Fish Tales

About the Book

Description of the book “FISH TALES” by Julia Hopton

This little book depicts the author’s love of fishing in simple but graphic verse.

It covers every aspect of fishing from forgetting to listen to the weather forecast to sitting on the bank of a river waiting for a salmon to jump.

The author’s thoughts from the river bank are descriptive and seasonal. There are walks along the banks, there are dogs that dig holes in the banks and evening fishing when you get tangled up on the bank.

There are memories of visits to Scotland to fish for salmon, and a meander down the River Wye. Even a recipe on how to cook trout.

Whether a salmon fisher or trout fisher, there is something to relate to in this collection of fishing anecdotes.

The book is dedicated to the author’s late husband Geoffrey Hopton.  He inspired and encouraged both the fishing and the verse.  The last poem was read at his funeral, and most fishermen will understand the need to pick up a rod and wander off down to a river in times of stress.

About the Author

About the Author Julia Hopton

Julia’s love of fishing began as a child.  Both her parents were keen trout fishers but due to her nomadic childhood, there was never a chance to learn.

This was rectified on her marriage to Geoffrey Hopton in 1974 when they settled down to family life near Hay-on-Wye.  Geoffrey inherited the family beat on the Wye called Caemawr so there was always plenty of fishing available. 

They honeymooned  in New Zealand where there is some of the best trout fishing in the world to be had. 

From there on, there were annual visits to Scotland to fish for salmon on the dry fly on the Dee, and later on West Coast rivers.

In 1990 there was a visit to Yugoslavia to fish for wild brown trout in clear unpolluted rivers. 

It has never been for the quantity of fish caught that has attracted Julia to her fishing.  It is her deep rooted love of rivers and her knowledge built up over the years of the pattern of life that surrounds the rivers and the banks all learnt by simply watching coupled with an inborn instinct for such a naturalistic way of life.