Book - Fishing Saltwater Basics by John Eichelsheim

Fly Fishing Saltwater Basics By C. Boyd Pfeiffer Published by Stackpole Books Reviewed by John Eichelsheim.

Fly Fishing Saltwater Basics is an excellent primer for the beginner saltwater flyfisher. Although it's written for a North American readership, all of the basics on rigging, tackle, flies, flycasting, retrieves, chumming and much more are relevant anywhere in the world. Only the last section with its blow by blow description of common North American saltwater fly targets is of limited interest.

The book is divided up into easy to digest chapters covering tackle, flies, casting, basic techniques and retrieves, where and how to catch fish, popular (American) flyrod species and tying basic saltwater flies. It's illustrated throughout with clear line drawings by Dave Hall. I found the chapters on tackle, casting, techniques and where and how to catch fish particularly useful. The information in the book is presented in a way that's easy to follow and, though the book's aimed at beginners, there's enough depth here for anglers of all skill levels.

Saltwater flyfishing is a fast growing facet of the sport. It's highly addictive and, once hooked, addicts seek out information on the subject wherever they can. Fly Fishing Saltwater Basics is not a bad way to start.

The Wildfoods Cookbook By Daryl Crimp Published by Reed New Zealand Reviewed by John Eichelsheim.

Each year the Wildfoods Festival is held on the South Island's West Coast. It attracts over 15,000 visitors and year who come to sample the huge variety of fish and game cooked and served in interesting ways at the festival. Daryl Crimp, author, cartoonist and restaurateur (he established the Brown House, a Nelson restaurant specialising in game and seafood) has collected over 150 of these recipes in the Wildfoods Cookbook. There are recipes for shellfish, crayfish, whitebait, trout, har, venison, pork, chamois, quali, pheasant and duck.

There are also recipes for possum, pukeko and huhu grubs and a handy selection of stocks, sauces and stuffings. The recipes are easy to follow and most can be adapted to use ingredients available from the butcher or supermarket. The book is interspersed with colour and black and white photographs and many recipes have 'handy hints' which are very useful. As with all of Daryl's books, the text is entertaining, although I missed his cartoons which are usually such a feature of his books.