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River Fly-Fishing, The Complete Guide by Peter Lapsley

Reviewed by Terry Lawton

The copy on the dust wrapper of this new book states: “There has long been a need for a comprehensive guide to river fly-fishing for trout and grayling in the rivers of the UK. Peter Lapsley, in his masterly treatment of the subject, has written a book that will become a benchmark in angling literature.” I will give the publisher the benefit of the doubt about the first part of that statement, but when it comes to the second part (masterly treatment of the subject” and “a benchmark in angling literature”, I’m afraid that I will have to disagree.

While reading the book and then writing this review I kept wondering if I had missed or forgotten some wonderful nugget of knowledge, but sadly I had not. So much of the book strikes me as being written in a somewhat dry, dismissive style, for example these two sentences on the induced take when nymph fishing: ”There is nothing complicated or difficult about inducing a take. The nymph is simply cast upstream of the fish as usual, and, as it approaches him, the rod tip is raised slightly, lifting the nymph up through the water.”. How I wish it was that simple and easy! Yes the concept is simple and easy to explain, but the successful execution of an induce take is, or can be, a very much more difficult matter to achieve successfully.

The book lacks some flair and inspiration. I cannot see myself turning to it as regularly as I do to Cairncross and Dawson’s very good book Fly Fishing, An Expert Approach. Where’s all the fun, the magic, the charm, the addictive quality of fly fishing? There is little or nothing to inspire the newcomer to the sport and nothing to make you think: that’s a good idea, I must try it the next time I’m on the river.
Writing on rods, Lapsley states that the tip of a well-designed carbon rod stops dead at the end of the forward cast so enabling the angler to cast a straighter line than he might otherwise be able to. Surely casting a straight line is the last thing a river angler wants to achieve

Casting. I do agree with Lapsley that money spent of casting lessons will be money well spent and yes, it is difficult to learn from a book. But why not give us a few tips or hints? The author is a qualified casting instructor after all. He does not even mention the double haul which, when you are not false casting to dry a fly, is surely one of the best ways of reducing the number of false casts when trying to cover a fish? He stresses the importance of what he calls the up cast (back cast to most people) to making a good forward or presentation cast and I must say that I do agree with him here. A good back, or up, cast will make a good forward cast.

Once again we have the old problem of how to spell the names of certain flies. Klinkhammer Light Olive – really Mr Lapsley, you should know the correct name for this fly and how to spell Klinkhåmer! The fly illustrated is a Klinkhåmer Special, with a light olive body. As all the flies he mentions and that have been photographed are available from Fulling Mill Flies, perhaps I should criticise that company rather than the author.

Those new to the sport should be aware that the drawing of the slip knot for attaching the backing to the reel shows the line leaving the spool from the top side, rather than the correct underside. The illustration on page 87 shows the correct set-up. Lapsley doesn’t tell you the best way to thread your line and leader through the rod rings. Use the line doubled-over as it is so much easier to thread through the rod rings something that you can actually see rather then using the end of the tippet.

In the chapter titled Looking Ahead, there is an interesting piece about unleaded petrol which was introduced in the UK in the mid 1980s,which coincided with the reduction in fly life on our rivers. Although Peter Lapsley says that the coincidence in the timing is still speculative, is this yet another example of the introduction of what is supposed to be, for humans, a beneficial technology that is having damaging and unforeseen effects on nature? If this is the case, it is very worrying.
Have I been over-hard on this book which covers river fly fishing for trout, grayling and sea trout? Criticised it unfairly? If I have been or have, it is as a result of my disappointment. I await your comments with interest!

NOTE...

The publisher of this book believes that I have made two errors in my review. Firstly on my comment about a rod being able to throw a straight line and the need, or desirability, of being able to cast a straight line when fishing on rivers. Although I have never read nor heard anybody state that a test of a good rod is its ability to throw a straight line, I am happy to point out that it may be a selling point. Obviously a good rod should have little or no tip bounce when casting as excessive tip bounce will limit a rod's casting ability.

I have also been taken to task for suggesting that the illustration of attaching the backing to the reel, using the arbor knot, was wrong. In fact line manufacturers and knot books are divided on whether the line should be attached as shown in the illustration, or as I suggested underneath the spool. The publisher says Peter Lapsley's way is correct. But it must be remembered that the line still has to be wound onto the spool so that it comes off from the bottom of the spool.

River Fly-Fishing, The Complete Guide by Peter Lapsley is published by Robert Hale at £20. Hardback 208 pages, with black and white and colour photographs, and line illustrations.



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