Current Issue (156)

In issue 156 of Classic Angling

Could this be a previously unknown reel made by the master angler Richard
Walker? Until now, only two of his hand-made reels were known. But all the signs are that this could be a mystery third reel.

Scientists have matched certain fish sounds to specific species, which could even be interpreted as fish ‘speaking’ to each other.

The actual rod and reel used in the film Jaws has just been sold at an American auction for $190,000, a record for a piece of fishing tackle.

Pike are chomping through as many as 250,000 smolts on a river once considered the world’s most important for Atlantic salmon.

Zyg Gregorek, once labelled the world’s greatest angler for his feat of achieving a triple Royal Slam, has died. He was also known for creating the huge Devon fishery Angler’s Paradise.

Ireland’s iconic Lough Corrib has been famed for the quality of its trout fishing for more than century, but a new survey has shown just 2% of the fish in the lough now are brown trout.

Officials say it’s now safe to eat certain fish from the Hudson river, which runs through New York. Locals are less sure.

Early casting weights made by the lure manufacturer Heddon drew bids up to $2600 at Lang’s latest online auction.

Mayflies can’t tell a male from a female, but they have evolved a unique way of flying that separates the boys from the girls, research has revealed.

Roy Buckingham, the hugely popular casting instructor and fly tyer at the Arundell Arms in Devon, has died aged 83.

Paul Morgan, in our new column for bibliophiles, reveals the author who inspired the logo for his Anglebooks company, which holds the world’s largest stock of fishing books.

Chinese scientists have succeeded in artificially breeding eels by replicating their amazing 3700-mile journey. The discovery is crucial to reversing the threatened extinction of the species.

The great golfer Jack Nicklaus spent more than six hours fighting a giant black marlin off Australia that could have challenged the world record if it had been weighed sooner.

Books by The Times angling correspondent Brian Clarke, who has just died, proved an inspiration to many trout fishers. His work The Stream won several awards.

The founder of the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Tom Davidson, is to be inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame later this year.

Our Yesterdays discovers the story from 1918 of a 90lb pike, 5ft 8in long, that was caught trolling with a brass shoelift.

Once upon a time, hundreds lined the banks of the Welland to fish in the river’s annual
championships. It was fished by most of the top anglers, and winning it brought huge prestige.

The Manchester reelmaker John Moscrop, who died in 1903, has become famous for a reel that he actually never made. We look at his life and times.

These beautiful salmon flies are the work of Paul Schmookler, who has just died. His stunning creations and books have done much to popularise the tying of classic salmon flies.

John Bailey tells how he was advised by the acclaimed John Wilson to make the most of fishing’s golden moments. How well did he listen to that wise advice?

Richard Hewitt questions whether the rise and rise of the Angling Direct superstores and cheaper gear is filling the gap left by up the loss of so many local tackle shops.

Our book pages cover everything from a fine work about Zane Grey’s last days to advice on using size 24 flies.

Steve Woit admires the range of elegant medals, often the work of jewellers, that were awarded for success in various disciplines at casting tournaments.

The achievements of Henry Francis have been hidden by the popularity of someone who shared his surname: Francis Francis, who was angling editor of The Field..

Our letters page discover some new Bernard Venables links and the world’s longest fishing pier – which is not in Southend, as you might think, but in Texas.

Keith Arthur is still chuckling about the day when the mystery of phantom bites on the river Lea was solved, thanks to a cartoon strip that appeared in the Daily Mirror.

A gold medal-winning 1883 display of taxidermy sold for £14,000, a 14th century rod and reel for £15.000 and a pioneering fly reel for £15,000 at the latest sale by Angling Auctions.

Floats made from paper sound like a ridiculous idea, but Zephyr paper floats date back to 1919, and modern versions are still being made today.