A spellbinding anthology from my favourite anthologiser and not before time, either. This title has languished in the Medlar Catalogue since before the war, with generations of writers skirting carefully around it, but now, contrary to all expectations, it has been published.

There is a wider than usual mix of stories in here, coming from as far afield as Australia, and also including well-known authors writing about unexpected subjects - for example, a piece by Frederic Halford on spinning for Thames trout, which was how he ended up getting his biggest fish. There are some very fine pieces in here which were first published in Waterlog, including Ken Cameron's outstanding essay, "Crannog", and Edward Barder's "Brown Herbert's Downfall", set against some all time classics, like William Caine's "Isaac on a Chalk Stream" and Robert Traver's "Paulson, Paulson Everywhere."

This anthology was hand-crafted to appeal to fishermen who want to find new authors and rediscover the old masters and I can thoroughly recommend it. Collectors of trivia please note that Chris Yates chose the title.