ALTHOUGH I do try to fish every month of the year, I am a great believer in the traditional closed seasons—once termed ‘fence months’—because gleeful anticipation lies at the heart of angling and you tend to appreciate something more if there is a certain difficulty in obtaining it.
By the time spring comes to the glen up here, I am usually suffering from a severe case of cabin fever—or ‘the shack nasties’, as they say in Maine. I can tell it’s spring, because when I take our cocker spaniel Pompey for his early-morning constitutional, I no longer cast a moon-shadow onto the frosted lawn. This year, my first vow was to ‘commit more fishing’.
I admit this is a perennial resolution, but I was emboldened by a report from Prof Lee Smith, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, which suggests anglers experience lower levels of diagnosed anxiety disorder (16.5%, compared with 26.4% in the wider population). The Prof doesn’t mention that profound and frequent anxiety caused by losing your quarry or your mate catching more than you—but it is now official that fishing is good for you.
Accordingly, my sporting year got off to a sprightly start mid January, when I was invited to perform the symbolic First Cast of the salmon season on the Tay, at Meikleour. No shiny fish, but great to have those rods out again. In February, I was down at the splendid Arundell, in Devon, to speak at a gala evening for WildFish, and, next morning, we enjoyed a (rather low-scoring) grayling session, during which my old friend David Pilkington treated me to a masterclass in Euro-nymphing. This duly justified the purchase of yet another rod (I’m almost up to 100 now) and I decided to splash out, as it were, on a spiffy new set of chesties and a couple of fly lines while the going was good.
Denne historien er fra May 10, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 10, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
