Classic Angling Magazine

12/12/2025

In our latest issue, No 154, of Classic Angling magazine........

* The fish farmer Donald Leney is famed for creating the carp that once graced Redmire Pool. Now a huge admirer of Leney’s work is trying to continue the legacy of his Galician carp.
* Dolphins in the Amazon basin have learnt to let anglers do their fishing for them. They are causing a nuisance by following boats and stealing fish right off the hook.
* A man who has collected more than 300 prime cases of mounted fish by the world's leading taxidermists is to open a museum and showroom in Wales.
* High Court judge Sir Peter Cresswell, who has just died aged 81, was a world expert on classic Atlantic salmon flies and owned arguably the world's finest collection.
* Fish may have climbed out of the water for a life on land at least 10 million years earlier than previously believed.
* Flip Pallot, a man synonymous with saltwater fly-fishing, the host of the TV series Walker's Cay Chronicles and founder of Hell's Bay Boatworks, has died from cancer.
* A small fish left homes without power and caused a brush fire that affected more than an acre of land in Canadian village.
* An angler who won a kayak-fishing contest in the US has confessed to cheating for his victory by using staged pictures of his catch.
* King Charles III has withdrawn his royal patronage from a fish-farming company that was responsible for the escape of 500,000 salmon from its sites.
* The vendace, the rarest British freshwater fish, is flourishing after being introduced into a Scottish loch. It is only known at four sites across the British Isles.
* Richard Hewitt of Thomas Turner travels to Sweden to collect a vast collection of 12,000 Atlantic salmon flies by some of the world's finest tyers.
* The Australian motor racing driver Peter Brock won many trophies – but the one he prized most was for a 87lb 12oz world record giant trevally.
* New moves are underway to curb the inexorable spread of fish-eating cormorants throughout Europe, where it's estimated they now number around 2 million.
* A new strain of bass unique to three US states has been officially recognised as a new species. It has been named the Bartram's bass after the naturalist William Bartram.
* An angler who went well over his permitted limit catch of walleye has been banned from fishing for six years and fined thousands of dollars.
* New Zealand has an enviable reputation for its clean pure waters, but research has found poor quality and widespread faecal contamination at more than 3500 lakes and rivers.
* John Mondora, a prolific writer and a man who had a huge influence on Australian recreational fishing, has died
* The Mitchell 300 sold more than 20 million copies, but there is still immense confusion over how to identify the earliest versions and exactly when they were made.
* A New Zealand fish has developed the ability to change its s*x from female to male within minutes when the dominant male is removed from a group.
* All our Yesterdays heads back to 1937 to find the first imposition of laws to stop the indiscriminate killing of tarpon.
* A professional bass angler is facing charges of manslaughter after his boat ploughed into another and caused the deaths of its two occupants.
* The European gudgeon may grow to little more than 4oz, but it was once a fish that attracted the upper classes in Victorian times.
* Ken Fraser, the man who set the world record for bluefin tuna with a 1496lb monster off Nova Scotia, has died aged 81. Almost 50 years on, his record is still unchallenged.
* The absence of US bidders failed to affect the appeal of a very rare Haskell Minnow, which has just sold for £12,000 at Angling Auctions.
* Stefan Duma, the author of superbly researched books on the river Trent and Nottingham makers, has died.
* Hybridisation is going to cause an enormous headache, not just for those who hunt records but for the fish themselves as the purity of strains become increasingly corrupted.
* An autobiography of Kevin Ashurst, one of the very best match fishermen of all time, is due to be published next year.
* Neil Freeman believes a new initiative to protect chalkstream Atlantic salmon might just move things forward at last.
* John Bailey is renowned for heading into dangerous and distant climes, and has written widely about his adventures. But he says his days of derring-do trips are over.
* Richard Hewitt heads to Sweden to pick up a vast collection of 12,000 salmon flies by some of the leading tyers.
* Our books pages cover a listing all British cane rodmakers, a masterwork about Mary Orvis Marbury and the memories of John Gierach’s friend.
* We take a look at all the auction action of rarities at Angling Auctions and a vast lures sale at Morphy Auctions in Philadelphia that gross nearly $3m over three auctions.
* Different versions of Orvis’s iconic 1874 reel are still being found, thanks to Charles Orvis’s constant tampering with the design, writes Steve Woit.
* Keith Arthur is mystified by some clubs still insist on banning certain baits such as bloodworm and h**p.
* The belief that Albert Smalley was the inventor of the elder pith float is incorrect, Rod Fisher learns. It’s a lot older than we think.
* Our letter pages talk of memories of the Heads’ bookshop in Salisbury, and reveal new information about the tackle dealer Bambridge.
* We have expanded our diary to devote a whole page to let readers know about upcoming auctions, shows, tackle fairs and conventions.

