Whilst on holiday in London with the family last week, and feeling somewhat removed from trout country, I thought I would do some prospecting in Pall Mall.

There was a time when you could visit three fly fishing shops within 5 minutes of each other: Farlows, Sportfish and Hardys. Now, after a series of mergers, only a refurbished Farlows shop remains and what a disappointment! It now caters more for fashion than fishing. Gone is the rather chaotic jumble of kit where you could find the odd surprise and have a natter with other anglers. (I remember bumping into Jeremy Paxman a few years ago, who was in transit to Slovenia if I remember rightly).

Now it's a bit like walking into Dolce & Gabbana. Beautiful shop, visual merchandising, expensive brands, modern retailing philosophy. But the shop was empty - no people, no craic, no heart.

It's as if the company is run by retailing management consultants, rather than by people who understand fishing. Shame for the people who work there, as I detected some discomfort when I broached the subject.