A scene when there's no photo
Buying for an angler but can't get their catch photo? Choose a scene. It doesn't need the right species or the right fish, only the feeling of being on the bank before anyone else is up.
A scene is also the safest gift for an angler you don't know well. You don't need to know whether they fish for carp, pike or trout. You only need to know they'd rather be outside.
Night and winter
Carp anglers will know the bivvy at night. Pike anglers will know the frost on the reeds. The dawn swim suits anyone who's set an alarm for 4am and been glad of it.
Winter is also when river coarse anglers are busiest. The rivers close from 15 March to 15 June under the GOV.UK rod fishing rules. The cold months are the river season's last stretch. Lakes are different. Most enclosed stillwaters and canals stay open all year under the same rules, so a lake scene suits any month. Carp keep feeding through the cold, slowly, and our winter carp fishing guide covers where they hold and how little to feed. Our winter pieces suit the Christmas months, and Christmas fishing gifts will carry the order-by dates once they're set.
Where to hang a fishing scene
Scenes are wider and calmer than species plates, so they suit a living room or a bedroom. Above a sofa, go big. 50x70 cm or larger. A canvas at 60x80 cm fills a chimney breast without the reflections you'd get from glass.
A scene also pairs well with a species plate: a winter river beside a pike, or a dawn swim beside a mirror carp. Our print sizes guide shows what each size looks like on the wall.
Hanging scenes as a set
Two scenes from different times of day make a good pair: the dawn swim and the bivvy at night, or the winter river and the sea mark at dusk. Keep the size and frame the same. Hang them at the same height, with the centres about eye level for someone standing.
Three scenes in a row need a wide wall. Each A3 framed print is about 321 mm wide with its frame, so three in a row need over a metre. Measure before you buy.
Paper, frame or canvas
A poster is printed on matte archival paper and arrives rolled, ready for your own frame. Framed posters come in black or natural wood, behind plexiglass rather than glass. Canvas wraps round a wooden frame and suits a room with a window opposite, because it doesn't reflect.
For a bedroom, a soft scene on canvas tends to sit better than a framed print. In a hallway, a framed print stands up to knocks.
Your own day on the bank
A photo of your swim at first light can make a better print than a fish. Angling Times suggests shrubs, grass or the lake itself as a background for catch shots. Those backdrops make a good scene on their own. Print it as it is, or try it in a house style first.
Carpology makes the point that shots taken in the water often get more even light and a better backdrop than ones on the bank. The same goes for a scene: keep the light behind you and the water in front. Our catch photo guide covers the rest.