Two things Britisher Jeremy Wade always takes on his trips abroad: His fishing rod and grit. We caught up with the host of animal planet's River Monsters to figure whether his ties to ferocious fish might have anything to do with a past life

When Jeremy Wade goes fishing, you won't see a man with a floppy hat dozing off while waiting for a silly fish to bite.



You're more likely to see someone battle a goliath tigerfish with their inch-long teeth, catch a human-sized Goonch catfish or maneuver around big bull sharks. Excerpts from the email interview with the biologist, extreme angler and host of Animal Planet's River Monsters on what drives his bizarre passion.

At 16, you were the youngest member of The British Carp Study Group, an organisation for gifted carp anglers. At 50, you have been studying dangerous underwater fish for most of your life. What is it about these creatures that attract you, instead of having you run for survival?
I'm very driven by curiosity. So if I hear a story about something, I really want to get to the bottom of it to find out what the truth is. Fear is about self-preservation, but uninformed fear is a handicap. With many fish (and other animals), if you understand their behaviour you can make the fear proportional to the real level of danger. On most occasions this reduces fear, but sometimes you should turn up the dial, such as with the notorious toothpick Candiru of the Amazon.

I fear the Goliath Tigerfish, the horror of the Congo -- a man-sized piranha -- as well as bull sharks in freshwater. And big catfish, instead of you pulling them in, it could be the other way around, with potentially fatal consequences. I am amazed by Amazon stingrays.