Product Description

Sitting on a riverbank, with rod and line, must count as one of the most relaxing and enjoyable - yet occasionally frustrating - experiences known to man. Chris Yates discovered the joys of fishing early in life and was quickly hooked by its pleasures. Many years later, he is still content to sit, day after day, observing the quirks of different fish and losing track of time. For him, fishing is much more than just a question of technique; sometimes it's about listening to nothing but your instincts, and at other times it's about enjoying the perfect cup of tea. And, it's always about not knowing how the day is going to unfold...There's no better guide for the uninitiated - and no better companion for those already familiar with the satisfactions of fishing - than Chris Yates. And, immersing yourself in "How To Fish" is almost as delightful an activity as fishing itself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #199936 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

About the Author
Chris Yates is a photographer and an author, but first and foremost a fisherman. He was first inspired by the discovery of a monster carp in his village pond when he was five. Thirty years later, he caught what was then the biggest carp -- and the biggest fish -- in England and went on to write about his experiences in books, in his own magazine, in radio programmes and in the BBC2 series A Passion for Angling. He lives in south Wiltshire.

Customer Reviews

HOW TO FISH - THE YATES' WAY
This long-awaited book from the pen of one of our best-loved angling authors is essential reading for anyone who is appreciative, not just of fishing, but of our natural world and the rivers which course through our beautiful landscape. 'How to Fish' is not an instructional book on the methods of fishing - it is much, much more than that. Based on one day's fishing (28th September)Chris chronicles each cast of his fishing rod with a new chapter, each cast reminding him of other days, other fish, other companions and other deep pools, each offering new promise. His words are evocative and he has that rare ability to convey the sights, sounds and scents of the river and its piscatorial inhabitants, the magnificent Perch being his quarry on this day. Whether or not you choose to fish, Chris's writing will send you off to the riverbank just to be close to the water and enjoy what nature provides. His writing has reached a new level and I challenge anyone not to find something they enjoy in this very special book.

A master at work
Speaking as someone who doesn't fish this book has managed to transcend it's subject beautifully and become as much a book about life in general as one dedicated to life on the riverbank. I read it in one sitting and time seemed to lose its linear routine as I was taken on a meandering journey through nature and the stories of a man whose passion for life clearly matches his love of fishing. Yates is one of the great writers of today, fishing or otherwise.

How it feels to fish
This is a wonderful little book. The title is more than a little misleading though. You don't learn how to fish, but you do learn how it feels to fish.

There is no "use this float and put the weights like that." There is however "mist rolling in, pots of tea and how it feels to pluck a perch from under those trees."

Its a series of anecdotes really. The view from the waterside. Every angler of whatever pursuation will love it. Even non-anglers will enjoy it for its meditations and atmospherics.

Yates if an amiable eccentric and a nice departure from the kit- obsessed testosterone crowd who seem to dominate angling books and TV programmes now. He fishes with ancient split cane rods and centrepin reels. And catches large fish.