It’s never easy, and for me never really comfortable, talking about myself. Naturally though, people like to know where you’ve come from and what brought you to this point in time. So here is a little bit about my life path.
I was born in the steel city of Sheffield in 1955. I moved to Gwynedd in Wales in my early teens, lived and worked in West Australia for five years, then came back to North Wales, which is where I am today.
It was on a family holiday, somewhere between the age of three and four, that I first picked up a fishing rod and caught my first fish, a flounder. I quickly became obsessed with fish and fishing. This obsession has never relented and I remain as enthusiastic, preoccupied and addicted to angling as I’ve ever been.
I admit to having flirtations with other sports along the way. I played football throughout my youth and was asked to train with Sheffield Wednesday, the team I have supported since pre school. It has been a tortuous love affair with The Wednesday, beset with disappointment and broken promise, but once your choice of team is made, as a football fan, you forever endure and just hope for better times to come. I remain hopeful, that at some point, I will see a team play in blue and white reminiscent of the team of the early 1990’s.
I also got in to serious rally cars in my late teens building a highly modified near full works BMC Mini, and loved every minute of it. I started road rallying and progressed to national stage rallies. Surprisingly I found I was pretty quick and seemed to be able to keep the car on the road and without bending it too much. Speed is infectious, and so it was for me, but it was also expensive, too expensive for me to have been really competitive and I decided, reluctantly, to give up the dream.
Fate though, took a hand and fishing, though never out of favour, instantly came back to the fore. I spent a lot of time bass fishing after coming home from Australia, moved on to sharks, then started to target species and specimen fish. Most people know me as a sea angler, but in fact, when asked, I always say I’m an angler, for that is exactly what I am. Sea angling is my favourite fishing, but I spend a lot of time with a fly rod chasing trout and sea trout. I dabble when I can with coarse fishing, enjoy some carp fishing, and I’m hoping to spend more time after salmon over the next few years. I am an all-round angler, and very happy being so.
I’ve been fortunate to fish all round the world taking in some 21 countries. I’ve caught blue marlin, striped marlin, sailfish, tarpon, roosterfish, bull sharks, yellowfin tuna, dorado, and many other species that as a boy I could only dream about. I’ve enjoyed adventure fishing in both Iceland and Norway for big cod, coalfish and halibut, and enjoy the scenery and remoteness of the far north. Yet when asked what my favourite fishing destination is, then for me it has to be Ireland. I love the surf beaches of Kerry, the cliff scape of Donegal, and the fish filled estuaries of west Cork especially. Many of my best times when fishing have been in Ireland and I will always return there to what I feel is my second home.
I want this website to reflect my passion, obsession and absolute addiction to angling. My blogs will tell it how it is, good and bad. When I catch a big fish, you’ll read about it. When I lose one, you’ll hear of that too. There will be news, views, polite opinion, tackle talk, and no doubt a moan or two. It will be a reflection of my actions and thoughts. I hope you find it interesting!
You can contact me through Facebook or LinkedIn other contact channels will be open shortly.