Trout & Salmon Flies of Ireland

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Summary: The only guide needed to sport fish in Ireland...nearly.
Review: A fine book, flies beautifully tied , often by the originator and excellently photographed. In the trout and salmon sections Peter O'Reilly mixes the traditional with the thoroughly modern in terms of materials used and variations on traditional patterns. The title is a bit of a misnomour as some of the pattern's links to Ireland are tenuous to say the least , ("the originator drank Irish Whiskey once and his sister owned an Irish Wolfhound" type of connection), but there is no doubt that the majority of the patterns are crackers on their day in waters well beyond these shores.Each of the mayfly patterns is , in particular, a killer on the particular lake/river for which each is recommended. Peter writes his notes on the various patterns with the knowledge of one of those fortunate ones lucky enough to have fishing as a full-time profession...(detect my envy!), and with the enthuasism of one who is cracked about his job. This enthusiasm is infectious, and would convince one that having pulled the preen feathers off the cul of every canard in Ireland, and having tied up those wonderful patterns listed, that all one then had to do was to place the flies in a frying pan over a camp-fire by the edge of a lake and wait for the fish to obligingly hop from water to pan! Such is his unbridled enthusiasm for each fly that, with many of the patterns, I found myself crucifying myself with guilt, angling ego in tatters when I realised that these were the self-same patterns with which I had flogged lakes and rivers fruitlessly for days!! In conclusion, a wonderful book, if a little over-the-top in the boundless praise heaped upon some flies, particularly some dastardly salmon flies, which I know not to be worth a tinker's curse in hell....(It's certainly not my lack of angling ability that's to blame anyway!!!!!!) John O'Neill ([e-mail])

Rating:
Summary: An execlllent publication for any angler.
Review: The perfect compliment to Peters series. The author is excellent inhis field. A true professional.