Beneath the Black Water - Jon Berry

I was looking for some reading over the closed season and was reminded of a book I had seen in the summer titled Beneath the Black Water.

I think what caught my attention regarding this book was the rider that said " The search for an ancient Fish " together with the cover photograph which was to my mind obviously taken in Scotland.

On having a flick through the book during the summer, my suspicions were confirmed and I had stumbled upon a book by an author who's passion was ferox trout. Jon's passion or obsession seems to have been fired in much the same way as many a ferox angler. The stories of ancient ugly " cannibal " trout and the stuffed fish you find in the glass display boxes of northern hotels which most certainly bely this myth.

This book for me was more than a simple angling tome which can oft be devoid of human interest concentrating far too much on the piscatory of fishing. The book I felt was more a story of a journey both personal and piscatorial and you definately get a feel for the man behind the angler as well as being placed firmly on the bank or in the boat as the case may be.

Perhaps this may not be a book for purist fly anglers as the modus operandii in the pursuit salmo ferox is more often than not trolling but then again, maybe it is, as it's pretty good read which should appeal to those anglers who simply enjoy a good  old fashioned fishing yarn.

Ferox '85

Here's a couple of videos from the influential Ferox '85 group.





Founding members of the group were Ron Greer and Alistair "Aya" Thorne, both scientists at the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory in Pitlochry, Perthshire. Their quest was the elusive Ferox Trout.

It was an episode of Hooked on Fishing by Paul Young,

http://youtu.be/Uh7tYjoofeQ

also once a member of the scientific team at Pitlochry which inspired my interest in the search for Scottish Ferox Trout, which is as Ron Greer describes in his book " Ferox trout and Arctic Charr "

can be,  " a brain numbing, bum-numbing fishless eternity. Those who will survive will be relatively few and will thoroughly deserve their fish. "

How wonderful it is that the Ferox '85 group continues their quest into the 21st century !

The Wild Fishing Forum

Wild fishers doin' what they do best !

Fish On - Corrib Bhoys !

Fantastic montage of ferox pictures from " The Corrib "

Fish On - Austria

Christof Menz with a magnificent Hucho Hucho / Taimen from Austria

Endrick Floods !

Here's some pictures from the river Endrick which feeds Loch Lomond in high water this week !

Photographs courtesy of Malcolm Prestcott

And here is a photo of the same beat in late summer with medium water

With Malcolm fishing just below and left of the tree to right of centre

 The rain we have been having in Scotland this week seems to be on a biblical scale.

Fish on ! - November grayling

What a stunning grayling from Richard at the Wild Fishing Forum !

Well done that man !