John Stephens
I was brought up in a small village on Salisbury plain, which had the the river Till  running through it. This little stream eventually ended up in the River Wyle and then that joined the river Avon. The river Till passed the end of our garden - and that was possibly the beginning of a life long  fascination for me with rivers and streams.

From the age of 10 I have fished the river Avon at Enford, I still have a rod on the water now and always look forward to visiting it. The Avon is possible one of the most underrated chalk streams in the south of England1968 on the River Avon at Enford
Landing a brownie on the river Avon at Enford (1968) - note on the coat at the bottom right of the picture is a copy of  "An Angler's Entomology" by J.R.Harris

During my early twenties I lived in Wales, with the property forming the bank of the famous river Cothi. I could look out of the window and watch salmon and sewin (sea trout) swimming past. I did manage to catch the odd one now and then.


a more serious moment
During the years, I have been lucky enough to have fished many of the chalk streams of southern England and many streams and rivers from other parts of the country.

Having worked in the IT industry for the last 20 years, we have now parted company as it is time to get away from fantasy and time wasting and get back to common sense and reality - the countryside and fishing

I have now decided that it is the right time for me to share some of my experiences with other people who are new to the sport. To help them learn to not only fish but to enjoy the countryside and what it has to offer us all.