Hot off the press – SCALE reads along
Fly fishing on six continents
The best destinations, the most exciting fish species, the most beautiful lodges
This book should definitely be in every fly-fishing household, because it is far more than just another “coffee-table book” that you leaf through in the waiting room at the dentist. Reading the first pages, it becomes clear that someone has written this book for whom travelling and fly fishing is a real passion. No less a person than April Vokey therefore finds the right words in the book’s foreword: “Leafing through this wonderful book reminds me that I will never again take the breath of a tropical breeze or the sting of a horsefly in the backcountry for granted”. Over the last two years Covid-19 has made travelling with a fly rod massively difficult and by now at the latest it should be clear to everyone what a luxury it is to travel the globe. It’s nice, especially in difficult times like these, to have a book that transports us to distant fishing worlds on paper and in our heads.
There are dream-spots all over the world and some of the most beautiful ones can be found in this 250-page book. The author has visited a good three dozen destinations, impressively described them and set the scene with many brilliant photos, some of them in large format. Whether Tasmania, Chile, Alaska, Norway, Slovenia, Canada, Russia, Zimbabwe or Mongolia – every spot is worth a trip and although Günter Karst’s book is not to be regarded as a reference work, you will find all kinds of useful tips on fish species, material, waters and accommodation. The informative part of the book is flanked by many stories and anecdotes, sometimes exciting, sometimes sober and sometimes told with humour. Sometimes it is about the people fishing with them, sometimes about extraordinary experiences, but always about the respective destination. Whether it’s a river, an ocean, a type of fish or the lodges mentioned in the title – each closed chapter, organised by continent, makes you want to pack your bags and fly rod and get on the next plane.
Even if the title of the book might suggest otherwise at first glance – fly fishing on one of the six continents presented in the book is feasible for every budget. It doesn’t always have to be accommodation in a feudal lodge, guiding can be replaced by attention and a lot of trial and error, and a day on a Slovenian river can make you just as happy as a day on the beach on Alphonse Island – the author also conveys this if you “read carefully”.
Günter Kast, who presented the book to his parents with the words “For my father, who took me to the water at a young age. And for my mother, who had to prepare all the fish I caught”, his name already stands for quality. Some outdoor enthusiasts will be familiar with him through his exciting reports on mountain sports (Der Spiegel, Focus), and there is also a lot to read about him in the culinary field. Born in ’67 in Vöhringen an der Iller in the district of Neu-Ulm (Bavaria), he has felt connected to nature since childhood and his love of flora and fauna is evident in every line he writes. In view of the small font size of “Fly Fishing on Six Continents” – which would otherwise have burst the bounds of every page – it should be clear that Kast still has a lot to tell. That is precisely why we are already looking forward to what is yet to come. Perhaps it will be a volume 2 version.
By the way, the almost 1.5 kg heavy tome was published by the renowned Müller Rüschlikon publishing house. 256 pages of pure fly fishing, available in selected bookshops or directly from
Kanstorf can!
Fly fishing for salmon and sea trout on Danish rivers
Ralf Kanstorf should be no stranger to most anglers in Germany and Denmark when it comes to salmonids. He regularly passes on his profound knowledge in books, magazines and contributions to internet forums. He has also published a few articles for SCALE, sharing his knowledge with readers. And now the man who loves to be on the water with his two sons, dog and fly rod, has self-published a reference book worth reading: Fly Fishing for Salmon & Sea Trout on Danish Rivers.
We’ve read the book and can state that this 88-page “compendium” leaves no question unanswered. Whether it’s about the pioneers of river fishing in Denmark, the habitat of the fish, strategy, technique or water descriptions – each chapter features Ralf going into great and richly-illustrated detail on the respective topics. You’ll notice that the author draws not only from his years of experience, but also from his thorough research and the extensive material he has compiled.
Anglers who do not use fly rods can also benefit from the knowledge conveyed, as many of the insights and tips are valid for all types of fishing. All rivers in Denmark that are relevant for salmonid fishing are described extensively in the book, and naturally he also supplies internet links for your own research. Anyone who has never fished for salmon & co. on Danish rivers will surely have their interest kindled after reading the book, while those who have already fished in our beautiful neighbouring country will also learn a lot.