And lots more...

04/09/2025

In our latest issue, No 153

A man who has spent over 20 years hunting out the very rarest Mitchells tells how the built the world’s greatest collection of specials built to commemorate Mitchell milestones.
The rod-making company Bruce & Walker has been taken over by an entrepreneur, who will be making and repairing the classic rods from a Scottish base.

AK Best, the renowned fly-tyer, author and close friend of John Gierach, has died at the age of 92.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy provoked a storm when he was pictured fishing with the US Vice-President JP Vance. We reveal the behind-the-scenes story about the incident.

Don’t throw away that battered old Barbour jacket. According to magazines like Vogue, angling apparel is the look of the moment among the fashionistas.

A vitamin deficiency linked to an enzyme found in anchovies
is threatening the survival of chinook salmon.

Researchers have discovered a unique species of cave-dwelling fish that has eyes. Normally, species that live in these dark caves are totally blind.

It’s been a while since a fishing book proved the top-selling lot at an angling auction, but it happened at Mullock Jones.

The fly wallet of James Wright, inventor of the Greenwell’s Glory, is one of the rare items at Angling Auctions’ next sale.

An angler who has just set a line-class record with a 39lb 2oz brown trout says that he’s lost fish of more than 50lb.

US President Donald Trump’s executive orders promoting fossil fuels and housing over the environment are causing serious concerns.

An Australian man has been fined $2000 and banned from fishing for three years because he used carp as livebaits.

Jason Lewis plays detective to examine a frame of 21 Victorian gut-eyed salmon flies to see if it really is as old as claimed.

For the first time in 200 years, evidence has been found of salmon breeding in the river Don.

A chandelier that once hung in a French trout-fishing club has been sold at auction for $90.000.

Medlar Press is publishing a rash of new books, including one by 96-year-old Lord Nickson, telling about his 80 years of salmon fishing.

Clownfish can shrink in size and become shorter when under stress from heatwaves, research has discovered.

All Our Yesterdays discovers a story from 1903 that blames self-interested mill owners from wrecking plans to make the river Medway in Kent into a salmon river.

Our Trout Spot looks at the rare coastal cutthroat, one of the very rare species that can be caught both at sea and in freshwater.

The International Game Fish Association is expanding its records programme so more young anglers can put in claims.

Joshua Buller has just caught one of the largest spotted bass – but he can’t put in a record claim. We explain why.

A small garden pond has just sold at auction for £15,000. Its secret? It was made by one of the greatest Victorian art potters.

Steve Woit looks at the influence that John Harrington Keene had on early fly-fishing in the US, and tries to puzzle out why he fell out with Orvis.

Our eBay spot looks at the appeal of highly decorative Abel reels, and the man who inspired the genre.

Jim Bazley was renowned for his match-fishing talents but he was also an avid grayling angler, Keith Harwood discovers.

We assume that the sound split-shot dispenser is a modern idea. But Rod Fisher finds that the invention is over 120 years old, and it was designed to hold flies too.

Neil Freeman, suddenly aware of his own mortality, fulfils a bucket-list ambition by catching a catfish on fly tackle.

The fly wallet of James Wright, inventor of the Greenwell’s Glory, is one of the rare items at Angling Auctions’ next sale.

John Bailey, a pioneer of angling trips in Greenland, recalls his memories of fishing for char amid the stunning scenery.

Richard Hewitt sees a decline in fishing trophies and medals, and wonders if we are losing out on making memories.

Our books pages admire a work on the men who made the Trent famous, review Monte Burke’s new work and Ed van Put’s legacy.

Benjamin Bambridge was a tackle dealer and inventor, author and eccentric who was behind the famous Windsor Bee lure. We look at his strange life and times

We take a look at all the auction action taking place at Lang’s Guyette & Deeter, Copley’s and Morphy Auctions.

Notes on Fishing, Russia’s first book, has a surprising number of similarities to Izaak Walton’s The Compleat Angler.

Our letter pages reveal more about Budge Hintz, the birth of the block-end feeder and Dennis Pye’s pike stories.

Keith Arthur recalls the days when Thames barbel were notorious tackle-smashers that played havoc with those who fished the river on the pole.

29/06/2025

In our latest issue, No 152……

Imagine a water where the trout once AVERAGED more than 10lb, and were caught in their dozens. We investigate why the trout on New Zealand's Lake Taupo grew so big.

President Trump’s diktats on tariffs have caused confusion and dismay among the tackle trade, collectors and Chinese suppliers, source of most of the world's tackle.

