Now for those of you who don’t know me, I’m an avid reader of books and it is not unknown for me to stay up all night to devour a book from cover to cover until I have absorbed all the information within its pages.
It is with this insatiable appetite for reading and writing books and articles, not just on fishing I might add, that I have decided to produce reviews on several of the most recent books I have read.
Sadly, books on fishing appear to be on the decline and have been for several years. Many fishing books found on the shelves these days have been around for ages and are reprints, which are terribly dated. Anglers don’t buy lots of books and so in turn publishers are reluctant to fund such ventures. However, some books are still released and these are normally successful due to the quality of their contents and authors.
Many of the recent books are related to carp fishing, which is no surprise when you consider the growing number of carp anglers found in Britain and beyond. With this in mind my first book review is on Tim Paisley’s ‘To Catch a Carp’.
Now, I buy Carpworld every month and Tim Paisley’s Carp Leader is the first page I read every month. When this feature was withdrawn I, along with many others, couldn’t wait for its return. However, I’ve never been compelled to pick up and read one of Tim’s books so when I shelled out my hard earned money on his new book it was done with some trepidation.
I’ve never regretted my decision since I read the book for the first time. I’ve perhaps not returned to it as often as some of my other books, but I like to re-read stories and ‘To Catch a Carp’ is far more technical in nature than some. So I will only refer back to it to answer specific questions.
There are 30 chapters to keep you busy with notable chapters on bait including the What’s in a Bait? Undertones and Overtones, which made certain aspects of baits much clearer than when I started.
You wouldn’t go far wrong in copying Tim’s experiences with creating a hot spot in the chapter entitled The Disappearing Food Source. I had been using Nash Micromass and on reading Tim’s observations I began to understand more about my carp fishing and the experiences I had evaluated myself.
I can’t hide the fact that Tim’s chapter on PVA played some part in influencing me to use the dissolving ‘edge’ and subsequently write about it for Anglers’ Net.
There are guest chapters from Rod Hutchinson, Kevin Nash, Frank Warwick, Paddy Webb, Martin Clarke, Mike Willmott, Rob Hughes and Simon Crow. These provide variety, varying opinions and expert knowledge to areas that perhaps Tim was lacking authority in. Their presence shows how well regarded Tim is in carp fishing and adds to the overall quality of the book.
Rather than mentioning everything in the book, I’m sure I would be far better off in recommending you to go out and purchase a copy for yourself and absorb what Tim and his friends have to say.
The front cover picture and layout sets the scene perfectly which is carried on throughout the book. The technical drawings in To Catch a Carp are of the highest quality and there are plenty of photographs to whet the appetite and illustrate the abilities of the anglers who have contributed to the book
Like most books on carp fishing these days, To Catch a Carp is available by mail order. It is priced £21 including p&p, which although seems steep is in line with other similar books. It is well worth the money as it is a book that you will refer back to time and time again. In fact, certain chapters become clearer after a couple of reads. It was first published in 1997 and with times changing quickly in carp fishing certain parts of the book maybe slightly dated but this does not detract from the book one bit.
Click here to check the best price for this book on Amazon.
Don’t forget when ordering your book to request a signed copy, if available. Not only does this finish off an excellent book but also add to its value in the future.
Tight lines,
Martin Salisbury.
1st May 2000
