Testament of a Trout Fisher

This man has been captivated and beguiled by a lifelong love. I found his passion for the river and its trout totally endearing. This is a book I enjoyed reading for its own sake, not necessary to learn anything new but to be entertained and stimulated to think about the how and why of my own fishing, and to be grateful that within the hobby that we love peace and contentment are two of its profound rewards.

-- John Roberts * Grayling Society Magazine *

….the apparent effortlessness of the technique is that of a writer at the height of his powers. There’s also a marvellous chapter about fly-tying in which Catlow examines the practical and imaginative meanings his favourite flies have for him. Testament would be worth buying for this chapter alone; few people have written as arrestingly about fly-tying.

-- Chris McCully * Trout and Salmon magazine *

He is splendid company, whether we are sharing his lunchtime claret on the river bank, eating flaccid Co-op sandwiches in the old Land Rover as rain hammers on the roof, or listening with him to Mozart piano sonatas as he ties flies and tells us that Mozart would be a far better fly fisher than Brahms, for Brahms would be a clumsy caster ‘prone to play his fish too hard’. He says this is his last book. I hope he’s wrong.

-- Charles Foster * T