That Strange Alchemy, Pheasants, Trout and a Middle-aged Man -Laurence Catlow

This is an interesting book.  It is published by an English publisher I found called Merlin Unwin Books, LTD and they have several other sporting books that I am interested in.

In this book Catlow examines the importance of fly fishing for trout and pheasant hunting and the different feelings both bring to him.  He writes about the difference in field sports in middle age compared to youth and how the memories and reflections from shooting days differ from fishing days. 

I find many things interesting in this book.  Catlow, being an Englishman, brings some perspective to traditions and prejudices in both shooting and fly fishing that the “old school” traditionalists have.  I have been fly fishing for all kinds of species of fish for thirty years and I fish streamers, wet flies, dry flies, bead head nymphs and have tried techniques like Euro-Nymphing, high-sticking etc.  I have not been much of a snob or traditionalist in my approach to the sport and I am not above tying on a non-traditional type of fly when the objective is to land a fish.  It is interesting in that the traditional English caulk stream fisherman using a wet fly can be considered a break from tradition.  Catlow describes how he did come to terms with fishing with wet flies, sub-surface, however he would not use bead head nymphs or sinking flies because to him tradition dictates that fly fishing should be reserved for fish feeding near the surface rather that deep in the runs.  I do enjoy fly fishing for trout with vintage gear like split cane rods and old Hardy Reels and I love catching rising trout on traditional dry flies.  As much as I enjoy this kind of fly fishing and reading about the traditions, I do not feel any guilt for using other ethical methods for catching fish.  Catlow has put down his split cane rods and is using more modern Sage Carbon Fiber rods now.  I have gone the opposite direction in recent years preferring to use the more vintage gear because I think it is beautiful and is interesting.   At any rate I enjoyed this book because I am interested in the differences in the attitudes and traditions of fisherman in other parts of the world. 

I also found the hunting stories interesting.  Catlow is a driven pheasant shooter and has a farm where he raises his birds and shoots in the traditional driven hunts.  I find that style of hunting interesting and we do not have a lot of opportunities for that type of bird hunting in the States.  I would like to go to England sometime and experience a traditional English Style driven Pheasant or Grouse hunt.  I enjoyed Catlow’s discussion on dogs, he hunts Spaniels and I have an English Cocker myself that I enjoy as a hunting companion. 

I enjoy Catlow’s writing style and his philosophical meanderings on what hunting and fishing means to him, especially as a middle-aged man, and I enjoyed his descriptions on how he selects his wine and cocktails to commemorate his good day in the field or how he likes to sit on a bank smoking his pipe and drinking tea out of his thermos and admire a brace of fish laying on the bank.  This reminds me of another thing that I found interesting; he quite often kills fish and enjoys eating them.  A lot of my encounters with fly fisherman in the United States are with people we are greatly opposed to the killing of any fish.  That is more often the case in people who have taken up fly fishing for a sport for some reason.  I practice a lot of catch and release fishing, sometimes because that is the requirement of where I am fishing; however, I do not have a problem with killing and eating fish.

I believe that anyone who is a sporting gentleman and enjoys flyfishing, wing shooting, and good wine will find Catlow’s book and his writing interesting and anyone who has participated in this type of sport from youth to middle age will find some commonality in some of the feelings and thoughts he describes.