For as long as I can remember I have had an affinity with fishing, fish and the diverse habitats they live in. It all started way back in the mid 80′s when my dad used to take me on the local canal chasing perch, these were soon replaced by the shoals of tench which inhabited the venue. I was taught to float fish for them and it wasn’t long before I was competently catching fish regularly. I soon progressed onto the rivers and being from the North East, the Swale, Yorkshire Derwent and River Hull were the venues I was regularly taken to.

These proved to be a whole new experience and the float fishing was replaced by quiver tip rods and breadflake or lobworms for winter chub or maggot feeder for roach, bream, perch, eels to mention just a few. After a couple of years it was decided I had learnt enough and a trip to the Middle Severn was planned to target a fish I had heard about but not had the pleasure of catching, the barbel. It was 1991 and over the course of a week we caught many many fish.

I loved the thrill of fishing rivers and to this day that sense of anticipation and excitement still exists every time I cast a bait onto a weed covered gravel run or carefully place it under a near bank snag awaiting a barbel to make a mistake and drag the rod tip round. Now living in the Midlands I am lucky to have some of the best river fishing in the country available to me with The Severn, Trent, Warwickshire Avon, Wye, Teme and Dove all within easy reach. These days it’s not just the barbel that take my attention with pike, perch and carp taking up my time as well.