The Nature of Trout

by John Bailey

English anglers particularly will have heard of Bob James and he and I, up until a couple of years back, had been very friendly over a long period. We then drifted (rather violently) apart over events at the Anglers’ Conservation Association which really could have been avoided. I think if the whole truth came out, bridges between us could and should be mended. But that’s by the by. Oh, and as vice-president I can’t resist a plug. If you’re serious about your fly fishing then you should be serious about the environment. And if you’re serious about the environment, you should be a member of the ACA. Shame on you if you’re not. Get onto their website now and see how to join up. Okay?! www.a-c-a.org

Anyway, to the point. I remember Bob years ago telling me a great story. Bob was always bearded as a badger and it appeared for year upon year his dear old Grandma always used to give him a bottle of aftershave. Bob always accepted this stoically, even though a bit quizzically. Finally, after years of stifled comment, he bought the aged lady a football for Christmas and wrapped it up with due care and attention. At the family’s present giving she opened the parcel and wondered what the hell Bob had bought her a football for? Bob simply grinned, held up the latest bottle of aftershave and shrugged his shoulders. Apparently said aged lady stormed from the building!

Not me, this Christmas. My most beloved bought me a spectacular book – The Nature of Trout by Nick Giles. In fact, the book is so spectacular that the gift rather backfired. I opened it at eleven o’clock on Christmas Day and finished it sometime on Boxing Day evening. I didn’t utter a word, therefore, for nigh on thirty-six hours. In retrospect, perhaps that was a relief. And the intention!

It’s not often that you hit on a book that makes this sort of impact. I actually own a library of something approaching a thousand books or perhaps even a little more. I’ve read them all. I’ve also read half the books in the Flyfisher’s Library. Another thousand at least. Most are fair to middling. Some are poor and some absolutely shine. Nick’s is well in the latter group.

Why? Okay, I’ll be brutally honest. I wasn’t bowled over by chapter one – In the Beginning. This is generally about Nick’s childhood and his introduction to trout. Nick’s a nice writer but, with due respect, he’s not a Hemingway or a Farson. Not that I’m saying I am either, I hasten to add. However, chapter two, Habitats and Biology, is a totally different kettle of trout. Mesmerizing. Let me say at once that you do not have to be a UK angler to get the most out of this chapter. In fact, a lot of it is about Europe and the US and if you’ve got the slightest interest in understanding your fish as well as catching them you’ve just got to read it.

Why? Simply because you suddenly realise what makes a trout habitat tick, what makes it unique, what makes it an environment to be cherished. I’ll be honest. I thought I knew a fair bit about rivers and river management. After reading the admirable Mr. Giles, I realised that I knew nothing. And most of what I did know was wrong!

Conservation and management comes next. Again, mind-blowing. Again, a total, cosmic view. Okay, it’s probably true that most of us go fishing because we like to catch the odd trout but that’s not, or it shouldn’t be, the whole breadth of the picture. It’s certainly not to Giles. This is a chapter brimming with interest and enthusiasm. It’s full of dire warnings about how we can screw the wilder waters of our planet. But it’s also full of optimism. It’s full of the belief that there are enough good people who love flyfishing who also love trout and their environment.

I was a bit dubious about chapter four, Gone Fishing. After all, I pondered, how many how to do its does the sport actually need, for God’s sake. I needn’t have bothered. Nick’s nice, gentle writing made sure that this was a winning chapter. But the content is something else. What I love is that Nick really tries to tell us why some approaches work and why other approaches don’t and that’s the key. It’s all about angling detection. The fisherman naturalist. We’re not talking whizzy fly patterns or intricate tackle discussions. The focus is on the fish and nothing but the fish and that’s how I personally like it.

In short, then, a wonderful book. Learn how to order it from www.percapress.com or telephone 0044 1202 824245. You might not be able to enjoy it for Christmas this year but you’ve surely got an upcoming birthday!

Another reason I so applauded The Nature of Trout was it diverted my mind from my upcoming trip to India. Let me explain. I absolutely adore India. It’s in my blood. It’s a part of my life. I love the people, the climate, the countryside, the wildlife, the river, the fish and the fishing. I love the steaming mornings and the mild, milky nights.

But, it’s a big trip and there’s a lot of responsibility in taking ten eager but apprehensive anglers on what is probably their first trip after mahseer and probably their first taste of the subcontinent. It’s the sort of responsibility, in truth, that could have you lying awake at night. I’ll be talking more about the preparation in my next weekly word, but, over a freezing Christmas, it was nice to let my mind dwell totally on trout streams around the world thanks to Nick’s engaging book there just wasn’t a brain cell to think about anything else. Absorbing stuff!