Must have angling books.

[Danhfromwales]

What would you say are the must have angling books hat you would recommend to someone wanting to fill their shelf?

Doesn't necessarily ha s to be pike and predators books, all aspects of angling. Could even be just tales of fishing and less "technique" based.

Bonus points for non angling but fieldsports related.

[Dave R]

Here are my fave pike books, in no particular order: Fishing for Big Pike (Ray Webb & Barrie Rickards), Fishing for Big Pike Revisited (Barrie Rickards), Neville’s Everything you need to know about Pike Fishing, Dave’s Pike Fishing with Lures a modern approach, Just Williams (whatever happened to Nige - is he on here?), Dimples to Wrinkles and Beyond (Bill Palmer).

Anything by Clive Gammon and Andrew Pearson is highly recommended; these writers focused mainly on sea fishing. Pearson was a prolific bass angler in the 1960s and led a colourful but all too short life.

[Jack H]

Not pike fishing, but Still Searching by Terry Hearn is a great book. Really captures the excitement and enjoyment of fishing.

Jack

[suffolk si]

pikers progress and most of mick browns stuff are taken off my bookshelf the most.
sixty years a fisherman and a specimen hunters year by john wilson are another two fav reads

[Mike J]

Fred's book of dreams or to give it its correct title The Doomsday Book Of Mammoth Pike.

Nothing comes close to sparking the imagination and giving inspiration to fish the most unlikely places.

[davelumb]

One of the few angling books I re-read is Jack Hilton's Quest for Carp.

[squimp]

Here are my fave pike books, in no particular order: Fishing for Big Pike (Ray Webb & Barrie Rickards), Fishing for Big Pike Revisited (Barrie Rickards), Neville’s Everything you need to know about Pike Fishing, Dave’s Pike Fishing with Lures a modern approach, Just Williams (whatever happened to Nige - is he on here?), Dimples to Wrinkles and Beyond (Bill Palmer).

Anything by Clive Gammon and Andrew Pearson is highly recommended; these writers focused mainly on sea fishing. Pearson was a prolific bass angler in the 1960s and led a colourful but all too short life.

It’s Anthony Pearson; and his books are great. ‘Fisherman’ is particularly good.

[peteren]

Dick Walker’s “No need to Lie” is very enjoyable, beautifully illustrated, and lives up to its title.

[Dave R]

Here are my fave pike books, in no particular order: Fishing for Big Pike (Ray Webb & Barrie Rickards), Fishing for Big Pike Revisited (Barrie Rickards), Neville’s Everything you need to know about Pike Fishing, Dave’s Pike Fishing with Lures a modern approach, Just Williams (whatever happened to Nige - is he on here?), Dimples to Wrinkles and Beyond (Bill Palmer).

Anything by Clive Gammon and Andrew Pearson is highly recommended; these writers focused mainly on sea fishing. Pearson was a prolific bass angler in the 1960s and led a colourful but all too short life.

It’s Anthony Pearson; and his books are great. ‘Fisherman’ is particularly good.

Yep, you’re correct. Pearson’s “Successful Shore Fishing” (1967) and “Sea Fishing in North Wales and Anglesey” (1968) are also great reads. If only we had those fish stocks now…

[J Nix]

Page & Bailey - Predator Becomes the Prey

[d roberts]

Tony Miles - Elite Barbel

Barry Mconnell - The Eel Angler

[Fentiger01]

Two of my favourites are 'Fenland Pike' and 'Pikers Progression'.

[Monts]

What would you say are the must have angling books hat you would recommend to someone wanting to fill their shelf?

Doesn't necessarily ha s to be pike and predators books, all aspects of angling. Could even be just tales of fishing and less "technique" based.

Bonus points for non angling but fieldsports related.

Anything by John Gierach with the exception of Fishing Bamboo.

BB Little Grey Men or Manka the Sky Gypsy to start you off.

Fred J Taylor books on both angling and field sports.

Yates How to Fish, very nice read.

The Earth is Enough, Harry Middleton a coming of age story,a little fishing, but also turkey shooting, mountains and family.

