He explained that he was soon to leave school (with few qualifications) and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his carp fishing heroes about whose exploits he reads in the angling weeklies and specialist glossies.

Clearly this young man was smitten by carp angling. He envisaged spending weeks, months, at big fish waters catching British record carp, having his picture splashed across the pages and being begged by tackle and bait manufacturers to accept their sponsorship cash and products.

I was at a loss to reply. I started off by asking how much experience he had of catching big carp, of bivvying up and living like a hermit for months on end. He was happy to tell me that his pb was a fish of just over 16lb, and that long spells at the waterside would be no problem because he had been a Scout for several years!

It all sounded so improbable, so silly. I am not trying to take the mickey out of this lad. I am honestly trying to explain what a predicament I was in. If I had been too critical to him it would probably have done more harm than good; a gentle, reasoned argument would surely be better?

That rational approach, however, did not cut any ice at all with him. The practicalities of having no money to provide proper tackle, season tickets, regular bait and medical supplies, food etc, were as water off a duck's back.

He was confident of instant success, along with the accompanying recognition and sponsorship. He dismissed as irrelevant the dangers of spending long periods at the waterside.

I was at a loss as to how I could persuade the lad his scheme was a non-starter, especially when he claimed to know compatriots who were having lovely, and indeed, successful, times spending their lives at the waterside.

What did his parents think of it? They, apparently, were most concerned about the whole idea and it was they who had suggested he should telephone me and reap my advice. I could not thank them enough.

Really, all I could do was sow as many doubts in his mind as possible. It certainly made me think though about the 'glamorous' (so-called) lifestyles of these full-time anglers, so misleadingly portrayed (in my opinion) by the trade publications.

It is a pity that they do not tell the whole story of lost homes through mortgage repossessions and gas and electricity cut-offs, broken marriages, sunburn, chilblains and pneumonia!

And, at the end of it all? At most, a few pictures in magazines with your name under them and a realisation that if you had given as much dedication to any other sport you would probably have been in the super tax bracket.

I have not heard from that young man again. Neither to tell me how wrong I had been in my ageing views, nor to thank me for pointing him in his real career direction. I do hope that all has gone well for him whichever is his life's trend.