River Trout Streamer Fishing, Writing

River Trout Streamer Fishing: Six months of reviews!

At the half-year point since the publication of my latest book River Trout Streamer Fishing in November 2025, copies have been making their way around the world. As far as I can tell, it’s been well received on social media, and more formally-published reviews have appeared slowly but steadily.

In the UK, the book has certainly piqued the interest of reviewers at Trout & Salmon, Fly Fishing & Fly Tying, Classic Angling and the Fly Dressers’ Guild. And, as I’d hoped, a couple of suitably European-based websites have also noticed RTSF’s focus on the continental fly-fishing scene, with well-considered responses from Global FlyFisher and Forelle & Aesche.

Here’s a taste of what the reviewers have been saying (including links to the full online reviews in the latter two cases):

‘Streamer fishing can add a new dimension to your river fishing. Theo’s book will make you think again about how you approach your favourite stream. Crucially, it will give you the confidence to try.’

  • Pete Tyjas, Trout & Salmon

‘I’m trying to think of another UK-published book centred on modern streamer fishing for trout and coming up empty.’

‘Part Two is presented like short interviews [with] selected anglers from the UK and wider Europe about their fishing and flies. This section is frankly excellent: tons to learn and so many insights and ideas… simply loaded with successful trout streamers and fishing advice.’

‘River Trout Streamer Fishing is a substantial and very well produced book, excellent printing, great photographs, the text is written in a clear, readable style. Pike has assembled all the material needed to make a top-class resource or reference book. I’m already choosing the flies I want to tie for my own box.’

  • Magnus Angus, Fly Fishing & Fly Tying

‘This book is a real eye-opener… It makes sense to fish with streamers because trout, especially big ones, are predatory and will devour a wide variety of small fish, amphibians and mammals in addition to insects… I shall certainly give [streamers] a go during the coming season.’

‘[River Trout Streamer Fishing] is beautifully produced and contains some stunning photographs. I feel sure that it will make many fly-fishers reassess their approach to river fly-fishing.’

 ‘Some people may think that fishing large streamers for river trout is a US thing… But the subtitle reveals that this book has another focus: UK and Europe. Of course [the Americans] have added to the game, but so has a bunch of Europeans, and many of those have found their way into this book…’

‘It’s rich in large and high quality photos of both locations, fishing, flies and anglers. The layout is light and modern and easy on the eyes… a really excellent source of inspiration for people who want to learn more about streamer fishing and expand their streamer arsenal.’

 ‘British charm and European tactics.’

‘At just over 340 pages, River Trout Streamer Fishing is a substantial book – written from a European perspective… [and] this is precisely where Theo Pike’s book shines. I feel as if this book was written specifically for me and my area of expertise…’

‘Twenty experts, experienced fly fishers and fly tiers from all over Europe… are given the spotlight in the second part of the book [to] present their successful patterns and reveal the secrets to their success. The differences, as well as the occasional similarities, in the techniques and approaches they employ are astonishing…’

‘Conclusion: a comprehensive work for enthusiastic salmonid fly fishers… an all-encompassing work of great value for passionate fly fishers who have always wanted to understand the fascination of streamer fly fishing.’

‘Another new issue from Coch-y-Bonddu, this large well illustrated book is a complete ‘how-to’ on fishing rivers with streamers. This is a tactic that is often ignored or prohibited here in the UK but for those who try it and our European cousins there are many larger trout to be caught on streamers, even from small streams.’

‘Theo has gathered together a group of the best exponents of streamer fishing and as a result this book has it all… Indeed the great Oliver Edwards contributed a chapter to this book as one of his very last works and while UK anglers may not know of all the experts the knowledge they impart is pure fishing treasure!’ 

‘Lavishly illustrated with photos of flies, fish and venues this is not a book for the dry-fly purist but for the all-round angler and especially the travelling angler it is a must-read.’

  • The Fly Dressers’ Guild, Flydresser

‘I’ve always wondered why the literature on fishing streamers in Europe seemingly lagged behind what we’d achieved in the US. And I’ve now learned that it hasn’t languished; it has just lacked an effective advocate willing to compile information from various angling cultures.’

‘[Part 2 is a series of streamer masterclasses with European anglers who design, tie and fish streamers, and this is a goldmine of information on fly design, tying and angling technique…’

‘Fishing streamers is not simply a searching tactic, and the degree of sophistication required to fish them effectively can be quite high… You may not necessarily land the largest trout in the river, but you may find out where that fish lives. And that will keep you coming back, whether or not you ever land it.’

‘If you’re intrigued by streamer fishing, start here.’

I’m incredibly grateful to all these reviewers for their thoughtful responses to River Trout Streamer Fishing, and I’ll aim to update this blog post with further reviews as and when they appear.

River Trout Streamer Fishing was published by Coch-y-Bonddu Books (£40 + P&P) in November last year, and copies are available direct from the publisher or via Amazon.