North Country Fly & Walbran

Better late than never I suppose, I had always been meaning to add this book to my library of angling books and last week I finally got around to ordering, reading and thoroughly enjoying the book...."The North Country Fly  Yorkshire's soft hackle tradition" written by Robert L Smith.

A subject matter I thoroughly enjoyed and what made it better for me was the history of the places I now fish and call my home waters, the Ure, Swale etc. It was great to read the history not only of the flies but the men and places where they were fished. 300 Pages with colour plates of the flies which are superb, clear descriptions and the tying advice is second to none.

If any other anglers who fish the soft hackle flies / Spider patterns as much as I do, you will thoroughly enjoy this book and will most definitely advance your knowledge of the flies and how to tie them. A very welcome addition to my library.

The book goes into depth not only of the flies but the creators and the chapter on the late Victorians jogged my mind back to a visit I made a short time ago where I traveled the few miles from my home in Bedale to West Tanfield to visit the grave of probably one of the greatest Grayling anglers to have lived, Francis Maximilian Walbran (1851 - 1909)

Walbran accidentally drowned doing what he enjoyed the most, Grayling fishing on the Ure at Tanfield. A creator of many soft hackle flies that still catch plenty of Grayling & trout today.







(Walbran's Grave in the churchyard at West Tanfield) 

The rear entrance to the church & graveyard with the Marmion tower in the background.