RH Fly Fishing

  “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits” – Albert Einstein   The car park was as full as I’ve ever seen it, apart from a corporate day I attended here once. Sadly it was not a vast horde of Fluff Boys that were responsible, there were only four of us Fluff Boys plus Dodgy, but its good to see Manningford Trout Fishery is doing well, customers-wise. Indeed, other vehicles came and went throughout the day. Dodgy isn’t a FB member, but does like to join us fishing from time to time;   that said, I know his three previous wives consider him a f b (of an entirely different ilk). Monies changed hands and we had our permits: the Professor and Whytee going for 4 fish, the admiral and Moneypenny for 2, while Dodgy surprisingly went for 3. Into the fray, then.   There was still plenty of spaces around Manor ‘Lake’, as some of the visitors were up on Squires, and at least one fishing the young River Avon. Whytee had a plan, the method ba...

  In the time before social me me me media, the written word ruled. There was plenty of it too, although attitudes to the ‘self’ were very different. Modesty was considered a virtue, especially in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, and many writers, particularly the prolific ones, often   chose to use pseudonyms rather than their real identities, in order to avoid direct public scrutiny, or appearing grandiose, or boastful.   Anonymity is a striking contrast to today’s all pervading cult of celebrity for its own sake, merited or not.   When I write in ‘The continuous adventures of the Fluff Club’ I use pseudonyms for the participants, the Fluff Boys, to preserve their identities, in the hopes of making them more inclusive to the readers, while their fishy activities are accurately recorded. In the earlier days I didn’t even name the fisheries, but do now; on reflection I couldn’t see a downside to revealing them, it could actually help the fisheries....