WELFORD COURT PRESS
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS SINCE 1992
FISHING BOOKS
DR BELL OF WRINGTON
Pioneer of Reservoir Fly Fishing
Adrian V W Freer
This book is dedicated to the life, the artificial flies, the pioneering techniques in stillwater nymph fishing and ultimately the angling legacy of Dr Howard Alexander Bell (1888-1974) of Wrington, Somerset. Dr Bell regularly fished Blagdon Lake in the years following WW1 where he sought to devise better methods of catching reservoir trout.
As a result of his enquiring and scientific mind Dr Bell did not follow the standard practice of the day of employing 'attractor' patterns but rather he studied the creatures that the fish were targeting and endeavoured to design artificial patterns which replicated them, and retrieved them in a manner which mimicked their progression through the water.
He was probably the first angler to implement such an imitative approach to reservoirs and his Blagdon Buzzer is the forerunner of the multitude of buzzer artificials employed today.
Contents include:
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A biography of the doctor.
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Timeline of events in his life.
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A history of the development of reservoir fly fishing in England.
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Information about Wrington village.
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Blagdon Lake which he fished.
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The doctor's celebrated Alvis.
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Reminiscences written by those who knew him.
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References gleaned from books.
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Some brief but endearing memories of the doctor.
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Visits to the River Spey.
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Catalogue of patterns.
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Facsimile pages from fishing notebooks.
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Images of flies.
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The only article known to be written by Dr Bell.
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Bibliography.
Paperback 126 pages, includes 95 black & white illustrations and 5 maps
Paperback ISBN 978-1798530146
Published by: Welford Court Press
A BIBLICAL DEFENCE OF THE SPORT OF ANGLING
What the Bible says about Fishing
Adrian V W Freer
This volume has been written in response to the unfounded and unwarranted attacks upon angling by those determined factions who are opposed to our gentle and contemplative pastime. Contrary to their misguided thinking, as this book will make evident, fishing is a perfectly acceptable, lawful and honourable occupation.
It is the intention that this discourse will assist those who need a little scriptural guidance as they seek to respond to our ill-informed critics in a good-natured, logical and balanced manner.
It is the author’s sincere prayer that our sport will continue to give pleasure, satisfaction and tranquillity to its many devotees, both in the perilous times that we live in and in the generations to come.
Paperback 56 pages, includes 17 colour illustrations, 8 line drawings and 1 map
Paperback ISBN: 978-0952030454
E-Book ASIN: B00CPJNFYC
Published by: Welford Court Press
SUCCESSFUL RESERVOIR FLY FISHING TECHNIQUES
A Trout Angler’s Guide to Improved Catches
Adrian V W Freer
Written in an easy to understand style and beautifully illustrated in full colour throughout. It is essential reading for all those trout anglers who wish to improve their catches.
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Answers the question ‘Why fly fish for trout?’
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Considers the choice of tackle and examines knots, leader materials and leader construction.
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Discusses the choice of flies, fly casting, fly dressing and patterns.
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Analyses the food of trout, tactics, the weather and fishing conditions.
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Covers bank and boat fishing.
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Includes over 100 colour photographs and thirty diagrams.
Hardback 192 pages, includes 109 photographs, 30 diagrams and 14 tables
Hardback ISBN 978-1861269300
Published by: The Crowood Press
RESERVOIR TROUT FLIES
An Angler’s Guide to Successful Fly Patterns
Adrian V W Freer
The purpose of this invaluable and comprehensive book is two fold. Firstly, to discuss the design and dressing of reservoir trout flies with a view to understanding how they actually appear to the trout. Secondly, to provide a reference guide to the most popular and successful reservoir fly patterns in use today.
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Discusses the design of artificial flies with supporting photographs showing their appearance and behaviour beneath the water.
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Presents the dressings over 270 fly patterns divided into nymphs, wet flies, lures (including fry patterns), dry flies & emergers, and terrestrials.
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For ease of reference a photograph of each fly, the dressing menu, a list of variants and comments on each individual pattern are all shown on the same page.
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Provides a comprehensive ‘on the bench’ reference handbook for both the amateur and professional fly tyer.
Offers helpful advice to anglers contemplating tying their own flies for the first time.
Hardback 192 pages includes over 380 colour photographs with diagrams and tables.
Hardback ISBN 978-184797208
Published by: The Crowood Press
THE FLY FISHING LEGACY OF T C IVENS
​Reservoir Nymph Patterns, Techniques and Tackle Innovations by Tom Ivens
Adrian V W Freer
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The development of reservoir fly fishing in England has provided a small number of notable innovators who have changed the way that stillwater anglers fish forever, and within that select company must surely be included the name of Tom Ivens.
It is impossible to over-emphasize the influence that he had on the development of reservoir fly angling which came as a result of the publication of his classic book, Stillwater Fly-Fishing. The ideas he proposed at that time quickly became the benchmark for tackling reservoirs.
He invented many new fly patterns, popularized double-haul casting, designed a range of fishing rods, introduced a range of shooting heads, perfected tapered nylon leaders and devised alternative methods of recovering his flies.
This present volume is intended to provide an insight into this influential angler and his considerable achievements.
Format: Medium Paperback 100 pages
Includes 63 photographs, 2 diagrams, 4 maps and 2 tables
Published by Welford Court Press ISBN: 978-0-9520304-3-0
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RESERVOIR TROUT AUTOPSIES
Valuable Information Straight from the Fish’s Mouth
Adrian V W Freer
Employing imitations of the natural creatures that the trout are targeting is undoubtedly the most satisfying and rewarding method of fly fishing for reservoir trout. On many occasions it can be by far the most productive.
In order to choose the correct artificial the angler needs to be able to identify the creatures that the fish are feeding on, know which patterns imitate them, and understand how each one should be presented.
Performing an autopsy is a quick and straightforward procedure that enables anglers to identify positively, without any doubt, precisely what the fish have been ingesting in those vital few moments prior to capture. More than fifty large scale autopsies are reproduced in full colour to assist in identification.
This volume will help anglers perform autopsies for themselves and in addition there are suggestions of what artificial flies might be employed to copy all the reservoir creatures likely to be encountered.
Includes 144 colour photographs and 6 line drawings
Published by Welford Court Press
ISBN: 978-0-9520304-2-3
Available from Amazon and from bookshops