G. W. (George W.) Soltau

author

G. W. (George W.) Soltau

Best known for a classic guide to West Country fly-fishing, this 19th-century writer captured the local knowledge, seasonal timing, and practical craft behind trout flies in Devon and Cornwall. His work still appeals to anglers interested in traditional methods and regional fishing history.

1 Audiobook

Trout Flies of Devon and Cornwall, and When and How to Use Them

Trout Flies of Devon and Cornwall, and When and How to Use Them

by G. W. (George W.) Soltau

About the author

G. W. Soltau, listed by Project Gutenberg as G. W. (George W.) Soltau, is known for Trout Flies of Devon and Cornwall, and When and How to Use Them. The book has had a long afterlife as a reference for anglers, especially readers interested in older regional fishing traditions and the careful matching of flies to local waters.

What makes Soltau interesting is how practical his writing appears to be. Rather than treating fly-fishing as something abstract, he focused on specific places, specific flies, and the right times to use them, giving modern readers a window into how anglers in Devon and Cornwall understood their rivers and streams.

Reliable biographical detail about him is limited in the sources I could confirm here, so it is safest to remember him primarily through this surviving work and its reputation as a concise, useful guide from an earlier era of British angling.