ANGLING adventurer and television presenter Jeremy Wade visited River Reads in Torrington to sign copies of his latest book River Monsters, writes Wayne Thomas.

The bookshop was packed with anglers eager to discover the inside story of the television series of the same name.

Among them were a large number of young anglers eager to meet their hero who has inspired them to catch their own monsters.

River Monsters has involved the viewer in a detective story that unlocks the mysteries of mighty rivers.

The monster fish that Wade sometimes hooks are, wherever possible, returned carefully to the river.

Rivers are described as the bloodstream of the planet and the presenter likens the catching of fish to the taking of a blood sample that illustrates the river's health.

The book signing was followed by a screening of the first episode of River Monsters at the Plough Arts Centre, telling of the search for huge man-eating catfish that dwell in the upper reaches of rivers in India, and a question and answer session.

Wade has a thirst for adventure and passion for unravelling the mystery of the world's murky rivers, which can only be done with rod and line.

A thinking angler who undertakes meticulous research before casting his hook, he said all the great anglers have been thinkers.

The key to successful angling, he said, is to put the right bait in the right place at the right time.

Proceeds from the day will go to Angling Heritage (UK) and WaterAid.