A Review of the Latest Issue of CLASSIC ANGLING
Yesterday the mails brought a welcome distraction from the horrible weather we are having--the latest issue of Classic Angling. It is the January-February 2011 (No. 69) issue and I knew I'd like it because it has a painting of Lord Nelson on the cover.
Back when I was first starting graduate school, I spent a lot of time researching and writing about the Royal Navy--in fact, my Master's Thesis was on the origins of the first all-big gun battleship, the H.M.S. Dreadnought. I have an almost completed book on the subject sitting a shelf waiting for me to return to it one day...
Anyway, it certainly was not a secret that Lord Nelson was an avid angler, but Tony Bird reminds us just how much of a fishermen Nelson actually was in his very entertaining cover story "Lord Nelson, the Keen Fisherman." There's a reason Nelson's Column presides over Trafalgar Square. The article underscores why Classic Angling is unlike any other magazine out there. Only here would you find an article of this kind, and there's a reason the magazine was named magazine of the year by the U.K. Angling Writer's Association.
While there are so many small articles and blurbs it would be impossible to give a full run down, I will concentrate on outlining the features of interest. And no story is more interesting, or sad, than that of Edwin Rist, a world class musician and fly tier at the tender age of 20. In an audacious move, he broke into the Natural History Museum and stole 300 rare bird pelts, ostensibly to use and sell as salmon fly tying material. Now 22, he was captured after selling many of the rare feathers, and now faces sentencing. Very sad indeed.
Geoffrey Bucknall penned an article questioning British pike legend Dennis Pye's record northern catches. It would seem that Britain and Ireland are not immune from the controversy surrounding big catches just like the famous cases surrounding American musky anglers Percy Haver, Art Lawton, and Louis Spray.
Barrie Welham profiled caster Tommy Edwards, the always delightful Neil Freeman on the season of the coarse men, John Bailey on golden times at Magic Lake, and Judith Head on the papers of the Houghton Club.
Finally, Tom Kerr's second of three parts on the Conroys is a welcome piece of research. Classic Angling had earlier excerpted the chapter on the Conroy-Welch debate from my book Forgotten Fly Rods so much of this section will be familiar to readers of the journal.
All in all, it was another great issue. The magazine is ably edited by Keith Elliott, and is available through subscription by Clicking Here.
-- Dr. Todd
Showing posts with label Classic Angling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classic Angling. Show all posts
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Review of Classic Angling (Nov-Dec 2010)
A Review of the Latest Issue of CLASSIC ANGLING
Today, we get a review of the latest issue of the British magazine Classic Angling. It is the Nov/Dec 2010 issue (No. 68) and includes a ton of great information.
As always, the magazine starts with news of use to classic angling fans, and it leads with the sad news that noted angling book dealer Judith Bowman is retiring. Judy has run her angling book store for 30+ years, but has finally decided to close up shop. Very sad news indeed. Another story of interest is the piece on The First Five Waltons, covering in some detail the great set of early Walton books sold by Sotheby's. There is, of course, all the latest updates on tackle auctions from around the world.
Feature stories include "The Man Who Almost Won" by David Hall, about the shock election that saw Bird become president of the U.K.'s National Federation of Anglers; Keith Elliott's "Now Its Time For Another 1000" about remarkable angler Steve Wozniak, who has caught 1000 species of fish; Neil Freeman's "My Quest to Find the Right Man to be My River Keeper"; John Bailey's "Is this the End of the Line for the Cauvery?"; and regular columns by Judth Head (Books) and others.
There are two particular articles of note. First, Tom Kerr's "John Conroy: The Early Days" which is a detailed look at this fascinating character. Tom's research is world-class and he definitely deserves great credit for helping us better understand these early tackle makers.
My favorite article is Elliott's in-depth analysis of why the Freshwater Fishing Hall-of-Fame reinstated the Walleye world record. A really informative and fascinating piece that shows that things are never as they appear; new photos show this walleye was indeed a freak of nature. But 25 pounds? Speculation still runs rampant.
All in all, another solid and fascinating issue. The magazine is ably edited by Keith Elliott, and is available through subscription by Clicking Here.
-- Dr. Todd
Today, we get a review of the latest issue of the British magazine Classic Angling. It is the Nov/Dec 2010 issue (No. 68) and includes a ton of great information.
As always, the magazine starts with news of use to classic angling fans, and it leads with the sad news that noted angling book dealer Judith Bowman is retiring. Judy has run her angling book store for 30+ years, but has finally decided to close up shop. Very sad news indeed. Another story of interest is the piece on The First Five Waltons, covering in some detail the great set of early Walton books sold by Sotheby's. There is, of course, all the latest updates on tackle auctions from around the world.
Feature stories include "The Man Who Almost Won" by David Hall, about the shock election that saw Bird become president of the U.K.'s National Federation of Anglers; Keith Elliott's "Now Its Time For Another 1000" about remarkable angler Steve Wozniak, who has caught 1000 species of fish; Neil Freeman's "My Quest to Find the Right Man to be My River Keeper"; John Bailey's "Is this the End of the Line for the Cauvery?"; and regular columns by Judth Head (Books) and others.
