Scotland's Classic Trout Waters - Lesley Crawford

With almost 200 pages, most illustrated in full colour, this large format book contains a lot of information. But what is it? There are plenty of hints and tips about fly and tackle selection, but it's not a 'how to fish' book. There are details of dozens of rivers and lakes, contacts and OS Map references, but yet its not an angling tourism guide.There are tales of fishing exploits, but yet it's not a compendium of fishing stories. And there is even a small section on the 'fishing scene' in Scotland (the law, conservation priorities, environmental threats and possible solutions); but it's not a scientific treatise either.

Apart from making a small but useful contribution to all of the above, Lesley Crawford's new book is mainly a celebration of wild trout in Scotland. It's a book aimed at making you want to get out there and enjoy flyfishing for trout and sea trout in wonderful surroundings.

So does it succeed? Is it a truly exciting, enthralling work?

With few exceptions, the pictures are big, evocative and reproduced to the standard that has given the publisher, Swan-Hill Press, such an enviable reputation for quality. The writing is idiosyncratic, as angling writing ought to be, and Lesley Crawford's love of Scottish waters and wild trout comes across clearly. There is some apparently rushed and somewhat careless editing in places. Few angling writers can deliver the goods without the help a conscientious editor; at the second edition (which I think sales of this book will justify) this matter deserves more attention.

And how about authority? Well, it's Lesley Crawford. She knows, you know. And in a frank, friendly and modest way she manages to instil a confidence through quiet confidentiality; there is no arrogant 'I know something you don't know' tone about this book. But of course I just had to cross check with other reference works... and as far as I could ascertain on that score Scotland's Classic Wild Trout Waters gets full marks. Perhaps her trout are a little bigger on average than those in Bruce Sandison's reference tome Trout & Salmon Rivers and Lochs of Scotland (Merlin Unwin Books, 1997); but then again... that may be a measure of the angler, and Lesley Crawford knows a bit about catching wild trout.

If you have a copy of Lesley Crawford's earlier work, Fishing for Wild Trout in Scottish Lochs, also published by Swan-Hill, you already have the natural history and how-to guide to loch-style fishing; this new book will be a useful companion guide.

Pat O'Reilly

Just the book for the keen trout angler to help the long winter nights pass - Dundee Courier

Crawford's high quality colour photographs give a real feel of excellence to the book... in a broader sense it's a celebration of the great outdoors, in all its glory and all its moods - John O Groats Journal