A very special day.

I never thought that one day I would write a book covering my life as an angler, let alone dedicating one to my father, my Mr Crabtree! Yet due to constant requests from angling acquaintances that day arrived and back in October 2011 I finally put pen to paper, or should I say finger to keyboard. Almost a year to the day, the final paragraph was completed and I jetted of to the Caribbean for a well needed holiday. Late last year the book was ready for launch at The Carp Societies Show at Sandown where it went down really well and since then sales have exceeded my expectations. It seems that every angler I speak to has bought a copy, one even approached me at Gold Valley last month saying that I had upset him. When I asked why he said it was because I had kept in up till 2am, the reason being, he started reading the chapter on fishing for carp on the Thames and couldn’t put the book down! Numerous emails have been coming through with moving words, especially the ones that mention my angling relationship with my father. Sadly this winter has been so bad, getting dad out on the bank has been difficult, so it was a very special day when a knock on the door saw the delivery of the first three leather bound copies delivered.

Finished in brown Old English leather and coming with its own protective sleeve and signed certificate I was overwhelmed with emotion as I set of to hand dad with leather bound copy number one. Although dad knew the book was out and had seen briefly seen a copy before Christmas I had purposely held back as this was to be one of my proudest days in angling and one I will cherish forever. Dad shows little emotion at the best of times, yet I could see that he was overjoyed with the present and was soon flicking through the pages, eager to relive numerous memorable times we have spent together and to see if Id mentioned that it was he who caught the first carp from the Thames!

It wasn’t just my father that I felt deserved a leather bound copy, as my girlfriend’s dad is also a keen angler and ever since knowing him he has sparked a special friendship with my father. Their has been many a day when all I can hear is the two of them chatting a way in the distance, catching the odd fish but generally enjoying getting out and casting a line. Handing a copy to him felt good and I could tell from his reaction that he wasn’t expecting it. Let’s face it; it’s him who I have to thank for teaching his daughter to put up with an angler.

So nearly eighteen months on from when the urge to write a book first became reality I have achieved what I set out to do, thank my dad in my own special way.

Leather copies are now available from Calm Productions www.calmproductions.com

I will also have a few signed hard back copies with me at The Big One at Farnborough Airfield on Saturday February 23^rd and Sunday 24^th. I will be on the Nash Peg One stand and look forward to seeing you there.