‘Tis the season to take a freaking moment, close the laptop, put down the phone, take a swig of eggnog, whipsky, or whatever libations do it for you and…open a book. To help you with deciding what to read, we’ve rounded up a selection of books that have featured in The Mission this year. Some are practical, some are reference books, while others are inspirational, philosophical or downright entertaining. Links in the book names.

Happy down time. You’ve earned it.

RIVER SONGS – STEVE DUDA

He doesn’t know it, but Steve Duda is partly responsible for The Mission existing. I loved the way Duda, a former editor of The Flyfish Journal, put that magazine together, the contributors he worked with, his own writing and the general outlook on what fly fishing writing could be. It did not have to be a tiresome “how to” (an approach better suited to digital) nor an onanistic “look at me” hero thing (hello, Instagram). Instead, it could be anything as long as it was compelling, entertaining and real – personal stories, snapshots of lives well fly fished, in-depth profiles, piss-takes, you name it. The Mission took bits of that as inspiration then went off in its own regenerative direction, but I have always kept Duda in mind as a sort of editorial talisman.

A collection of Duda’s writing, some published in The Flyfish Journal and elsewhere, some new, River Songs unsurprisingly embodies that feel. Accompanied by 14 illustrations by Matthew DeLorme, longer pieces are book-ended by shorter “River Songs”, the collection braiding together into a brilliant, hilarious and powerful read that stays with you long after you put the book down. A few of the highlights include “A Long Run With A Tight Crew”, a dedication to a recently deceased fishing dog; “Cue the Tango Scene”, Duda’s account of a magazine gig to Argentina replete with boat banana sacrilege and cleansing ceremonies; “It Pleases Me, Loving Rivers”, literary icon Raymond Carver’s path as a mad-keen fly angler; a beautiful nature boy dedication in “Make The Sky Better, A Meditation on the Western Cliff Swallow”; and “Sir Longballs”, Duda’s epic telling of both an issue he had with his gonads and some impromptu fly fishing camp dental work he endured among drunk, cheering friends.

The kind of guy, by his own admission, more likely to be found shot-gunning beers with the local guides than proselytising on his favourite whisky at the lodge bar, Duda’s got few airs and graces. And the ones he exhibits in River Songs will likely make you appreciate your own time – on the water, in nature, and with your fishing friends – even more.

THE KLINK – HANS VAN KLINKEN

Klinks on the brain? Silly question – if you fish in the fresh for trout, yellows or any other dry fly-sipping species, like the Roman Empire, worms and the ANC’s proposed GNU, there’s a good chance you are almost always thinking about Klinkhåmers, Hans van Klinken’s famed dry fly. Forty years after it was created, van Klinken has released a book that dives not into just the journey of the fly, which we all fish and tie today, but into his life journey. Dig into 352 pages, illustrated with 675 colour photos covering a selection of his best flies with intricate steps on how to tie each one.

CAST, CATCH, RELEASE – MARINA GIBSON

Like when celeb footballers release their memoirs while still in their 20s, it might seem a little early for trailblazing angler Marina Gibson to drop Cast, Catch, Release, her memoir of life thus far, but with a talent for storytelling and a well of experience to draw from, Marina’s not short of material. Deeply personal, Cast, Catch, Release is not an Instagram highlights reel of a life well fished, but rather a first-person biopic. From her wonder at the natural world as a child to being taught to fish by her mother and exploring Scotland’s salmon fisheries and English chalk streams, in many ways Marina’s story mirrors that of the improbably journey of the Atlantic salmon, a metaphor that runs throughout the book. Irrepressibly drawn to fly fishing, despite various setbacks (her parents’ separation, a directionless party period in London, a failed marriage, etc.) like the salmon Marina found she kept coming back to the sport that provides her with both the solace and the salve, the calm and thrill she needed. The rest is history.

THE BELIEVER – DAVID COGGINS

David Coggins, the author of the outstanding The Optimist, is back with a new book. In The Believer, he’s even more relatable as he gets to grips with both the general passing of time and what that means for his fishing (especially when it comes to relationships, something that most of us contend with). There’s a sense as he embarks on trips to seven far-flung destinations – Norway, Scotland, Spain, Cuba, Argentina and three US destinations in Wyoming, Tennessee and the Catskills – that he is bidding farewell to the angler he was as a younger man and embracing the wiser, older version of himself, a character no less obsessed with the fish at hand. Funny, poignant and relatable, David is a writer to treasure and The Believer should be high on your to-read list.

BITTEN HARD – JONATHAN BOULTON

Jonathan Boulton, the founder and owner of Mavungana Flyfishing, has experienced a lot in both the fly fishing and business worlds. His new book is part autobiography, part industry memoir, and part guidebook, offering a colourful collection of tales and stunning images that span half a century on the water. These stories cover everything from misadventures in the tundra, Seychelles and the Andamans among various other idyllic (and otherwise) locations, to running a successful travel business. The perfect read for anyone interested in fly fishing or adventure travel, it’s the kind of book that you would enjoy on a flight to the Zambezi on a tigerfish adventure, sitting down at a lodge with a beer after a day’s fishing, or relaxing at home dreaming of your next adventure.

THE NEW FISH – SIMEN SAETRE AND KJETIL ØSTLI

Ordered the salmon? You’ve done it, we’ve done it and millions of people all around the world continue to do it. Yet as The New Fish The Truth about Farmed Salmon and the Consequences We Can No Longer Ignore explores, farmed salmon is destroying not just wild salmon stocks around the world, but also having catastrophic knock-on effects on Eco-systems. Even if you are unlikely to ever fly fish for Atlantic salmon yourself, this books deserves your attention.

FRESHWATER FISHES OF SOUTHERN AFRICA – PAUL SKELTON

Live and fish anywhere in Southern Africa? Then this might be right up your alley. Updated and expanded, fish guru Paul Skelton’s definitive guide includes newly described species, the latest taxonomic changes, new photographs and illustrations, and updated distribution maps. It’s the perfect Christmas gift for yourself or other anglers in your life.