Mr. Crabtree Goes Fishing: A Guide in Pictures to Fishing Round the Year

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Although best know for his carping abilities, Alan is a complete all-rounder and he relished the opportunity to fish at Godalming Angling Society’s Johnson’s Lake for Crucians. We had a chat while he concentrated on the fishing… It kept me and my mates’ enthusiasm high, especially through the closed season … how much more influential could anything be? On leaving Red Tag he returned to working on a freelance basis and he has his own studio from which he does his design and illustration commissions. It is from here that he also runs an online gallery of his limited edition fishing prints under the name of The fine art of fishing.

John Bailey fishes with 12-year-old Sam from the West Midlands, fishing predominantly for tench using classic and contemporary methods. 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…This first series saw presenter John Bailey, [4] an internationally renowned fishing guide, fishing and walking in the footsteps of his angling hero, Mr. Crabtree, taking a different young guest fishing each week. [5] Episodes [ edit ] Series 1 (2013) [ edit ] No. The Crabtree ethos reaches far beyond fishing, because at its heart it’s about the most essential of human traits. Through the teachings of Mr. Crabtree it’s possible to convey respect, discipline, tenacity, enthusiasm, confidence and more. The show highlights the importance of role models, mentoring and guidance in forming young minds, and does it in a way that empowers and involves children, letting them make their own mistakes in scenarios designed to boost confidence. Dietmar Isiash, lately of Fox Rage fame. A brilliant predator angler, an ex world champion along with his wife Carmen. This guy is a fish catching machine and has invented so much of the modern lure gear you use and take for granted; a more enthusiastic angler I have yet to meet and another one with time for others less skilled than himself. The original Mr. Crabtree goes Fishing is the comic strip story of a father who takes his son Peter on a series of angling adventures over the course of a year, fishing for a variety of species along the rivers and lakes of Britain. It became the most iconic angling book ever – selling something like 4 million copies – and for many is still the touchstone against which every angling book will always be judged. 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.

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. The original Mr. Crabtree goes Fishing is the comic strip story of a father who takes his son Peter on a series of angling adventures over the course of a year, fishing for a variety of species along the rivers and lakes of Britain. It became the most iconic angling book ever – selling something like 4 million copies! As a kid I was introduced to the “Mr Crabtree” books by a fishing mate and I put them on my Christmas list in 1965. I must have read them a hundred times if not more, then one day my next door neighbour informed my parents that Bernard Venables was coming to Crawley Collage for some reason and would I like to meet him. This must have been 1969 as it was the start of term and I was eleven, just before my twelfth birthday. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mark Kitson of Sovereign Superbaits for his contribution to Series 2 – here’s a man with an absolutely unsurpassable wealth of knowledge, and his insights were truly valuable when it came to targeting predators during the filming of Series 2. We caught up with him during filming for an in-depth interview… We need more people like them in the sport, these guys are all great ambassadors for our sport and we could do with a few more.He has travelled this country with fishing rod, sketchbook and cameras and is often found on his beloved river Wye. His overseas travels have taken him fishing in Ireland, Holland, Spain, Canada, India & Mongolia.

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. I met him, he was a really nice guy. He was clearly very passionate about fishing and he signed all my books for me. I had lunch at the same table with him and a few professors and lecturers, and at every opportunity the talk turned to fishing so I could be included in conversation. I still use “Crabtree” methods to this day, you can’t beat “keeping it simple” A float, a couple of shot and a hook, with a worm on the end, will always get you a good tench or a nice perch and surprise, surprise even a good carp ! Had some awesome fish over the years but I’ve never been a PB Hunter. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE breaking my PB but very rarely get caught up in an obsession of trying to break it – if it happens RESULT – if not, I always enjoy myself. Fish to enjoy it. Once it becomes ‘work’, a necessity, an obsession – addiction even – it is very easy to walk away from it and not return. I feel that big-fish angling is now more competitive than match fishing and that is a dreadful shame. ‘Having’ to sit on a lake through all manner of conditions to catch a fish because someone else has already caught it is simply not a reason to go fishing for me. I AVOID catching previously caught fish when I’m fishing for quality fish, I avoid the swims they are caught from. I must be mad but once a fish has been caught, for me it ceases to be wild. Odd aren’t I?Theirs was a mobile sport, filled with discovery, wonder and piscatorial good fortune – A Crabtree never blanks! Most of my angling heroes are in the ground – or in the water. Heroes are for young people because they are revered and looked up to. There are anglers today that I envy which isn’t that great really. I envy them the time to do what they do and fish the places they fish. I am still very much a worker but rather pompously I believe that by carrying on what I do, the message of angling is put before an audience that wouldn’t necessarily see or hear it otherwise. So that envy isn’t real. Whenever he is not working (which is not often enough) Rob grabs the fishing rod and the camera and indulges in his greatest passion of wandering along rivers and secluded lakes. year-old Tadhg from Oxford accompanies John to the riverbank for a series of lessons in watercraft and the signs of a healthy waterway. The companions visit many stretches over their two days together, comparing urban and rural waters, discussing the evolution of a river and the positive impact of angling as a community builder. 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.