Such is the delicious intensity of the final few weeks of the fishing season, the slightly lengthening days countered by the shortening of opportunity, that when it stops, I cannot believe for a second that come June I will be so laid back about my fishing. I’m still inspired, but in a very different way.Continue reading “Summer Crus”
Smooth Operator
It seems quite incredible to consider that our rarest reptile, the smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) was only recognised as a British species in 1859. A specimen caught six years earlier had been previously dismissed as a grass snake (or variant of) and it was a man called Dr J E Gray who got round toContinue reading “Smooth Operator”
Trumpet Blowing
A month has passed since publication day and its very much a case of so far, so good for Rivers Run. Sales have been solid, book shops have been ever so generous with their product placement (testament to the design team at Rider) and, most importantly, people seem to be enjoying it. Aside from theContinue reading “Trumpet Blowing”
Sloughing heck it’s cold!
It has been a peculiar week. Eight days ago I drove home towards the setting sun, after an afternoon spent on a favourite patch of Dorset heathland. The air had been alive with birdsong – woodlark, pipits, stonechats, sedge warbler, dartford warbler, cuckoo and whitethroat. There were lizards (including a sand lizard) and slow wormsContinue reading “Sloughing heck it’s cold!”
New Colours
It would be lovely to slow time down in spring. So much can change in a day, while over the course of a week, an empty sky is suddenly thick with swallows, and the yellows of celandines and primroses have been swamped by the blues and purples of violets and bluebells. With the sun high,Continue reading “New Colours”
Busy Busy
I like to reflect at the end of the fishing season, and enjoy a mildly indulgent reminisce. I don’t diary my catches and nor do I keep tallies of the fish I have taken, so it can be pleasantly surprising to look back and remind myself of some of the finer moments. This spring hasContinue reading “Busy Busy”
Branching Out
I was pretty good at German at school. In fact, I managed an ‘A’ – but a quarter of a century later its almost all gone – save the bare bones, swear words and smut. So when the latest edition of Am Haken magazine turned up in the post (on my birthday in fact –Continue reading “Branching Out”
Gudgeon
Gudgeon are a dreadful distraction. There I was, happily inching a float along the far bank, a couple of worms on a size 6 hook, when a shout came from further upstream. Garry had caught himself a gudgeon – and almost immediately, Chris was reeling in to tie on a size 14 in order toContinue reading “Gudgeon”
Shapes
With less than five weeks until the end of the fishing season, I am normally fishing frenetically in early February, but even on those odd days when the river has shrunk back within its banks the wind has howled and I have left the rod bag in the calm of the hallway. I did manageContinue reading “Shapes”
Read all about it!
I’ve just finished going through the proofs for Rivers Run – and it is looking pretty darn good. Rider have made a lovely job of it – the typeset seems to work well and the layout is uncomplicated and contemporary. All being well, I won’t be looking at the text again until I have aContinue reading “Read all about it!”
Kevin Parr 