The Junction Pool on Scotland’s river Tweed, arguably the world’s most famous salmon-fishing location, has been put up for sale.

Former Olympic skier Andy Mill, now one of the world’s foremost tarpon anglers, is one of six named for the IGFA’s Hall of Fame.

Mystery surrounds what happened to Dr Todd Larson, whose Whitefish Press was once the most prolific publisher of angling books.

Tuna and swordfish get much of their food from the ‘twilight zone’, a cold, dark region half a mile below the surface.

A new species of subterranean eel loach has been named after the four-year-old Indian girl who discovered it.

Predatory blue runners are hiding behind sharks to launch surprise attacks on their prey, research has found.
Joan Wulff has sold the iconic fly-casting school on the Beaverkill river that she ran with her husband Lee.

Neil Freeman rages at water companies blithely ignoring
complaints about pollution, despite fierce criticism.

Richard Hewitt meets the author Peter Wheat, who is now selling the many iconic items he has owned over the years.

Our books pages admire a great work on Alvey, how the Mersey came back to life, and a challenge on accepted fly imitation.

A Wilcox Wiggler lure was the star of the show, drawing bids to $33,000 at a Morphy’s auction selling the vast collection of Wayne and Lori Edens.

All our Yesterdays looks at the myth of apprentices having contracts that promised they would not have to eat salmon more than three times a week.

A lot of three old rods, sold at auction for just £22, contained a very rare 150-year-old split-cane rod by a master maker.

Our auction pages review the action online from sales at Mullock Jones and Angling Auctions.

John Ess*x finds that tracing the inventor of the plastic swim-feeder proves a lot harder than he had expected.

Pierre Affré relates the extraordinary tale of the aristocrat who died playing a salmon and had his body stored in a fish cold room.

Our letters pages reveal the story of a river and a rebel
major, while an author defends his account of a possible record salmon.

Keith Arthur recalls a memorable exploratory trip to assess
the potential for running fishing holidays to France.

John Bailey tells how his addiction to fishing for ferox trout on the Scottish lochs changed his life.

A black Record Ambassadeur 5000, which has just sold for £6200, is one of the most sought-after reels in the Abu range.

Mary Orvis Marbury, one of the greatest of all fly tyers and subject of a new book, was a stout defender of British methods and fly-tying.

We reveal what the 5-metre salmon fly monument to the great Scottish tyer Megan Boyd will look like at the entrance to her home village of Brora.

Keith Harwood takes a look at and fishing in Roman times, when angling was very much an upper-class pursuit.

And much more!

28/06/2025

22/04/2025

A superb range of collectable US lures are coming up for sale on May 17. It has been assembled by Wayne Edens, whose collection was described as "astonishing:" by Dan Morphy, who runs Morphy Auctions in Pennsylvania.
There are so many lures that Morphy's is selling them in three parts. The first auction took place in December, when an original Heddon “factory board” frog lure, hand-carved circa 1898 by James Heddon, founder of the Heddon Company, went for $30,750.
There are nearly 700 lots in the May sale, with exceptional lures by all the main makers. The December auction totalled more than $900,000 and it would be no surprise to see this one do just as well.
Typical are an 8in c1910 Heddon 757 in blended yellow estimated at $10,00-$10,000); a 6.5in c1903 6in Rhodes Musky Minnow ($6000-$12,000); a brown 3.5in Wilcox Wiggler with its box ($10,000-$20,000) and the first American wooden minnow, the link between rotary and cedar plugs of the late 1890s, put at $15,000-$30,000.
The full catalogue can be viewed at www.morphyauctions.com.

