A message from our founders – James Arnold-Baker and Lester Holcombe:

A few years ago we became convinced that it was high time that someone brought the Crabtree heritage to the small screen. As dedicated anglers and Mr. Crabtree enthusiasts with a wealth of knowledge in production, publishing, and communications, we started talking with the Mirror, the original commissioners of Mr. Crabtree, about how best to proceed. Very much a passion project, it’s taken until now to evolve to where we wanted it, but we are now finally able see the results of these efforts.

We’ve dedicated lots of time to talking with other enthusiasts, people who share our concerns about getting it right, preserving the Crabtree heritage and sharing the teachings with a new generation. We still welcome conversations with anyone who feels they can contribute to this.

We kicked off with a TV series, and we’re now on to Series 2, and a new book, sympathetic in its look and feel to the original but in every sense a contemporary version. We’re also looking at republishing the original book in a quality format.

If you’re an angler of a ‘certain age’ you’ll already know all about Mr. Crabtree.  Maybe you were one of the 3 million proud owners of the original book Mr. Crabtree Goes Fishing, by legendary angler Bernard Venables? It’s very likely that you refer to ‘Crabtree swims’, that you know what a ‘gentle’ is and that the idea of fishing in a tweed three-piece-suit doesn’t really seem that odd to you.  Congratulations you’re a Crabtree kid!

Here at Crabtree HQ we’d like to think we’re leading a movement to bring back something that’s not necessarily been lost in modern angling, but is possibly being overlooked. Mr. Crabtree, in his fishing adventures with his son Peter, passed on not only his knowledge of angling, but his love and reverence for this great sport of ours. At his side Peter learned watercraft, a love and respect for the natural landscape, and an immense amount about the many different facets of fish behaviour.

Theirs was a mobile sport, filled with discovery, wonder and piscatorial good fortune – A Crabtree never blanks!

Fishing in the Footsteps of Mr. Crabtree is what we’re all about – and our book and TV series of the same name are the first steps we’ve taken to illustrate this. We hope you’ll join us on our quest to bring Mr. Crabtree to a new generation of anglers, to share our love of fishing for all species, and to help us spread the word. We are part of a wonderfully diverse community, united by a shared passion. Let’s celebrate that together!

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