The book is available (currently only in German) for a well-spent €19.80 on the author’s homepage under the menu item Books, which also lists the dealers who have “Fly Fishing for Salmon & Sea Trout on Danish rivers” in stock.
www.mit-der-rute-nach-norden.de
For our Danish friends who often speak or can read German, the book is available at Laksens Hus at Skjern or at
Dr. Catch
FORELLE – CLEVER ANGELN AM SEE
Im Ernst? Satte 256 Seiten über „Clever angeln“ am Forellensee? Die Zuchtsalmoniden beißen doch eh auf alles, was nicht bei Drei hinterm Steg verschwunden ist! Diese gar nicht mal so seltene Ansicht stammt meistens von Anglern, die noch nie an einem kommerziellen Forellensee gefischt haben. Oder sie hatten ein oder zwei Mal einfach Glück, dass Regenbogenforelle & Co. gerade mächtig in Beißlaune waren. Eben weil die Fische aber oft genug extrem launisch und wählerisch sind, ist das Angeln an diesen vor allem in Norddeutschland und Dänemark zahlreich vorhandenen Gewässern ungemein spannend. Bei kaum einer anderen Fischart kommen zudem derart unterschiedliche Köder und Methoden zum Einsatz. Und nicht ohne Grund gibt es speziell in Italien, Japan und Osteuropa eine hochprofessionelle Wettkampfszene, aus der immer wieder Innovationen zu uns nach Deutschland schwappen: Vom Fischen mit Sbirolino bis zum neuesten Trend am Teich: ultraleicht Spinnfischen mit Spoons oder aromatisierten Softbaits. Klingt so, als wenn das reichlich Stoff für ein Buch ist, oder? Holger Bente hat zusammen mit ausgewiesenen Forellensee-Profis das geballte Wissen rund ums Fischen an den beliebten Salmonidenseen zusammengetragen: Von den Basics wie Beißzeiten und Standplätze über ein ausführliches Köderlexikon mit den wichtigsten Kunst- und Naturködern bis zur Vorstellung aller gängigen Angelmethoden lassen die Jungs von Dr. Catch nix aus.
Wer also in Zukunft am Forellensee beim Warten auf den ersten Biss nicht länger zuschauen möchte, wie nur der Angelnachbar eine nach der anderen drillt, sollte auf jeden Fall die 29,95 € für das feine Machwerk auf den Tisch legen! Jede Wette: Ihr werdet beim nächsten Forellensee-Trip eher aufgrund der erstklassigen Infos aus dem neuen Dr. Catch-Buch mehr Fische fangen als Dank irgendeines neuen Trendköders. Zudem macht das Schmökern in dieser neuen, extrem umfangreich und hochwertig bebilderten Forellensee-Bibel auch noch ausgesprochen Spaß!
Riskiert also auf jeden Fall mal einen Blick auf weitere Inhalte des Buchs FORELLE – CLEVER ANGELN AM SEE im Onlineshop von Dr. Catch
SPANISH FLY
DRY FLY OBSESSION BY LUIS MEANA
A few weeks ago, a book was published by a man who over the years has inspired us at SCALE with his articles about catching massive trout: Luis Meana. The father of two who lives in Pinto, a municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, is a passionate fly fisherman and professional guide who is a dedicated dry fly fishing man. Through the course of his life, he has developed his very own style, working with very long, thin leaders and small flies, such as the Pardón de Meana, named after him. His fishing is done in some of the most interesting Spanish trout rivers, but he has also been able to use his technique very successfully in many other countries. If you allow yourself to be guided by Luis, you will quickly notice that he rarely accepts any other methods than the dry fly and advises you to say goodbye to nymphs or streamers all together.
The richly illustrated, large-format book (25 x 30 cm) DRY FLY OBSESSION is not only a heavyweight when it comes to content: The tome weighs in at around 1.5 kg. In six different chapters, Luis Meana takes its readers in detail through even the smallest detail of his passion. The first chapter is dedicated to the author’s general thoughts on fly fishing. From there he goes into detail about fishing with dry flies in particular. The second chapter gives an overview of the materials Meana uses to tie his flies, some of which are unique. In the third chapter, the author lets us in on his fishing strategies and explains, for example, how he “reads” a body of water or approaches a fish correctly. The fourth chapter takes the reader to Meana’s home country, Spain, which I find particularly interesting, as the country has hardly played a role among anglers in modern fly fishing. I have only once fished myself in the estuary of a river near Seville targeting mullet. It came as a surprise to me that one of the most popular summer holiday destination in the world, has so many beautiful watercourses with a wealth of different fish species. The cover, for example, was taken on the Rio Eume in Galicia. Chapter five is about the development of the fly pattern Pardón de Meana, named after the author, which is tied with original feathers from the Coq de Leon. A fly design which cannot be missed from my fly box since Luis’ article at SCALE. In the sixth and last chapter of the book, the reader accompanies the author on his fishing trips in various stories, which – half fiction, half reality – introduce you to the author’s angling philosophy. (sal)
After “Pardón de Meana and the feather of Gallo de León”, this is the second book by Luis Meana. It has just been published and is available in English and Spanish and should not be missing in any collection. It can be ordered from
www.cotossalmoneros.com
