Tuesday 17th January 2017 - All work and no play...

My real loves of wildfowling, rough shooting, duck and pigeon flighting, hunting snipe and woodcock, rabbiting are all getting harder to find - and harder to make time for. If it were not for the pre-arranged days of the local syndicate (and, in the summer, pre-booked fishing trips) then I would hardly escape the clutches of work, and particularly publishing. The publishing does, of course, have great rewards. It is a privilege to be able to channel the creativity of others (and to a lesser extent, of myself) and to produce something of lasting value. Much of the past couple of months has been spent on three authoritative works on classic salmon flies, all destined to meet their public at the BFFI early in February. The largest of these is Martin Lanigan O'Keefe's monumental catalogue of Farlows Salmon Flies, which will surely become the standard reference book for collectors of antique flies. [caption id="attachment_1737" align="alignleft" width="200"] Ernest Crosfield[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1762" align="alignleft" width="200"] Salmon Flies of James Harper[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1745" align="alignleft" width="278"] Farlows Salmon Flies[/caption]                     Colin Innes is carving a niche for himself as the historian of Scottish fishing tackle dealers, and particularly of the salmon flies of the north-east. His first volume in the Angling Monographs series, The Lost Salmon Flies of Balmoral, sold out in a few months. Two further monographs are both due to be launched at the BFFI - The Salmon Flies of James Harper, and another on the salmon flies and fishing methods of influential salmon angler, Ernest Crosfield. Two of the three books are at the printer, and the third is now out of my hands, so perhaps I can now apply myself to sport. Unlike last year, almost all of our shooting days have been fine and dry. Birds are plentiful thanks to the hard work of our gamekeepers, and I have managed to keep the larder full. Rico managed to split a pad, hunting woodcock in clear-fell, a couple of weeks ago. These things always happen as we approach the end of the season and would really like to be out every day. Anyway, I rested him for a week, and then bandaged him up to go out last Saturday. That was successful so we are on course for a day's picking up on Friday and another day in Llanbrynmair on Saturday. And Duncan keeps reminding me that the rivers are in good order for grayling fishing - tomorrow?