That's enough for now.

[Stewlaws]

What would you say are the must have angling books hat you would recommend to someone wanting to fill their shelf?

Doesn't necessarily ha s to be pike and predators books, all aspects of angling. Could even be just tales of fishing and less "technique" based.

Bonus points for non angling but fieldsports related.

Anything by John Gierach with the exception of Fishing Bamboo.

BB Little Grey Men or Manka the Sky Gypsy to start you off.

Fred J Taylor books on both angling and field sports.

Yates How to Fish, very nice read.

The Earth is Enough, Harry Middleton a coming of age story,a little fishing, but also turkey shooting, mountains and family.

That's enough for now.

BB & FJ Taylor definitely a staple for any book shelf.

[greencard1]

The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, by Robert Nobbes.

Published in 1682, it is a book about general pike fishing...not trolling. Every pike angler should have a copy. It is amazing how little pike angling has changed since 1682.
You have to get used to reading f as s , but it is well worth the effort. Robert Nobbes was a vicar from Northamptonshire. Interesting information about all of the UK main rivers.

Got my copy from Forgotten Books.
I have nothing to do with Forgotten Books, so will not benefit if you buy a copy!

[davelumb]

The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, by Robert Nobbes.

Published in 1682, it is a book about general pike fishing...not trolling. Every pike angler should have a copy. It is amazing how little pike angling has changed since 1682.
You have to get used to reading f as s , but it is well worth the effort. Robert Nobbes was a vicar from Northamptonshire. Interesting information about all of the UK main rivers.

Got my copy from Forgotten Books.
I have nothing to do with Forgotten Books, so will not benefit if you buy a copy!

Red online - https://archive.org/details/compleattrollero00nobb

[greencard1]

The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, by Robert Nobbes.

Published in 1682, it is a book about general pike fishing...not trolling. Every pike angler should have a copy. It is amazing how little pike angling has changed since 1682.
You have to get used to reading f as s , but it is well worth the effort. Robert Nobbes was a vicar from Northamptonshire. Interesting information about all of the UK main rivers.

Got my copy from Forgotten Books.
I have nothing to do with Forgotten Books, so will not benefit if you buy a copy!

Red online - https://archive.org/details/compleattrollero00nobb

That's interesting Dave.

Cheating a bit though. Why shouldn't everyone struggle like I did?

Did you read it? If so, what do you think?

[davelumb]

The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, by Robert Nobbes.

Published in 1682, it is a book about general pike fishing...not trolling. Every pike angler should have a copy. It is amazing how little pike angling has changed since 1682.
You have to get used to reading f as s , but it is well worth the effort. Robert Nobbes was a vicar from Northamptonshire. Interesting information about all of the UK main rivers.

Got my copy from Forgotten Books.
I have nothing to do with Forgotten Books, so will not benefit if you buy a copy!

Red online - https://archive.org/details/compleattrollero00nobb

That's interesting Dave.

Cheating a bit though. Why shouldn't everyone struggle like I did?

Did you read it? If so, what do you think?

I only just found it. Might have a read later. I priced the book up used. The reprints from India weren't too dear, but the originals were a bit steep!

[greencard1]

The Compleat Troller, or the Art of Trolling, by Robert Nobbes.

Published in 1682, it is a book about general pike fishing...not trolling. Every pike angler should have a copy. It is amazing how little pike angling has changed since 1682.
You have to get used to reading f as s , but it is well worth the effort. Robert Nobbes was a vicar from Northamptonshire. Interesting information about all of the UK main rivers.

Got my copy from Forgotten Books.
I have nothing to do with Forgotten Books, so will not benefit if you buy a copy!

Red online - https://archive.org/details/compleattrollero00nobb

That's interesting Dave.

Cheating a bit though. Why shouldn't everyone struggle like I did?

Did you read it? If so, what do you think?

I only just found it. Might have a read later. I priced the book up used. The reprints from India weren't too dear, but the originals were a bit steep!

Reading some of this old stuff, you get a feeling of what the author is saying, rather than a precise translation.
I think the paragraph on page 49, that basically translates to 'when you are catching, you are happy' is fantastic. He even states that you stop blaming your tackle when you are catching! Quite amazing for 1682.

