Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1057442 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 520 pages

Customer Reviews

Frederick Halford - The Orthodox High Priest of Dry-fly Fishing
For the uninitiated, Frederick M. Halford was the orthodox High Priest of dry-fly fishing around the turn of last century. He played 'Goliath' to George Skues' 'David'.

In a battle of words, fought mainly through the pages of 'The Field' (a publication which was to 'The 'Angling Times' - what 'The Lady' is to 'Heat' magazine) Skues and Halford fought on behalf of progress versus tradition, respectively.

George Skues qualified as a practising London solicitor. I honestly don't know what Frederick Halford's job was, but his epitaph must surely read - in the vernacular of the popular song 'I fought the law.. and the law won'.

But on the way to this, Mr Skues attended a meeting with his well-established adversary and - like all good lawyers and judges - gave him a fair hearing. While believing he was preaching to the converted, Halford gave audience to his most well-informed and contrary pupil.

For anybody who has finally realised that 'posh' is just an abbreviation for 'Port Out, Starboard Home', Fred Halford is worth reading. No matter how privileged his upbringing may have been.. he was at heart an angler like the rest of us.

For F.M. Halford, I'm sure, every word was cast in stone. But give him a chance, he lived over a hundred years ago. He may have died never having watched a television.