Q: What are your earliest fishing memories? Who taught you?
My Granddad started to coach me in angling in 1951, at the age of 6, on the River Swale in North Yorkshire. This is my 63rd year in angling.

Q: How influential has Mr Crabtree been in your angling life?
I class myself as a Crabtree child. I was already fishing when the Mr.Crabtree book was published. It played a really big part in my early angling career. I can remember reading it over and over again. A great, great book.

Q: Do you have any angling heroes? What do you most admire about them?
Yes, in my personal opinion the late Terry Lampard was one of the greatest anglers Britain has ever produced. Terry was a very quiet and very modest man, a real gentleman and along with Richard walker one of the best all round anglers of all time.