Issue 119

We highlight a disturbing run of kitchen cabinets with added signwriting, made to look as if they are genuine Hardy articles.

John Bailey’s hectic lifestyle catches up with him and he ends up in an intensive care ward, experiencing weird dreams.

Will Ryan sings the praises of casting a line into the ocean in the hope of snaring the lightning-fast false albacore.

These days, poaching is frowned upon. But once it was an essential way to feed a family for many men in rural areas. We look at the equipment that they used.

We look at the man who inspired the Hardy White-Wickham, the rarest of all the Alnwick company’s big-game reels,

The dramatic conclusion of a three-part competition between England team manager Dick Clegg and John Wilson, representing the specimen-hunting arm of the sport.

John Edwards, who has just died, was a pioneer of mahseer fishing and enjoyed an extraordinary life while running a travel company based in India. We also pay tribute to the eccentric collector Stacey Weeks, renowned for wearing mismatched shoes.

Abu’s latest venture into limited editions is a gold-plated 5500CDL reel with rum glasses and a cigar humidor.