29/03/2025

This stunning display of some classic lures is the highlight of Angling Auctions' next online sale on April 5. The display was once on show in the Wyers Frères shop in Paris around the turn of the 19th century, and was sold at Christie’s in 1999 for £26,000 excluding commission.
This display was part of a set of 18 that had been on show at the shop. It centred on a papier-maché, glass-eyed half-fish model and included a Gregory Cleopatra white metal lure; three silk-bound Devil baits; two Warner stamped and two further faceted cut-glass baits; two Edkin hollow-glass lures and several others in a glazed oak frame.
This and other displays had been collected by Anissa Helou,
a Lebanese cookery writer who lived in Paris. She began collecting unusual pieces for her then-boyfriend, but liked them so much that she kept them for herself. Wise woman.
Times have changed, and auctioneer Neil Freeman has put a much lower estimate of £6000-£9000 on this display, though it would be no surprise to see it climb much higher.
However, it is far from the only highlight in the auction, which features some superb American split-cane rods, rare Hardy reels, outstanding carved and cased fish and many other scarce items among the 535 lots.
Those rods include superb examples by Hoagy Carmichael,
Pinky Gillum, Walt Carpenter and Hiram Hawes. Typical is an 8ft five-weight Lyle Dickerson inscribed “Dickerson 8014” and “Dr James Barron 1968”.
Among reels, three Hardy Fortunas include a c1926 31in Fortuna Fly in alumin, probably a transitional model, and a 5in sea centrepin, which has been catalogued as “a previously unseen model”. Other Hardy reels include a Barton, a Tuna, an 1894 41in brass salmon Perfect and a prototype Exalta.
Collectors of rare Abus will be drawn to a black Ambassadeur 5000 from 1953, while lovers of modern centrepins will be attracted by two reels by Chris Lythe: one of his very earliest Allcock-style models and a 43in wide-drum Grayling special.
Those chasing a Lawrence Waldron vice will find one here, along with an elegant Ari‘t Hart Trilogy, of which only a dozen were made, with just six in blue.
Carved fish include some fine Fochabers salmon: a 46lb Dee fish from 1934; an 1899 42lb Norwegian salmon and a brace of from the Reviot in 1908 bearing a Rowland Ward label.
The past few sales have some some exceptional cased fish, and they continue here with a 5lb Cooper barbel from 1921; a Cooper crucian carp, a Gibson case of five rudd and a 30lb Wye pike from 1905, mounted by Hardy Brothers. It was caught by the Rev Tom Seccombe Gray and is illustrated in Fred Buller’s classic book Pike and the Pike Angler.
The sale takes place online and the full catalogue can be viewed at www.anglingauctions.com

19/03/2025

Another massive sale is on the cards at Mullock Jones latest online auction this week (March 10 and 20), with 1530 lots being sold over two days.
It offers a wide selection of books, rods, reels and fly gear, with the star items including
* some very early Hardy catalogues, including 1903 and 1908 editions;
* a range of modern centrepins, including two Ray Walton Rolling Pins, an Allcock Aerial Match and a Coxon Aerial;
*an unused Hardy The Compleat Angler presentation set in its leather case;
* a collection of Hardy and Farlow tackle from the estate of the broadcaster Sir Ludovic Kennedy;
* a 34lb Irish pike and a 2lb Cooper roach, both in bow-fronted cases;
* a Hardy Zane Grey Titanium saltwater fly reel;
* a range of Penn multiplier and spinning reels;
* a Hardy The Club Reservoir fly box;
* A range of modern Sage and Thomas & Thomas rods.
You need to register in advance if you're going to bid.
Details and catalogues from www.mullockjones.co.uk, where you can watch the action live.

Looking to grow or sell your collection? We host multiple auctions per year. Contact us today for a free valuation or to view our current catalogues.

19/03/2025

In our latest issue, No151

The great crooner Bing Crosby freed himself from the constant pressures of show business by going fishing.

A 5-metre monument of a Blue Doctor fly is to be erected in the Scottish village of Brora to commemorate Megan Boyd, one of the world's great salmon fly tyers.

Ernest Hemingway's Bimini King big-game rod has been sold at a US auction for $47,500, while Zane Grey's own Hardy Zane Grey reel went for $13,000 at the same sale.

Pike are travelling through brackish water in Alaska and expanding their reach to feast on the state's salmon-rich ecosystem.

Three salmon carp, an ultra-rare fish can grow to 30kg and was thought to be extinct, have been caught on the Mekong river in Cambodia.

Professional bass angler and YouTube star Ben Milliken has been arrested for fraud for allegedly falsifying a tournament entry form.

A woman who was fishing on a Queensland beach has been fined $A2580 for feeding a dingo.

A popular fishing inn that has been at the heart of the river Wye barbel revival is up for sale for just £595,000.

Water temperatures across the British Isles will be too warm to support brown trout by 2080, a survey predicts.
The escape of 80,000 farmed salmon from a tank on a ship has only just come to light because of a loophole in reporting laws.

We pay tribute to former US President Jimmy Carter; master Catskills angler Ed Van Put; Janet Messineo, the Martha's Vineyard taxidermist, and Gail Morchower, the mastermind behind the IGFA library, who have all just died.

Angling celebrated the 1951 Festival of Britain by holding a fishing match that proved a forerunner for international contests.

Neil Freeman explains why he has not been tempted to add an extra date to his Angling Auctions calendar.

John Bailey reviews the best bits of his life, from catching giant roach on the river Wensum with john Wilson to landing a giant mahseer on India's river Cauvery.

