Beyond the Green Gate was Stuart’s first book, written purely with the objective of having ‘his book on his bookshelf’.The initial print run of just two hundred copies sold out before the book was even printed, turning the book from a simple labour of love into a cult classic, with first edition copies soon selling on the second-hand market for up to £300.
With the foreword written by Micky Gray, the first couple of chapters cover Stuart learning the ropes on the River Trent and fishing for tench, bream and carp in Oxfordshire.The book soon takes you into his fishing in the Colne Valley, and more specifically, Pits 2, 3, 4, Golf Course Lake and his time fishing the famous Savay Lake ‘on the days’. It was at Savay in 2008 that Stuart caught one of the most sought after fish in the lake, The Little Tailed Leather at over 41lb, having watched the fish pick up his rig and then played it on a Richard Walker, split cane Mk4 rod and centre pin. It’s an epic story!
