The pursuit of stillwater trout

"The Pursuit of Stillwater Trout" - first published in 1975 and since reprinted and translated many times - is one of the acknowledged classics of modern angling literature. It had a profound influence on the development of flyfishing on lakes. Its author's advocacy of an approach based on observation and concentration - on floating lines, long leaders and small nymphs appropriately fished - offered anglers a completely thought-out and highly effective alternative to lure-fishing, at a time when lure-fishing looked set to dominate the stillwater scene. In this remarkable work, reprinted in its full original form and introduced by a new foreword, Brian Clarke sets out the step-by-step thought processes which enabled him to increase his catch-rate by several hundred per cent in just a couple of seasons. He provides unique photographs of the most important rise-forms trout make and shows how each kind of rise can be analysed to show what natural the fish has probably taken - and so what artificial might give the best chance of success. He gives the first detailed analysis of variations in the take to the nymph. And much more. But there is not simply information here. Brian Clarke is a writer as well as a fly-fisherman and his descriptions of the capture of some of the key fish in his life have all the excitement of a thriller.