A biography on the “father of nymph fishing”, GEM Skues, has just been published. It has taken Dr Tony Hayter six years to write GEM Skues, The Man of the Nymph. He also wrote the revered biography on Frederic Halford, but said his latest book had proved a far harder task. “With Halford, there was very little material. With Skues, there was masses. I had to read nearly 300 letters in French,” he said. The result is a 360-page book that provides the definitive work on Skues’ life and times, especially the fuore that his theories caused among the Halford disciples. It contains many photographs of the man that have never been seen, but its real appeal is the detail with which Hayter covers Skues’ early life, especially his years at Winchester School, an unhappy time that affected the rest of his life. Reading the book, it’s clear that the author has an affection for Skues but he pulls no punches. This is not a hagiography. It’s a book that every fly fisherman should read. The publisher is Robert Hale and the official retail price is £25, though it’s being sold as cheaply as £17 online.