James Batty seldom ventures further than about 20 miles from his Cornish home, west of Penzance. He fishes from the rocks and beaches in a handful of places and this is quite enough for him. For his quarry - the European bass - is a challenging one and you need to know exactly how it behaves, what it is feeding on and where it is likely to be lurking if you are to stand a chance of catching it. Batty is a thoughtful, intelligent, amusing angler who writes with clarity and refreshing insight.