The author was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, in 1949, and spent most of his working life in the insurance industry starting in London. Then in 1973, he moved to Hampshire, finally living on the Hampshire-Dorset border in the market town of Ringwood.
His passion for fishing began in Surrey. He developed a deep and lasting bond with the countryside. His early years growing up in the tempestuous atmosphere of his family home in Surrey caused him to regard the countryside, especially the banks of some local river, stream or lake, as places of sanctuary. This helped him to counter the volatile, emotional switchback that was his early life from childhood to young adult.
