New must have book: From Sticklebacks to Throwing Sticks

New must have book: From Sticklebacks to Throwing Sticks

Tom Bankes is a name most in the Benelux and European scene won't be familiar with, but in the UK he is one of the main underground characters without hardly any publicity to his name. To our knowledge, Phil Lowry's 'The Brook' book is one of the publications with a rare Tom Bankes picture in it. This very secretive angler now wrote the first part of a trilogy, a book that - just flicking through it - gives us the same shivers like Terry Hearn's In Pursuit of the Largest, this one coming in a much more appealing Still Searching format though.

"The first book, ‘Sticklebacks to Throwing Sticks’ is not species-dedicated; instead, it includes all varieties and methods, beginning with fishing for trout, pole fishing for roach on the canal, finding gravel pit tench, a chapter on pike (which is nearly as big as the Dowdeswell pike itself), along with other experiences at Sparsholt College, working on trout farms and employment in tackle shops. Throughout this time, one species always manages to elude my best efforts by only ever remaining a distant sighting, and this is the carp. The impossibility of ever capturing this majestic creature was when the obsession set in, and a real love for carp fishing was found. This inspired travels to reservoirs in the South-West, fishing syndicate venues in the Cotswolds, floater-fishing on battered club pits, failing massively on vast, windswept gravel pits, a taste of how hard Yateley – the Yateley – could be, before finally finding the path to Savay Lake in North-West London’s Colne Valley. Here, a thirty-year relationship began with a venue whose stories continue throughout all three titles. Following this brief insight, if you do decide to read my story, I hope that you will find plenty of interest, enthusiasm and inspiration within its pages. All the best – Tom Bankes."

Tom Bankes has a dedicated website for his publications, but due to Brexit he doesn't ship outside of the UK. We tried to help out by offering Euro distribution but our good friends over at Johnson Ross ship over to mainland Europa already.


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