BOOKS 2

Quote: "Godliness with contentment is great gain". 1Tim.6:6. Most people confuse "standard of living" with "quality of life". There's a big difference. You can kill yourself trying to achieve a high standard of living, while quality of life will ad years to your life! Quality of life, and contentment, lie in the simple things, most of them free.

In spite of the relatively small fly fishing population, by world standards, South Africa has a wealth of fly fishing writers. A famous South African fly fishing book is "The Rapture of the river. The autobiography of a South African Fisherman", by S. A. Hey. I have a special affinity with Sydney Hey, he started working for the S A Dept. of Posts and Telegraphs at 16, I started my working career, at 16, for the same Dept., 66 years later. The book covers about half a century from the end of the 19th Century to the 1950's. Only 1,000 were printed (I think) and no reprints until quite recently. I have a copy of the reprint and have read it more than once. The book was reprinted by Platanna press. (www.platannapress.co.za).

Another South African writer in this genre is Tom Sutcliffe. A retired medical doctor, this writer is the guru/wiseman of SA flyfishing. Tom Sutcliffe is a writer, artist and photographer of note. Titles in my collection are,"Hunting Trout", "My Way With A Trout", "Shadows on the stream bed" These are not technical how to books but his experiences while fly fishing in SA and other places in the world, very readable all them.

Peter Briggs, who is well known in SA for his articles in SA fly fishing magazines, has published a book titled "Call of the stream. A flyfishers passion for hunting trout in mountain streams". This is a coffee table type of book with beautiful photographs of mountain streams and people fishing them. When I can't go fishing I page through this book and dream of fishing those streams.

FOSAF, Federation of South African Flyfishers, has published, "The FOSAF Guide to Fly-Fishing Destinations In Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean", covers 184 destinations, 71 fish species, maps hot spots, tackle and techniques and reading the water. This is a book full information, where to go, how to get there, including GPS coordinates, places to stay and tariffs, contact details, etc. Any one thinking of a fly fishing trip to SA should get this book (www.fosaf.co.za).