From landing hulking catfish on the Zambezi to talking tackle with Ted Hughes, COUNTRY LIFE’s fishing correspondent looks back on seven colourful decades

FROM CABLE TO TABLE

Coach Brian casts a line on a family trip to Northumberland. But did he follow his own advice when fishing a new venue, and did he catch?

With a season of winter storms approaching James Batty explains how to make the most of the great bass fishing that comes during or after a big blow

All the latest news from our local experts. The only monthly record of catches and news from the major fisheries of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland

From a milliner inspired by topiary to a model-turned-ecological gardener and a couple who swapped jobs in telecommunications for growing vegetables, Sir David Beckham’s rural heroes tell Julie Harding why craft and the countryside are key