There are two particular articles of note. First, Tom Kerr's "John Conroy: The Early Days" which is a detailed look at this fascinating character. Tom's research is world-class and he definitely deserves great credit for helping us better understand these early tackle makers.
My favorite article is Elliott's in-depth analysis of why the Freshwater Fishing Hall-of-Fame reinstated the Walleye world record. A really informative and fascinating piece that shows that things are never as they appear; new photos show this walleye was indeed a freak of nature. But 25 pounds? Speculation still runs rampant.
All in all, another solid and fascinating issue. The magazine is ably edited by Keith Elliott, and is available through subscription by Clicking Here.
-- Dr. Todd
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Thursday Review: Classic Angling (Sep-Oct 2010)
Thursday Review: Classic Angling (Sep-Oct 2010)
Every two months we will be reviewing the fine British publication Classic Angling. A lot of collectors in America are unaware of this magazine, but it is certainly the largest circulation periodical dealing with antique fishing tackle in the world, and covers a ton of material on both American tackle and fishing history in general. It is an indispensable addition to your library.
The current issue is No. 67 (September/October 2010) and covers a lot of territory. In addition to numerous pages devoted to the latest fishing and tackle news--including previews of the upcoming Lang's and Angling Auction's auctions and a warning on faked 1st model Mitchell reels--there are a number of feature articles, too.
For example, Roger Still gives us "Easy to be Fooled by These Fakes" which covers fake Hardy reels. Articles like this are invaluable in making the collector world safe for both novices and advanced collectors alike.
David Beazley gives us a great historical piece in "The Fishing Monks of Dendy Sadler," which details this artist's wonderful foray into his fishing images.
Neil Freeman gives us "Rainbow's End on Our Bit of the Test" which is a great fishing piece in the long tradition of British chalkstream trout writings.
John Bailey penned "The Delights of Long Trotting" which centers on the traditional British form of fishing known as centrepin float fishing.
Book maven Judith Head deconstructs the life of Sir William Jardine, author of British Salmonidae, in "Inspired By Travelling Around Scotland in a Wheeled Boat."
Tom Kerr and Charlie Fleischmann give us a rare jewel in "Maria, Queen of the Ustonsons" in which they deconstruct this fascinating female and place her in the context of angling history.
I sometimes contribute to this fine magazine, and my own contribution this issue was "The First Big Match" which detailed the battle between Jamison and Decker and how it was recreated by NFLCC members this past summer.
Simon Runting ends the features with " Chub, on a 90-Year Old Allcock Aquatic Spider" in which the author finds, fishes, and ultimately loses this beautiful fly while fishing for chub.
This magazine is an absolute must for anyone interested remotely in fishing tackle and fishing history. It is ably edited by Keith Elliott and you can learn more about it by Clicking Here.
-- Dr. Todd
Every two months we will be reviewing the fine British publication Classic Angling. A lot of collectors in America are unaware of this magazine, but it is certainly the largest circulation periodical dealing with antique fishing tackle in the world, and covers a ton of material on both American tackle and fishing history in general. It is an indispensable addition to your library.
The current issue is No. 67 (September/October 2010) and covers a lot of territory. In addition to numerous pages devoted to the latest fishing and tackle news--including previews of the upcoming Lang's and Angling Auction's auctions and a warning on faked 1st model Mitchell reels--there are a number of feature articles, too.
For example, Roger Still gives us "Easy to be Fooled by These Fakes" which covers fake Hardy reels. Articles like this are invaluable in making the collector world safe for both novices and advanced collectors alike.
David Beazley gives us a great historical piece in "The Fishing Monks of Dendy Sadler," which details this artist's wonderful foray into his fishing images.
Neil Freeman gives us "Rainbow's End on Our Bit of the Test" which is a great fishing piece in the long tradition of British chalkstream trout writings.
John Bailey penned "The Delights of Long Trotting" which centers on the traditional British form of fishing known as centrepin float fishing.
Book maven Judith Head deconstructs the life of Sir William Jardine, author of British Salmonidae, in "Inspired By Travelling Around Scotland in a Wheeled Boat."
Tom Kerr and Charlie Fleischmann give us a rare jewel in "Maria, Queen of the Ustonsons" in which they deconstruct this fascinating female and place her in the context of angling history.
I sometimes contribute to this fine magazine, and my own contribution this issue was "The First Big Match" which detailed the battle between Jamison and Decker and how it was recreated by NFLCC members this past summer.
Simon Runting ends the features with " Chub, on a 90-Year Old Allcock Aquatic Spider" in which the author finds, fishes, and ultimately loses this beautiful fly while fishing for chub.
This magazine is an absolute must for anyone interested remotely in fishing tackle and fishing history. It is ably edited by Keith Elliott and you can learn more about it by Clicking Here.