[Patrick Bateman]

"Somewhere down the crazy river" by Paul Boote & Jeremy Wade is my favourite ever fishing book - although I was only really keen on the goliath tigerfish stuff and not the masheer fishing. Glad it's on my book shelf as they're ridiculously expensive to acquire thanks to US demand after River Monsters' success.

"Old Four Legs" by J.L.B. Smith tells the story of the re-discovery of the Coelacanth off the Comoros and is a great read, and one that really piqued my interest in fish as a boy.

As has already been mentioned "Pike: The predator becomes the prey" was my introduction to pike fishing and my first ever single species fishing book. My first edition is tattered and torn, so much did it become my piking bible.

I bought a little book full of beautiful photographs of flying fish on the wing called "The amazing world of flying fish" by Steve Howell, after being fascinated by them in Oman (they'd typically follow the boats out and in on calm days, putting on a show). There are so many beautiful species, all with differing "wing" patterns and the photography is magnificent.

As an Aquaculture graduate, I have fond memories of texts by TVR Pillay "Aquaculture" and Marcel Huet "Textbook of Fish Culture" that would likely send most off to sleep and even the really obscure "Eel Culture" by Atsushi Usui and "Channel catfish farming handbook" by Tucker & Robinson. Yes, yes, I'm a complete fish nerd!

If I could only recommend one fish book however, it'd be Mark Kurlansky's "Cod: A biography of the fish that changed the world". Kurlansky is a masterful storyteller in this book (some of his later efforts haven't quite hit the same sweet spot imvho), and it is essential reading.

I am a voracious reader and have a large library of fishing books - most of them are just OK - instructional books can be excellent but dry, and (to my taste at least) a lot of published angling authors are better at fishing than storytelling.

[delboy]

Off all the books I have bought lately, the best by far for me is Out of town by Jack Hargreaves, I mentioned it before, did anyone have a look ? It is only a couple of quid

[Getum]

Off all the books I have bought lately, the best by far for me is Out of town by Jack Hargreaves, I mentioned it before, did anyone have a look ? It is only a couple of quid

He did a fishing book too delboy. 'Fishing for a year'. It's a good read.

[delboy]

[delboy]

Just had a look boy, you seen how much they want for that book, wont be buying that one any time soon

[Getum]

Just had a look boy, you seen how much they want for that book, wont be buying that one any time soon

There is a reprint by The Medlar Press from 2011.
The original book was written in 1951, and illustrated by Bernard Venables. If you can't find one, I could send you my copy to read, and send back? PM me if you like.

[delboy]

That is a very kind offer boy, but I will have a look out for the medlar press one and put a search alert on my e.bay.

[John C64]

Beneath the black water Jon berry - ferox, pike but just as importantly written well.
Dimples to Wrinkles bill palmer
Sticklebacks to throwing sticks - huge chapter on piking and the illustrations are superb
Evolution of an angler- Duncan charman
The globetrotters quest- Tony Patrick Davies
Through the mist - Terry Hearn
Stephen Harper’s masheer book
Esox Lucius - quality production also from the house of harper ….
List of utter pish fishing books would take weeks to list….

[Getum]

That is a very kind offer boy, but I will have a look out for the medlar press one and put a search alert on my e.bay.

Ok del.

[Steve Dennington]

Piker's Progress(ion) is the only one that I tend to go back to again and again, but I was recently given a couple of Rickards/Whitehead books published in 1976/77 (before I'd ever even picked up a fishing rod) and they've been an interesting read. Carbon rods were in their infancy at the time and, barring a brief mention, didn't really figure in the tackle recommendations at all! The lures, though, with the exception of the advent of jerkbaits and soft plastics, aren't a world apart from today's offerings!

[Getum]

Fishing for Pike with Mr Cherry and Jim, by Bernard Venables....will put a smile on any angler's face.

Pike Fishing in the 80s. by Neville. No-nonsense book before Daiwa got hold of him. Got me interested again after a bit of a lull.