish. This is also a book about growing up, about how to retain a connection with those who raised you while forging your own identity - what to keep and what to discard. And it's about men. The strong surges of emotion that both draw them together and keep them apart, and the shared pastimes which recognise that intimacy and meaning aren't always accompanied by words' Olivia Edward, Geographical

Ira W. Gruber is celebrated for the Atlantic salmon fishing techniques he developed over a lifetime of fishing on the Miramichi in New Brunswick, Canada. Ira is known for the 38 salmon fly patterns he originated and the thousands of salmon flies he tied over his lifetime, influencing such well-known contemporaries as Joe Bates, Morris Greene, Ted Niemeyer, and Leonard Wright. Ira D. Gruber, grandson of Ira W., has authored this fishing biography. A professor or history at Rice before he retired, Ira D. Gruber did the research for the book using his grandfather's papers, annotated angling books, photographs, and notes and interviewing locals in New Brunswick and Ira W.'s native Pennsylvania. The book features stunning photographs of and the patterns for the 38 original fly creations plus an additional 92 flies from Ira W.'s personal collection.

Essential Fly Fishing - an all-colour handbook - presents the fundamentals of this great sport quickly and effectively. Proven teaching techniques and bright, helpful colour illustrations will enable new fly fishers to: find fish in streams, lakes, and salt water; select and assemble proper, balanced tackle; cast a fly line with authority - with rhythm, not strength; recognise and learn to simulate natural fish foods; learn techniques that really work; tie effective knots that have maximum strength; and begin the endlessly interesting process of tying your own flies. This book concisely explains fishing ethics, offers helpful safety precautions, and defines basic angling terms. The chapter on fly-rod fish describes the unique sport that many species - from trout to whitefish - offer fly fishers. Essential Fly Fishing is a crisp, helpful, superbly illustrated primer of the highest rank.

Fly fishers often ask Tom Rosenbauer how they can take their angling to the next level, and in his latest book the Orvis manager, expert fly fisher, instructor, tier, and award-winning author sets out to help them do just that. With forty years in the business, Rosenbauer knows the information fly fishers need to step up their game-whatever the level. Tom answers the top questions asked by anglers looking to take the next step. He offers advice on casting and rigging techniques that are beyond the basic level taught in fly-fishing schools but are essential if you want to be more successful, and he includes QR codes to take you to videos of his teaching tips in action.

Lauded as "a fishing classic" (The Economist) upon its publication in hardcover, John McPhee's twenty-sixth book is a braid of personal history, natural history, and American history, in descending order of volume. Each spring, American shad-Alosa sapidissima-leave the ocean in hundreds of thousands and run heroic distances upriver to spawn.

McPhee--a shad fisherman himself--recounts the shad's cameo role in the lives of George Washington and Henry David Thoreau. He fishes with and visits the laboratories of famous ichthyologists; he takes instruction in the making of shad darts from a master of the art; and he cooks shad in a variety of ways, delectably explained at the end of the book. Mostly, though, he goes fishing for shad in various North American rivers, and he "fishes the same way he writes books, avidly and intensely. He wants to know everything about the fish he's after--its history, its habits, its place in the cosmos" (Bill Pride, The Denver Post). His adventures in pursuit of shad occasion the kind of writing--expert and ardent--at which he has no equal.

Popular patterns that build on the basics How-to information in unique detail Includes hour-long instructional DVD

Hundreds of step-by-step photographs and concise descriptions show how to tie twenty patterns that will help anglers improve their chances of success in a variety of fly-fishing situations. Included are the Light Cahill, Muddler Minnow, Foam Beetle, Dave's Hopper, Goddard Caddis, Henryville Special, Olive Quill Dun, Kaufman Stone, and more--proven patterns that anglers will want to have in their fly boxes. How to palmer hackle, wind parachute hackle, make married wings, whip by hand, and other advanced techniques are covered. An enclosed DVD complements the text and photos.

Reading Trout Water has been completely updated in colour. It covers every water type from riffles, runs, pools and flats to pocket water and bank water and it shows you how to find trout by studying the currents, temperatures, oxygen levels and food sources. With over 140 colour photographs pinpointing trout locations in specific water types, this is a superb guide for learning how to read trout water.

A Brautigan omnibus, reissued in paperback in celebration of its twentieth anniversary, this one-volume edition includes three contemporary classics that embody the spirit of the 1960s.