Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Keen angler Chris Woodrow is hoping to reelin a new generation of fishing fans as he prepares to launch a book detailinghis exploits on the world’s freshwater lakes and rivers.
The British expat will publish One Step Beyond in June - a 400-page, 32-chapter tome packedwith glossy colour pictures and written descriptions of his favourite anglingadventures.
The chairman of the British Club of Bahrainbecame hooked on the sport at the age of 12 when he received a store’s £7.99(BD4) young angler fishing starter kit for Christmas.
His obsession quickly took hold, and Chris’search for the finest freshwater catches remains relentless to this day as hefollows his passion across the globe. Chris, 50, said: “I started off fishingwith my dad, who also had had no idea how to fish, so we often spent more timeuntangling line from trees or removing hooks from clothing than actuallyfishing!
“I fell in love with it from the start. Thechallenge, the hunt, being outside, having a great time with all my friends …our little fishing crew were angling at every free moment we had available.”
Chris, from Southend, a seaside town in theEnglish county of Essex, left the UK in 1994 and his work in the field ofconstruction management and luxury real estate development has taken him toNigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Hong Kong, Philippines, the UAE and Europe.
He moved to Bahrain in 2007 to work onresidential projects on Amwaj Islands, and now, a decade later, he is stillhere with his wife Carol, a teacher at Nadeen International School, andchildren, Sebastian, 14, and Olivia, 11, who both attend St Christopher’sSchool.
Chris’ literary career has involved himwriting for nearly all of the major British fishing magazines, and his exploitshave featured on the front cover of numerous publications across Europe.
However, the book has been long in gestationand despite numerous false starts, only came to fruition very recently.
Chris explained: “I’ve wanted to write abook for the last 25 years. I remember taking three months off work to doexactly that back in 1996, but ended up using all of the chapters in monthlymagazine articles rather than one single book.
“In hindsight, this was the right thing todo, as One Step Beyond is now much more rounded,with plenty of worldwide tales for many more different species of freshwaterfish.
“The book took a year to put together,working in the evenings, weekends and holidays. It’s a book of true adventures,it’s not a manual on how to go about catching fish, although there are a fewpointers in there.
“Tariq Salman and Eather of Bidaya Designhave done an incredible job of putting the work together, the layout is superband it is completely different to any other fishing book available.
“The fact that they knew nothing aboutfishing really helped, giving an unbiased and completely fresh look. I owe thema debt of gratitude. Tariq also did all the hand-drawn sketches, and they aregreat … simple but captivating.
“I’m particularly happy with all thephotography it contains and being able to share the images with the world. I’vebeen fortunate and had some of the most incredible angling adventures all overthe planet. It’s been a very emotional experience, going through pictures,slides and press clippings from 35 years ago, through to the present day.”
One Step Beyond details the trials and tribulations of hispioneering years carp fishing in France.
There are nine chapters dedicated to this,which include Lac De Saint Cassien and several other high profile venues.
Outside of France, the book featureschapters on Chris’s fishing odysseys in India on the Kaveri River searching forthe mighty Mahseer, Spain for Wels Catfish, the USA, the Volga Delta in Russia,Nile Perch and Tiger Fish in Egypt, Romania, Hong Kong & China, Slovakiaand Hungary. There are also chapters on the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, GiantBlack Carp in Japan and the beautiful Lake Bled in Slovenia.
Chris also asked a few of his friends, someof them high-profile names in the fishing community, to contribute guestchapters to the work.
His proudest moment, recounted in the book,was when he finally bought his own 12-acre carp lake, set on a 20-acre plot ofland in central France, in December 2004.
He explained: “I guess it’s every seriousanglers dream to own their very own fishing lake! We named the lake LacSebastian, after my son. After I signed the papers at the Notaire in France,and was handed the keys, I had to pinch myself as I couldn’t quite believe it.
“My other finest moments include my firstfront cover of a major UK fishing magazine, the Anglers Mail in 1992, as this was the biggest fishingmagazine in England at the time.
“I’ve been lucky and caught lots of reallybig fish all around the world, including the Essex, UK record common carp ofover 53lbs. At the time this was a huge fish for the UK and was part of a veryhistoric haul I had over a two-night session. It was the type of trip thathappens once-in-a-lifetime, when everything just clicks into place.”
Chris’ adventures don’t stop here, as he isalready planning to go to a 15,000 acre lake in the Atlas Mountains of Morocconext year, searching for carp in areas that have been rarely fished. Who knows… a second book could be on the cards down the line!
One Step Beyond will be availablein June for BD15.
Readers are advised to emailChris at chrisw7@hotmail.com forinformation on bookstore locations, and all GulfWeekly readers can have their booksigned free of charge.
