Book Review in The Angling Times - End Peg by Peter May, The highs and lows of match fishing
Posted by Lydia Unwin on
End Peg is superbly readable from the get-go. Divided into bite-sized chapters that can be read in one sitting, it takes the reader into the world of the keen amateur club and match angler. This is not competitive angling in the sense of next-level detail or headline events, but the far more relatable world of smaller competitions across rivers, lakes and canals. Even if you are not a match fisher, however, this is entertaining enough to appeal. In fact, even if you merely live with an angler, pondering their strange habits and the foul things they sneak into the fridge, it will get plenty of knowing laughs.
The whole book is peppered with great little asides, and the author’s best quality is his ability to weave interesting nuggets into the fabric of the book without ever dropping the tempo. Alongside various fishing contests, you’ll find a treasury of juicy bites of British angling history, and notes on the species and places we love best. There’s some great insight into the Thames, for instance, but the author also delves into common angling mishaps, finer points on gudgeon and even enters a pike match.