The result is far removed from run-of-the-mill fly fishing books and, with its vivid descriptions of life in provincial Russia today, has a far greater appeal to a general audience than the title suggests. The trip is not something that anyone without Montaigne's linguist skills and knowledge of the country could ever contemplate - and at the end one is surprised he is still uninjured and hasn't been robbed (although he does come near it).

It is a depressing picture of a subsistence level economy and those who imagine the joys of carefree fly fishing in unspoiled rivers and lakes in remote parts of Russia are in for a shock. He still needs permission and permits to fish anywhere and the result is frequently a blank or the odd modest fish or two.

The waters are devastated by pollution, poaching and chronic over fishing and those fish that are caught are quickly despatched for the pan or pot - catch and release is a bizarre concept. It is not until near the end of his trip - at a nature reserve with a US-Russian scientific group - that the fishing is anything like what most anglers might hope to find.

Although he seems to have a fair amount of tackle with him, there is little in the way of description - and he was certainly not carrying a priest! His financing is also a mystery - was he really wandering around potentially dangerous parts of the country with thousands of dollars or roubles in his wallet? He was hardly in areas where there were friendly hole-in-the-wall machines or the locals were taking traveller's cheques.

Paperback published by Orion Book - also available in hardback.