Big thanks to Lone Angler’s Trefor West for taking time out to speak to us recently – here’s what he had to say on all things angling…
Q: Most anglers would love to be able to call themselves ‘professional’. How did you manage it?
The guiding system came into fishing and everybody was saying to me “you ought to do that you’re better than so and so”. So I thought I’d better have a go and I appeared to be good at it and got booked up straight away. Well my diary said I was good at it because you had to book a year in advance. I was lucky enough to do it 5 days a week and earn a living from it. I was also lucky enough to be able to design a rod of my own and write a book.
It was something that my customers picked up on and now there’s Lone Angler which has my saying attached to it “no short cuts, no compromise” and it’s British at its very best.
Q: How often do you fish and what do you fish for?
I fish on average 3-4 times per week throughout the entire season, normally in pursuit of the river species, predominantly Barbel and Chub. My favourite place is the Royalty fishery on the Hampshire Avon where to catch a 16lb plus Barbel would be the highlight of my fishing career.
Q3: What do you think are the most pressing issues in angling today?
One of my concerns is angling’s inability to present a united front to all the people that are anti angling. The classic problems would be the wholesale predation of our course fish by Cormorants and Otters which have devastated our low land rivers’ Barbel and Chub population and few people seem to care.
Q: Give us some PB stats – what are you most proud of and why?
PB isn’t what I’m about, I’m about fishing! PBs are a personal thing and as long as you are getting enjoyment out of your fishing that’s all that matters.
Q: What are your earliest fishing memories? Who taught you?
Catching sticklebacks in Whitby Abbey school lake that progressed into catching a Crucian Carp which at the time I thought was the most exquisite thing I had seen and hooked me on fishing for the rest of my life.
Q: How influential has Mr Crabtree been in your angling life?
It kept me and my mates’ enthusiasm high, especially through the closed season … how much more influential could anything be?
Q: Is there anything in fishing that you haven’t done? What are your ambitions?
One of my targets that I would be thrilled to bits to catch is a 30lb pike, I’ve been close to it a few times but 30lb would be the ultimate goal.
Q: Do you have any angling heroes? What do you most admire about them?
Mike O’Neill and he has a lovely car!
Q: What lessons would you pass on to today’s young anglers?
I think they need to learn the trade from the basics. A lot of young anglers want to go for Carp fishing and catch a 30lb’er straight away. They should learn about all the aspects of fishing before deciding that carp fishing is the one for them. This is what was great about Mr Crabtree, he taught Peter about all aspects of fishing.
Q: Describe your favourite ‘Crabtree moment’ you’ve had whilst fishing.
In my early days as a specimen angler I fished for all the chub on the river with all methods and different aspects of trying to catch them. One of the best things I picked up off Mr Crabtree was how successful fishing with natural baits was on our rivers.
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