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Saturday 11 February 2012 was no doubt an unremarkable day for many. For me it was one of the most memorable of my whole life. I caught a roach which must qualify as hefty by anybody's standards.

Australia has become a second home to me of late and right now I'm on my fifth visit in seven years. I'm mainly here on holiday and to catch up with old friends but I was asked to do a bit of work for New South Wales Fisheries to help spread the habitat gospel amongst anglers in the Murrumbidgee River catchment.

First of all let me introduce myself. My name's Brian and I'm a friend of Eddie. I'm not really able to write this piece myself due to an unfortunate death in the family, so I have asked Eddie to write it on my behalf. This then is my story.

A recent thread on Fishing Magic "worst smelling bait additive" jogged my memory about such a subject. It's a sort of reverse if that makes sense. Let me explain.

A day on the upper Thames a couple of years back saw me at Tadpole Bridge where I'd first fished back in the 70s. My brother and I had stayed with Mr and Mrs Stevens who ran the Trout Inn, right next to the bridge, and gave us the most excellent service - but it had changed.

Feeling and looking like a sherpa on bonus, I turned up at the lakes mid-afternoon when the sun was high and hot. Now I am one of nature's sweaters, so I really didn't feel too inclined to walk very far to my swim, wherever that may have turned out to be; however, the place was packed with carpers and not a solitary space of any size could be found around the entire perimeter of the lake.

We've come a long way since James March put quill to parchment in 1836! Our thanks to Eddie Benham for revealing just how far.

In 2006 Rod Sturdy had the pleasure of meeting and talking at length with the late Fred Buller, incorrigible angler, researcher and writer. Here Rod unearths much of what made the man tick and a wealth of little known facts about the great man.

'Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.' (Proverbs 16:18)

As I sit here in my humble cottage reflecting on the past, I am approaching my 65th birthday! Where did all those years go?