Tackle expert Richard Hewitt gives some valuable advice on how you can enhance the value of your collectable tackle.

Our books pages include a collection of Chris Yates columns, the travel adventures of Charles Thacher, a bibliography of fly-tying books and the salmon flies of Major John Popkin Traherne.

Our auction reports cover what's hot and what's not from the sales of Mullock Jones and Lang's.

London almost had THREE public aquariums in the early 2000s. Whatever happened to plans for the world's first aquarium designed entirely with conservation in mind?

We reprint the winning entry in the 2024 Robert Traver Fly Fishing Award, an emotional tale of Paradise lost.

Pierre Affré has some doubts about the size of an Atlantic salmon from the Kola Peninsula that could have been a world record.

Steve Woit finds that the elegant trade cards of fishmongers from the late 19th century have become hugely collectable.

Our letters pages ask for help on Piscatorial Society medals, a signed copy of Angling magazine, ask why there have been no more books from James Babb, answer a query about the Robuste trademark and reveal more about the giant New Zealand eels.

Keith Arthur wishes he had found out earlier about the spectacular roach and bream fishing on offer in Northern Ireland's Lakeland district.

And much more!

21/12/2024

Classic Angling celebrates its 150th issue. In it, you'll find...

James Babb pens a heartfelt tribute to his close friend John Gierach, the wonderful writer whose books encapsulate the essence of true fishing.

A seemingly ordinary selection of badges stunned the
audience at Angling Auctions by climbing to a price of £3000. We explain the appeal.

Michael Daunt, who has just died, taught Jeremy Paxman, Chris Tarrant and Eric Clapton to cast a salmon fly. He was affectionately known as known as The Bounder – and lived up to his scandalous reputation.

John Bailey mourns the death of Batsokh, his Mongolian guide and friend, whose camp was the place where many anglers caught their first taimen.

There's a flourishing collector interest in tobacco-related items, especially in old cigar boxes decorated with some fine angling art, writes Steve Woit.

Lang's latest auction saw some fine lures sell for his prices – but this was the first sale in the auction house's history that did not feature a single reel.

One of the greatest books on salmon flies has just been sold for £8000 – and Chares Phair's 1937 classic was written by a man who never penned another book or article.

All our Yesterdays from a 1932 edition of The Fishing Gazette complains about the Bolsheviks spoiling the chance to catch a 160lb taimen in Siberia
Wallace Carney, the greatest authority on Mitchell reels, has died aged 73. He created the Mitchell Reel Museum and the Mitchell Mates website.

Hardy is still riding the wave of its most famous reel by creating a limited edition of its 1912 Perfect.

The elite Flyfishers Club of London has finally voted to admit female members into its august halls. A vote by members saw 75% vote in favour of the move.

Jason Lewis discovers a wonderful gamebook from 1912, listing 30 years of fishing and shooting adventures by a captain of the Irish Guards.

A new box of a dozen salmon flies has just sold for £7000. Its appeal? The Farlow box was one of only two, and the other was given to King Charles III.

We look back on the days when maggot breeders were prolific advertisers in the fishing magazines of the day, doing a roaring trade in mail-order bait.

Recreational angling plays a crucial role in providing food for many nations, a worldwide study covering 81 countries has shown.

The world's largest freshwater eels are found in Australia and New Zealand, where fish as large as 50lb are caught. And their pursuit is a lot older than you might think.

The ancient Egyptians were pioneers of angling for pleasure, as distinct from catching fish just to eat them, writes Keith Harwood.

Neil Freeman questions whether a UK march for cleaner water that attracted 15,000 people will really result in any changes from the water industry.

Dave Townsend, fresh from admiring a large quantity of Aerials that he had just been consigned, takes a closer look at the iconic reel and its many faces.

Our book reviews include works on chalkstream chronicler Dr Edwin Barton, a fine work by Bob Roberts on Nottingham's river Trent, the rough life of fly-tyer Rube Cross and how one man built a prized fishery.

The rarest family of Mitchell reels in the 500 series, with its unique forked foot. Dries Hanzens reveals more about a fixed-spool that few collectors have ever seen.

Two competitions between the French and British
Angling promoted the entente cordiale well before any official signing with a pair of friendly international contests between England and France in the early 1900s.

A wood reel that has just sold with five others at auction for £375 turned out to be an ultra-rare model, one of just two known

How many lives might have been saved if the French frigate Medusa, which sank in 1816, had carried sets of survival fishing kits, now a standard article for seagoers?

Keith Arthur mourns the end of the Talksport radio programme Fisherman's Blues that he pioneered, and recalls how it nearly foundered on the very first broadcast.

and lots more.