R
rrt
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2006
- Messages
- 2,318
When I took up fly-fishing 45 years ago, my dad gave me his copy of "The Compleat Angler." When I found that it was not a fly-fishing book, I never read much of it. Well, I just read it, and taken in its historical perspective, it is a remarkable book. Walton knew a lot about a lot of different kinds of fish and how to fish for them, mainly with various baits. I have seen him "slammed" because he supposedly ignored fly-fishing, but there are spots where he discusses ff for various kinds of fish. The Charles Cotton addition, which addresses fly-fishing pretty thoroughly, is pretty amazing for its time. Cotton speaks of flies that work from January through December; he was not merely a summer angler.
Anyhow, if you're looking for some historical fishing -- and fly-fishing -- reading, you probably ought to read Walton's book. I am surprised just how advanced he -- and Cotton -- were in the 1600s. "The Compleat Angler" would be well worth the time you might invest in reading it.
Anyhow, if you're looking for some historical fishing -- and fly-fishing -- reading, you probably ought to read Walton's book. I am surprised just how advanced he -- and Cotton -- were in the 1600s. "The Compleat Angler" would be well worth the time you might invest in reading it.