As you are aware I have no adverts on this site, I have ran ads in the past and did not like the way they are so in your face. I know I am never going to make much money from my blog but what I do get now and then is the offer of products to use or books to review. Occasionally I have contacted companies for specific products to review – rarely do I get a response.
However, I am an affiliate of Amazon which means anyone who clicks a link to an Amazon product that I have discussed and buys it means I get a few pence. There are a number of reports through the system that I found interesting. These reports not only tell me how much I earned over the timeframe selected but shed some light on what items people are purchasing. I am affiliate for both Amazon UK and Amazon US as the systems are seperate – I thought I would share the top two products for each area. You can of course buy the books or read more about them by clicking the pictures.
Amazon UK
Number 1
Number one by far is “Matching the Hatch” – it gives an easy summary of all flies you would expect to find in a UK river categorized by spring, summer and winter. You may notice up on the right hand side of this diary there is a box showing what I am currently reading. This book pops up pretty much all the time as I am constantly using it as a reference – it is easy to read and follow. This book stays in my bathroom for me to read when I am, er, sitting on the loo.
If you want to learn more about hatches you will regulary encounter when fishing and dont know where to start this book is for you.
Number 2
Number two is “Trout Hunting” by Bob Wyatt. This book is a contrast to the first book as it is long on philosophy and short on instruction. This is no “how to” book but musings on what might make a trout take a fly amongst other things, when I say other things I mean if it was a “how to” book it would be a “what to think about when trout hunting” Classy pictures of flies and how to tie them – Mr. Wyatt pushes his deer hair emerger and how easy to tie it is when ironically it is damned difficult. If you can learn to tie it though then you have a fly for all occasions. This book is on my bedside table pretty much constantly.
Amazon US
Number 1
Strangely it was a DVD that came in at number 1.
I reviewed it a while ago and did not think I did it justice at the time. Essentially if you have ever seen a hard core pornographic film you will know what the “money shot” is, essentially it is the moment when the gentleman reaches his peak of satisfaction and the….well I guess you get the picture. Well, if the “money shot” was the moment when a trout is hooked on a dry fly (and I am sure the gentleman hooking the trout is at the peek of his satisfaction) then this DVD is packed full of “money shots”
Very enjoyable
Number 2
Philadelphia on the Fly: Tales of an Urban Angler – Ron. P. Swegman. This little book pipped the post to second place and I was glad at that. I reviewed it a while ago and really enjoyed it. It is a nice personal book full of quirks – everything you would expect from an Urban Angler really 🙂
Conclusions
The first thing that struck me was there is no real “how to” books or DVDs in that little mix. I suppose “Matching the Hatch” is kind of instructional although you can catch trout without knowing the names of the flies hatching – it does make it more fun though. The second thing that struck me was the lack of some of the greats in the list, like Robert Traver and John Gierach – I think they are two writers I write and admire the most.
Just in case you missed them head over and check them out.
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