(Previous posts relating to Major Oliver Kite can be found HERE)

Jeff
love the Oliver Kite film. There is a small Oliver Kite museum (more of a display but i like the sentiment that one cabinet and some print can be a museum) in the bar of the Arundel Arms in Devon, a hotel run by the delightful Annie Voss-Bark, wife of the late Conrad Voss-Bark, both accomplished fly anglers and writers. Worth a pint on the bench next to it. For more Kite reference see my blog entry from friday 1st april. the 3rd photo down of the angler on the blog is of Kite himself.
John (Andrews of Arcadia)

Jeff,
Wow what a find. In the early 1960’s and through to the early 1970’s this series of programmes together with the slightly different but equally educational Out of Town series with Jack Hargreaves were part of my education here in Hampshire and particularly on the Itchen. Although Major Kite’s own stamping ground was at Netheravon and around the borders of Hampshire and Wiltshire his technique and absolute mastery of fly fishing was an inspiration to a young lad fascinated by all that was River. I recall one programme in particular where he demonstrated the “induced take” using plain electrical copper wire wound around a hook with a paper bag over his head resulting in a wonderful specimen trout. The Kites imperial is of course a legacy to fly tyers. He wrote a couple of classics as well but they are hard to get hold of other than paying a lot of money or borrowing from national libraries. Alas nearly 50 years on and I am still trying to emulate his skills on the Itchen with moderate results.
Keep up the good work,
Regards
Gil