4 out of 5 stars

The publisher provided a copy of this free of charge in return for an honest review.

It has been a very long time since I fished. I dabbled in it as a young lad and then it kind of fizzled out, probably because there were very few of my close friends doing it as well. I had other things that I would rather do, so the small amount of gear that I has was passed on to someone who would get more use out of it.

Malachy Tallack was one of those who started fishing young and for him and his brother it was a hobby that hooked them both and they are both still passionate about it. He grew up in Shetland and whilst there are almost no rivers there, there were countless lochs. They would go in search of the best of them to catch trout. It was while fishing that he discovered a love of the outdoors and a passion for nature.

He hadn’t fished for a while though and when the pandemic began, it made him think about fishing once again, there hadn’t been much good news in the world at that point and he was feeling down. It made him think about fishing, so he ordered a fly kit and began tying flies again with the intention of finding that delight once again.

This is partly a memoir of rivers and lakes fished over his lifetime as well as some insights into why he gets so much pleasure from fishing. He looks at the hobby from a cultural perspective too, asking why so few women fish in the UK compared to the US and Canada and what can be done to bring in ethnic minorities and make it a less white male-dominated hobby. He also gives us his take on why he thinks it isn’t a cruel sport, especially with modern equipment.

I thought this was a good take on the philosophy of fishing. The prose can be lyrical at times and for other parts of the book, where he is expanding on particular aspects of animal welfare, he is clear and concise in his arguments. He is very clear in his stance on the right for humans to fish for pleasure but also acknowledges that we all need to do more for the world to ensure that all animals can live in a clean environment. Worth reading if you want a non-technical book on fishing.

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