Collaboration: Fishing Journal

November 11, 2013

October saw me working on a special project for a fly fishing syndicate whose beat is a beautiful Dorset chalk stream called the River Allen.

My brief was to make a journal small enough to fit into fishing vests and tackle boxes, so members could easily log their catches, fly patterns, water, date, conditions etc, either on the riverbank or once home.

I decided on A7 size - it fits into the palm of your hand but there's enough room to write down important details. The Longstitch with Linkstitch style means the book will lie flat in your hand or on a hard surface, so there will be no fighting with the binding in an effort to write right up to the edges.

The journal had to be easily and quickly accessible even with cold fingers - so I opted for a quick-close fixing comprising a leather strap stiffened with stitching, and a Sam Browne stud. The added benefit of this is it doubles as a pen or pencil holder.

What makes this fishing journal particularly special is the title page. Designed for the project by Stone Design, it's an illustration of a fishing line and fly, with the beat and syndicate's names. Stone Design presented several great concepts and together we settled on this one for it's elegance and simplicity.

Here in the UK we have 90% of the world's chalk streams and much work is put into protecting and enhancing their health. So as well as enjoying their fly fishing, the syndicate works hard to maintain the health of the water and riverbank, clearing invasive non-native plant species and protecting the the banks from erosion. The Allen is particularly special as it has the strongest population in Dorset of the native but rare white clawed crayfish.