Photo books

• Another beautiful, cold and frosty start to the day, and I am stuck in the office writing features and catching up on emails - but this recent spell of stunning winter weather has been totally uplifting. Spring is on the way and the UK looks just fine to me.

• I have made a decision that I really must work on building up my collection of fishing books, and especially stunning photo books that will serve to inspire me throughout the year. Not only do I love seeing fishing that is photographed well, but these kinds of books can also give one plenty of fresh ideas. Whilst I spend a lot of time with my cameras looking for different angles and ways of doing things, it is always fun to see what else is being done out there. With that in mind, I have just ordered two books this morning (thanks James for the tips), as a kind of late birthday present to myself - Fly Fishing in Idaho and Unforgettable Days : Montana Trout Fishing. One day I will do a proper coffee-table style fishing photography book on all the awesome places I have been to and will go to in the future. It is a real dream of mine to do a book like this. When fishing is done well, it looks simply stunning, and some of the places we go to, both home and abroad, need to be shown off properly. Making fishing look good is the driving force behind what I do.

• One of the trips I am doing later this year is over to Montana to photograph some of the finest fly fishing on this earth. I am heading over there with Nick Hart in June for a quick visit and already I am completely overexcited - hence ordering the book above, to keep me nice and calm until I get there. We are heading over to the famous Yellowstone Valley Ranch, near Bozeman. These guys are represented by Aardvark McLeod here in the UK, so speak to them about a trip there.

• Below is another photograph from last week, see here to find out more. It got so warm that Nick was able to take his fleece off and fish in just a shirt for part of the day. I am crouched right down in the water to take this shot, praying that the icy water does not spill over the top of my Hardy EWS waders, and that I don't slip on the muddly bottom and give Nick a proper laugh at me slipping underwater !! I really like to get low to the water when it is possible, for it completely changes the viewpoint of a simple photo like this. Just wait until I can put those huge Montana skies into a shot like this.