-- Dr. Todd
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Bill Arp, in Memoriam by Keith Elliott
When I heard that Bill Arp had passed away a few weeks ago, I got in touch with Wallace Carney, esteemed Mitchell reel expert and author of the new book The Mitchell 300. Wallace was great friends with Bill and encouraged me to contact Keith Elliott and see if he would agree to allow Keith's obituary, run in the current issue of Classic Angling, on the blog. Keith, ever helpful, kindly agreed to allow us a look at a man who was a pioneer in so many ways. Here's Keith's neat article.
Bill Arp, In Memoriam
by Keith Elliott
Bill Arp, show pioneer and the first man to realise just how collectable Mitchells reels were, has died of cancer. An avid collector and historian who loved fishing with a Mitchell 408, he died at his home in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, aged 69. His close friend Hoagy G. Carmichael – author, angling historian and rodbuilder, has rich memories of Arp. The two often travelled together and ran a tackle auction in Bedford, New York, way before Oliver’s and Lang’s.
“There must have been 160 boxes and Bill put a number on every lot. I travelled to a lot of shows with him in the early days, and he was interested in Mitchells way before anybody else. He was collecting them 35 years ago. I always remember how pleased he was when I found a couple of great Mitchell reels from someone who worked at the plant.”
Carmichael also revealed a couple of little-known sides of Arp. He had been in the Marines and did a huge amount to help the Marine Corp League but was very senior in the league and did a great deal for them. He sent thousands of parcels to Marines serving abroad, and had a wall full of commendations. “Even then, the wall wasn’t big enough,” Carmichael said.
Arp had drinking problems after Vietnam, Carmichael said. “His first wife had left him and he said: ‘I have to stop this.’ He got a job and gave his name as Bob Jefferies. He worked for a very wealthy family in New York, running their estate under that name, but when he met Barbara, he wanted to marry her and change all this. He went to the IRS and said that he had been living under an assumed name, and wanted to pay back his taxes. He did so for the rest of his life. That’s how honest Bill was.”
and Dennis Roberts writes: my dear friend Bill Arp was my mentor for the hobby. Bill envisioned that someday, he would experience that Mitchell collecting would become a global phenomenon. He was involved with mentoring many collectors and assisted a number of authors who published books on Mitchell reels. Bill edited many books as well.
In the latter part of 2008, he became the lead moderator of the Mitchell Talk Forum on eBay, and was even involved in talks to organise the Mitchell gathering in Florida next year (page 16). An avid fisherman, he used only Mitchell 408s in his quest for smallmouth bass from the Penobscot River in Maine, his favourite fishing place.
A few weeks prior to his passing, he met me and we discussed the hobby. One of the last things he said was: “Before I pass, please tell me why these reels have such a hold on us?”
Please note that Keith is the editor and publisher of Classic Angling, one of the great magazines on fishing history.
-- Dr. Todd
Bill Arp, In Memoriam
by Keith Elliott
Bill Arp, show pioneer and the first man to realise just how collectable Mitchells reels were, has died of cancer. An avid collector and historian who loved fishing with a Mitchell 408, he died at his home in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, aged 69. His close friend Hoagy G. Carmichael – author, angling historian and rodbuilder, has rich memories of Arp. The two often travelled together and ran a tackle auction in Bedford, New York, way before Oliver’s and Lang’s.
“There must have been 160 boxes and Bill put a number on every lot. I travelled to a lot of shows with him in the early days, and he was interested in Mitchells way before anybody else. He was collecting them 35 years ago. I always remember how pleased he was when I found a couple of great Mitchell reels from someone who worked at the plant.”
Carmichael also revealed a couple of little-known sides of Arp. He had been in the Marines and did a huge amount to help the Marine Corp League but was very senior in the league and did a great deal for them. He sent thousands of parcels to Marines serving abroad, and had a wall full of commendations. “Even then, the wall wasn’t big enough,” Carmichael said.
Arp had drinking problems after Vietnam, Carmichael said. “His first wife had left him and he said: ‘I have to stop this.’ He got a job and gave his name as Bob Jefferies. He worked for a very wealthy family in New York, running their estate under that name, but when he met Barbara, he wanted to marry her and change all this. He went to the IRS and said that he had been living under an assumed name, and wanted to pay back his taxes. He did so for the rest of his life. That’s how honest Bill was.”
and Dennis Roberts writes: my dear friend Bill Arp was my mentor for the hobby. Bill envisioned that someday, he would experience that Mitchell collecting would become a global phenomenon. He was involved with mentoring many collectors and assisted a number of authors who published books on Mitchell reels. Bill edited many books as well.
In the latter part of 2008, he became the lead moderator of the Mitchell Talk Forum on eBay, and was even involved in talks to organise the Mitchell gathering in Florida next year (page 16). An avid fisherman, he used only Mitchell 408s in his quest for smallmouth bass from the Penobscot River in Maine, his favourite fishing place.
A few weeks prior to his passing, he met me and we discussed the hobby. One of the last things he said was: “Before I pass, please tell me why these reels have such a hold on us?”
Please note that Keith is the editor and publisher of Classic Angling, one of the great magazines on fishing history.
-- Dr. Todd
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