Life of a Chalkstream

Chalkstreams are one of the very few habitats that are nearly exclusive to England. They range far and wide from the famous River Test in Hampshire across eight other counties from Dorset in the west to Yorkshire in the north. Every river is very special in its own right.

Brought up in Hampshire, Simon Cooper was lucky enough to have great fly fishing on his doorstep, but as he grew up, got a job and moved away he soon realised what a closed world chalkstreams were unless you were in the know. So with little more than a germ of an idea, a telephone and the book of his fishing contacts, he set out to change that. His passion for all things fly fishing, but in particular the chalkstreams of southern England, shines through in this lyrical and most extraordinary of journeys.

We are treated to a year in the life of a chalkstream. From the remarkable spectacle of salmon, sea trout and brown trout spawning in winter, to the stunning sight of emerging water voles in spring and the budding explosion of mayflies in the early days of summer, the author describes the true wonders of life in a chalkstream in his inimitable and evocative voice. He introduces us to the fascinating diversity of life that inhabits its waters and environs – the fish, the angling community, the plant life and the wildlife. We learn how neglect threatens these inhabitants and why the fight to save and restore the chalkstreams is so vital, not only for fishermen, but for anybody who values the beauty of rural England.