No mate, Walker used to wind people up far better than I do.
If you've ever sat on the banks of the Upper Ouse with Walker, listening him discuss and argue the finer points of fishing, photography, opera, classical music, cricket, politics, religion, other anglers, lawnmower design; and tell jokes, solid for 6 hours, right into the small hours of the morning who will know what I mean.
Although he may have wound you up, he did treat you as an equal. He had that great sense of timing both in his conversation and his writing, to prompt the sort of response he was waiting for, that led on to further debate. This reaction delighted him.
You knew he fully respected you when he called you by your surname only. I had a great many letters from him that were headed: "Clay", but in response I never ever said anything more than: "Dear ****".
At times he could sound very arrogant, but wasn't really, this was all part of the wind-up.
If Walker had never been an angler, he would have made a brilliant politician - Tory of course. His whole family were staunch conservatives.
Not only that he could take-off any accent you would dare to choose.
And on top of this he was quite truly a very fine all-round angler.
There will never be anyone quite like him.
I cried when I heared of his death in 1985.
It was like losing a father.